Hitherto hath the Lord helped us

Sermon notes from Sunday 15 March 2020 am

1 Samuel 7

"Hitherto hath the Lord helped us"

I want to turn our attention to thoughts and themes of anniversaries.  We find here that Samuel has an anniversary and he wants to do something that these people will be reminded of every year to come.  He named this rock "Ebenezer" saying "hitherto hath the Lord helped us."  To this very point he has helped us.  From now on God will help us.  God has helped us to this very point in our lives and will go on helping us until we meet him one day in heaven.  The situation the children of Israel found themselves in was one of tremendous fear.  They had been in bondage and slavery to the Philistines for the past 40 years.  God had allowed this to happen - he doesn`t look lightly on sin and it was because of their sin they were in this particular situation.  Now the people of Israel are getting their eyes on God.  They want to return to God.  The Philistines heard of their meeting together in Mizpah and they decided to come down and attack them.  As a result the children of Israel were "afraid of the Philistines."  God stepped in at that weakest point.  Men`s hearts are failing them for fear today.  Nation after nation is closing down today.  Government officials and prime minisers do not know how to cope with the situation we are in.  We have been looking in recent weeks at the setting up of the anti-Christ`s kingdom - can you not see that happening even now in our crisis hour?  The word of God is coming to pass so quickly.  We can see the money exchanges collapsing around us, around the whole world.  People are fearful of what could happen.  Men`s hearts are failing them.  As a province and fellowship we need to be serious in seeking God today, getting into the place of prayer.  It is not something we can leave behind.  The children of Israel were serious about it all - verse 3 "if ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts ... and prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him only and he will deliver you out of the land of the Philistines."

It is a reminder to the children of Israel of what God had done in the darkest of days.  This was a reminder of the dark days of defeat, rebellion and turning their backs on God.  The Lord instructed Moses and the people of Israel before they went into Canaan that there would be vineyards they did not plant, wells they did not dig, houses they did not build - beware lest you forget God!  In the wilderness you needed God to watch over you and guide you, now in the land of blessing beware lest you forget God, take God for granted.  Judges 13 verse 1 "the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered Israel into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years."  The prayer of the persecuted church today is not a prayer to be delivered from that persecution but rather they are asking for themselves - that God would give them strength through the time of persecution.  Here today we have so many luxuries that we don`t need God.  We hear the commentators on the radio say "we don`t really do God."  Then when God takes a step back they are shouting "where is God now?"  These were days of darkness for the Israelite people.  The monument would take them back even to 20 years before.  Then the Israelites took the ark of the covenant out of the temple of God, the symbol of the presence of God and was brought into the battle.  It was not enough for them that day.  Eli`s 2 sons Hophni and Phineas were killed in battle.  Eli was 95 years of age when he received the news of his their deaths.  Eli fell over and died.  Phineas` wife went into early labour and died in childbirth.  She named the child before she died and its name meant "the glory of the Lord has departed".  This monument took them back to the days when they rebelled against God.  We have to look back to the dark days of despair and hopelessness.

A reminder of the directions that were taken.  For 40 years they were under the bondage of the Philistines.  Now 20 years had passed since the ark of the covenant had been taken from them.  Now they were growing hungry for the things of God.  Verse 2 "and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord."  They were now seeking direction from the man of God.  Verse 3 "if ye do return."  There is the implication here that the leaders recognised their rebellion and now wanted to get back in step with God but there was a cost to it.  We have to count the cost of what it would take to follow after the Lord.  "Let a man deny himself and take up the cross and follow after the Lord." (Matthew 16 verse 24)  When Jesus died on Calvary he was giving his own life for you and me yet we are not prepared to give our all to the Lord, yes we would even rather others go to a lost eternity.  The people were willing to follow the Lord.  Samuel was instructing them in the way of blessing.  For many today God is some sort of good luck charm for when everything is going well but when something happens we lift up the good charm and begin to pray.  Samuel said it is not like that.  Moses entering into the Promised Land of Canaan told the people there were 2 ways.  Jesus talked about 2 ways to heaven - many are on the broad way but few have found the narrow way.  Have you found the narrow way yet?  Have you asked the Lord to come in and save you today?  The people realised they had done wrong, they had come to the place where something needed to happen, they needed to seek after the Lord.  When you are listening to medical experts, the Prime Minister and the First Minister and taking guidance from them - are you listening to the Lord`s guidance in the whole situation too?  What did these people feel - they felt God was the answer, prayer was the answer.  Verse 8 the Philistine army was coming against them and the children of Israel said to Samuel "cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines."  Chapter 4 verse 1 they thought if could bring the ark of covenant out into the battle then things would turn in their favour but instead disaster fell on them.  Now 20 years later they realised it was God they needed.  God himself was the only one who could save them out of the hand of the Philistines.  Jeremiah in the Old Testament was prophesising to the people when they did not like it.  They opposed him, put him in the prison, they cried out against him.  Zedekiah the king listened to his government and rulers and wise men.  He brought Jeremiah privately into his own room and said to him "is there any word from the Lord."  Isn`t it amazing that we haven`t heard from any of the religious leaders pointing to the scriptures about our situation today?

A reminder of God`s dealings.  This monument would be a constant reminder of their dealings with God.  If we need reminding look back on our failures, we have suffered defeats because of our own rebellious nature.  He doesn`t turn us away.  God steps in.  The way is set out before us here - verses 3 - 6.  We have got to come back to God`s way, acknowledge our sin just like the Israelites did here.  Remember Joshua taking the children of Israel through the land of Canaan.  The first city they came to was Jericho.  That city crumbled before them.  God instructed them to not take anything from that city.  It was the custom to loot a city they had defeated.  Achan however went in and saw a Babylonish robe, he lifted it up and then saw some gold and silver.  He gathers all up and hides them in his own tent.  The next city they came to was Ai, a small city in comparison to Jericho.  They decided not to take up the full army but they were defeated.  Joshua lay on his face before God lamenting.  God listens to him for a while but then tells him to get up off the ground because there is sin in the camp.  Only a robe and a few handfuls of silver and gold but it was enough to bring down a nation.  It was rebellion against God.  God does not overlook sin.  Sin needs to be dealt with today.  God took his only son, put him on the cross of Calvary that sin might be dealt with.  We cannot take that lightly.  This people had to repent of their sin.

A reminder of the delivery God wrought for them.  The nation turned back to God.  The victory came through the little lamb - verse 9 "and the Lord heard him."  Imagine the commotion going on around him, the Philistine army had come down against Israel.  Israel had gathered together to pray, Samuel is at the altar offering the lamb as a sacrifice for the peoples sins.  Verse 10 "and as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering the Philisties drew near to battle against Israel but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them and they were smitten before Israel."  If we all turned our focus on God, offering up our prayers to God and God stepped in what a day that would be.  "And Samuel said hitherto hath the Lord helped us."  The Lord will help us through whatever situation we face today.