Samuel Sunday School Lesson

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Samuel Sunday School Lesson

God Answers Samuel's Prayer

A. National Repentance

"O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; forthou hast fallen by thine iniquity" (Hosea 14:1).This type of call to national repentance is foundrepeatedly throughout Scripture. It was a con-stant message of the Old Testament prophets (ex-ample: "Say unto the house of Israel, ... repent,"Ezekiel 14:6). Jonah was sent to Nineveh, a non-Israelite city, to call that city to repentance;

Jesus used that example in His call for a generation torepent (Matthew 12:41). We often view calls for repentance from an in-dividualistic perspective. That is, we assume thata call for repentance is a call to each person toget right with God. While individual repentanceis vital, the Bible also issues calls of repentanceto communities and nations. God will not bless asociety that encourages sin. History is litteredwith stories of communities and nations that de-scended into depravity and eventually were blot-ted out by God. A striking example is the city ofSodom (Genesis 19:24; Isaiah 3:9).

Today's lesson relates the story of a period ofrepentance for the nation of Israel. Israel wascalled by Samuel, God's prophet and judge, togive up its pagan idolatry and return to God. Theresulting repentance brought deliverance from anational threat. It brought a period of revival andspiritual blessing.

We should take encouragement from thisstory, for such calls to national repentance arenot just relics of the biblical world. We needgodly voices in modern nations to resist evil andto call for repentance, even in the face of ridiculeand disbelief. We cannot predict the success orfailure of such appeals, but we can be sure ofGod's blessings if such calls are heeded.

B. Lesson Background

Samuel is one of the most multitalented char-acters in the Bible. His amazing story starts evenbefore his birth. His mother, Hannah, prayed fer-vently for God to remove her inability to bear achild. She vowed that if a son were given to her,he would be dedicated to the service of the Lord(1 Samuel 1:11). When God answered her prayer,she named her son Samuel, meaning, "his nameis God" or perhaps "heard of God." This name isan acknowledgement of the one true God.Samuel grew up in the tabernacle at Shilohunder the tutelage of Eli the priest. There, as ayoung boy, Samuel received a message directlyfrom God (1 Samuel 3:1-14). The message con-cerned God's displeasure with the household ofEli, but its reception confirmed the extraordinaryministry that awaited Samuel.

Beyond that of child prodigy, consider some ofthe other roles played by Samuel in the Bible. Hewas a prophet, meaning that he was God'sspokesman (1 Samuel 3:20). He was a seer, mean-ing that he received supernatural visions fromGod (1 Samuel 9:19, 20). He "judged Israel all thedays of his life" and was the last of the judges(1 Samuel 7:15; Acts 13:20); that fact makes hima transitional figure to the era of the prophets (Acts 3:24; 13:20). Finally, he was a kingmaker,the one who anointed both Saul (1 Samuel 10:1;15:1) and David (1 Samuel 16:13) as kings of Is-rael.

Today's lesson is the aftermath of a horrifyingincident in the history of Israel in which the arkof the covenant was used as a tool for war(1 Samuel 4:3, 4). This ill-conceived plan resultedin the defeat of Israel and the capture of the arkby the Philistines (4:10, 11). The Philistines areoften seen as the traditional enemy of the peopleof God in the Old Testament. They occupied theseacoast area of Gaza in southwest Israel, south ofjoppa. They had five strong cities in this area:Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron.

The Bible and other sources tell us that thePhilistines were originally foreign invaders fromthe land of Caphtor (see Antos 9:7), which somescholars identify as the island of Crete. At thetime of the exodus, the Philistines were alreadywell established in their territory (see Exodus13:17). They appear prominently in Judges and1 Samuel and are finally conquered by David.After Solomon, however, the Philistines seemto have a small revival of independence and re-sume their role as the bane of Israel. Althoughnow gone, they left their name on the region, forPalestine is derived from Philistine. In matters ofreligion the Philistines are often pictured aspolar opposites to the Israelites. There seems tobe no more degrading title than to be called an"uncircumcised Philistine" (see 1 Samuel 17:26).The recovery of the precious ark is the occa-sion for Samuel's call for national repentance.

I. Call and Repentance(1 Samuel 7:3, 4)
A. Abandoning False Gods (v. 3)

3. And Samuel spake unto all the house ofIsrael, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD withall your hearts, then put away the strange godsand Ashtaroth from among you, and prepareyour hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only:and he will deliver you out of the hand of thePhilistines.
Repentance is described here as a return toGod. Sin is when we wander away from God,disregard His will, and become alienated fromHint. Samuel was saying in effect, "If you're seri-ous about getting right with God, here is whatyou must do."

Samuel then outlines a four-part process of na-tional repentance for Israel. First, they are to dothis wholeheartedly, not holding anything back.Partial repentance is false repentance. Second,they are to stop all worship of other, pagan gods.God does not allow for multiple allegiances inmatters of worship. Third, they are to preparetheir hearts. Repentance requires determinationto change. Fourth, they are to pledge themselvesto serve God exclusively. Repentance is morethan the passive elimination of sinful practices.It is tinning to active obedience to God and Hiswill.

