Samuel as Intercessor for Mercy
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
8/17/2014 PM
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Text:
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I Samuel 7:1-12
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Psalters: |
252, 212, 345, 353 |
- The preparation for mercy.
- First, Israel must lose the old: Eli’s family and Israel’s attitude toward the ark of the covenant (chapters 4-6).
- After receiving his call (3) and noting that “the word of Samuel continued to come to all Israel” (4:1a), nothing more till 7:3.
- Suddenly we see Samuel preaching to Israel (7:3) – a record of what he had been doing for many years.
- “All the house of Israel lamented after Jehovah” (2).
- Samuel addressed Israel in her longing and remorse (3).
- This summarizes Samuel’s preaching in various places within the nation for some period of time
- Now the time is ripe for Israel to go public officially and corporately by renewing covenant relations with Jehovah.
- Only genuine repentance is the proper preparation for God’s mercy.
- The experience of Jehovah’s mercy.
- Samuel called Israel together at Mizpeh (5).
- He desired to lead them altogether in public confession and repentance.
- The Philistines judged the gathering as a revolt rather than an expression of repentance.
- In her severe trouble Israel only pleads with Samuel to intercede for them (8).
- Israel sees her helplessness and resorts only to desperate prayer.
- Walking by faith they rest only on Jehovah’s mercy, knowing that they do not deserve it.
- Such desperation is never in trouble when it rests on the Omnipotent One, Who blasts the Philistines with His thunder (10b).
- This is just what God had promised to do (Lev. 26:8; Deut. 28:7), and is what Hannah knew (2:10a).
- At the heart of the experience of mercy is the confession of helplessness without any help, except to pray.
- After Israel routed the Philistines, Samuel sets up a monument of God’s mercy and explains its significance (12).
- “Hitherto” means that up to this point Jehovah has helped.
- Samuel does commemorate the present help from Jehovah, but He sees the present help as an extension of prior help.
- Samuel also includes the 20 years of Philistine oppression, the deaths of the 30,000, the capture and return of the ark.
- It is memory of past and present help which keep gratitude fresh, and gratitude keeps us exercising faith (cf. Isa. 63:9).