B. Serving the Lord Only (v. 4)

4. Then the children of Israel did put awayBaalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lotto only.Since entering the land of Canaan, the Is-raelites had struggled with rejecting pagan gods.These gods am summarized here as the Baulim(Baals, or male deities), and the Ashtaroth (Ash-toreths, or female deities). The chief Philistinegod was called Dagon (see 1 Samuel 5:1-5).The author is pleased to tell as that the chil-dren of Israel heard Samuel's message. Theyabandoned their false gods in order to serve andworship the Lord God exclusively.

WHEN CHANGE Is NEEDED

Maya Angelou is a well-known professor,poet, and actress. She tells a story that helps toexplain her success. Her grandmother was astorekeeper in rural Arkansas. When a personwills a reputation for complaining would comeinto the store, the child Maya would be called in-side to listen to the litany of complaints aboutweather, work, etc.

As an adult, Angelou remembers her grand-mother's words to her after the complainer had
left: "Sister, there are people who went to sleeplast night, poor and rich and white and black,but they will never wake again. And those deadfolks would give anything at all for just five min-utes of this weather or ten minutes of plowing.So you watch yourself about complaining. Whatyou're supposed to do when you don't like athing is change it. If you can't change it, changethe way you think about it."

The wise old woman's words summarize Is-rael's actions in today's text. Samuel had told thenation what it should do; the people recognizedthe change that needed to be made, and theymade it! Sometimes the call for change comesfrom a messenger of God such as Samuel; some-times it comes directly from the Bible; some-times it comes from the circumstances of life. Inany of these cases, wise people change theirways. They repent. That's when they find thatGod has blessings waiting for them.

II. Crisis and Victory(1 Samuel 7:5-11)

A. Prayer of National Repentance (vv. 5, 6)5, 6. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel toMizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lone.And they gathered together to Mizpeh, anddrew water, and poured it out before the Lotto,and fasted on that day, and said there, We havesinned against the Lou, And Samuel judged thechildren of Israel in Mizpeh.

Mizpeh (also spelled Mizpah) is a location ofspecial significance in ancient Israel. The city isone of three in central Israel that Samuel uses aslocations for his circuit-court judging (the othersbeing Gilgal and Bethel; 1 Samuel 7:16). It wasalso a site for national assembly (Judges 10:17;20:1; 1 Samuel 10:17).
Samuel leads Israel in a powerful symbolic actbefore their admission of sin: he has them pourwater on the ground. This probably is to repre-sent emptying their hearts, purging them of sin.The accompanying call for fasting, a traditionalsign of repentance, reinforces this interpretation.After these acts of preparation, the people con-fess their sin aloud. This is also an importantcomponent in the process of repenting.

B. Treachery of the Philistines (v. 7)

7. And when the Philistines heard that thechildren of Israel were gathered together toMizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went upagainst Israel. And when the children of Israelheard it. they were afraid of the Philistines.

How do the Philistines hear about this gather-ing of Israel? The Philistine leadership probablymaintains a spy network within Israel. At anyrate, the Philistines decide to take advantage of apeaceful national prayer meeting as an opportu-nity to massacre their enemies. Not surprisingly,the people of Israel are afraid when they becomeaware of this Philistine threat.

C. Prayer for Deliverance (vv. 8, 9)

8, 9. And the children of Israel said to Sam-uel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God forus, that he will save us out of the hand of thePhilistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb,and offered it for a burnt offering wholly untothe LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD forIsrael; and the LORD heard him.

Having repented, the Israelites turn to Samuelfor deliverance. This continues the pattern ofjudges-as-deliverers that we sass repeatedly inthe book of Judges. Samuel now agrees and criesout in a great prayer of intercession for the chil-dren of Israel.

Doctrinally, we should not understand this asGod rewarding Israel's repentance with deliver-ance. This mistaken notion is what leads peopleto "make deals with God" when they are in a des-perate situation. "God, get me out of this and I'llgive up drinking." Or, "Lord, help me survivethis terrible mistake and I'll give money to thechurch." But it doesn't work this way. God al-ways seeks our repentance.
When we are in proper fellowship with God,we have His favor. When we are at odds withHim, He may use adverse circumstances to bringus to repentance.

D. Defeat of the Philistines (vv. 10, 11)

10, 11. And as Samuel was offering up theburnt offering, the Philistines drew near to bat-tle against Israel: but the Loon thundered with agreat thunder on that day upon the Philistines,and discomfited them; and they were smittenbefore Israel. And the men of Israel went out ofMizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smotethem, until they came under Bethcar.

God's choice for Israel's deliverance is bothpowerful and dramatic: a supernatural roar ofthunder. We should also understand that whilethis terrifies the Philistines, the men of Israel arenot afraid. Because their hearts are right with re-pentance, they know that God is fighting forthem. This allows them to rally quickly and routthe enemy. When we are right with God, we areable to remain calm and confident in the mostfrightening situations.

III. Proclamation and Ebenezer(1 Samuel 7:12, 13)

A. Lord's Help (v. 12)

12.Then Samuel took a stone. and set itbetween Mizpeh and Shen, and called the nameof it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lieshelped us.

When the battle is over, Samuel proclaims vic-tory by erecting a memorial. This memorial is inthe form of a large stone, which Samuel calls,thenezer. In Hebrew this means "stone of help."What an irony that Ebenezer Scrooge, the misercharacter its A Christmas Carol, has that name!)Samuel's actions are significant for three rea-sons. First, he clearly gives credit for the victoryto God, not the men of Israel. Second, he namesthe stone to emphasize Israel's dependence uponGod. Third, he establishes a tradition of remem-bering, calling Israel to understand all the eventsthat led to its repentance and subsequent deliver-ance.

REMEMBERING

Many monuments erected around the worldmemorialize wars and their victims. America hasmonuments dedicated to the soldiers who foughtin her wars. Napoleon intended the Arc de Tri-omphe in Paris to memorialize his greatness, butit has since become a French memorial to thosewho died its World War I. Canada has its Na-tional War Memorial in Ottawa.

There are other kinds of memorials. The Statueof Liberty was a birthday gift to America to re-mind the world of the victory of independencethat America had achieved. The Lincoln, Wash-ington, and Jefferson Memorials in Washington,DC remind people of the character and contribu-tions of those men. Many people will never visitsuch memorials, but it is now possible to view'virtual" memorials on the Internet.

When Samuel raised his Ebenezer, he was cre-ating a reminder for Israel that God had acted tosave them from their enemy. A far simpler—butmuch more profound—memorial than any wehave mentioned is the one we Christians have:the Lord's Supper. When we partake of its rudi-mentary elements, we remember the victory ofChrist over sin. And we need not go to Ottawa,Paris. or Washington to appreciate it.

B. Lord's Protection (v. 13)

13.So the Philistines were subdued, and theycame no snore into the coast of Israel: and thehand of the Lotus was against the Philistines allthe days of Samuel.

This summary statement reflects Israel's con-tinued reliance on God and God's continued pro-tection of Israel. With God as Israel's shield, thestrong rival, the Philistines, no longer troublethem. The text leaves us with a small sense offoreshadowing, however: this situation contin-ued all the days of Samuel. Repentance is not aone-tune thing. It must continue and go beyondgenerational boundaries through the years.When relationship with God falls into neglectand sin, disaster dooms.

A. Raising Ebenezers

Robert Robinson (1735-1790) was an Englishpreacher. In 1758 he wrote the hymn, "Come,Thou Fount" when he was only 23 years old.Stanza 2 of this famous hymn says, "Here I raisemine Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I'm come."For Robinson this was a reference to the salva-tion he had found after a youth of horrible sin.His early years of evil had been so destructivethat he nearly lost his life. After conversion,however, Robinson drifted away. He fell backinto a life of sin and abandoned the Bible.Many years later, Robinson was riding in acoach. Seated across from him was a womandeeply engrossed in a hymnbook she had just ac-quired. She was humming one of her favorites,the tune of "Come, Thou Fount." Having no ideawhom she was talking to, she innocently askedRobinson if he knew that hymn.

Robinson burst into tears and replied,"Madam, I am the pmr unhappy man who wrotethat hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I bad them, to enjoy the feel-ings I had then." Robinson had accidentallystumbled back upon that Ebenezer of his. Sittingthere beside his own hymn, he realized how farhe had wandered and how awful was his journeyand destination.

In today's lesson Samuel built a monument tohelp Israel remember God's providential deliver-ance from the Philistines. Building a monumentis an attempt to ensure that a person or eventwill be remembered by succeeding generations.The Bible teaches that "the memory of the just isblessed" (Proverbs 10:7). Monuments can bepowerful tools for interpreting and rememberingour history. Do you have monuments in yourspiritual history? Are there people and placesthat stand out as turning points for you, whereyou were rescued from self-destruction or whereyou made commitments that shaped your future?Take some time to remember.

B. The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer

An acquaintance of mine named Paul sharedan amazing story with me in church one Sunday.Paul was an older gentleman and not in verygood health (a leukemia survivor). He had a heartfor missions and frequently traveled to an Asiancountry to encourage churches and to transportBibles and materials for a mission agency.On a recent trip Paul's health problems caughtup with him. He returned with an infection thatled to pneumonia and a high fever. He was takento a hospital directly from the airport in SanFrancisco. After a stay of 11 days, he was finallyallowed to go home. But he ended up in the hos-pital again. The fever would not go away. After afew days Paul was released, but the fever persisted and he got even worse. He was unable togo to work.

On Saturday afternoon he lay down to take anap, the fever raging. He awoke rather suddenlya few hours later and realized that the fever wascompletely gone. He was very weak but well.Why is this amazing? Don't people recoverfrom pneumonia all the lime, every day, in everycity? My friend Paul didn't understand it eitheruntil he began to do some time-zone calcula-tions. One of the churches he had visited in theAsian country had a small intercessory prayergroup that had met every Sunday for many years.They had learned of his illness that week. WhenPaul calculated the time differential, he realizedhis fever had left him at the precise time theywere praying for him.

There are many reasons to pray. We pray as anact of worship. We pray as an act of repentance.We pray in times of personal trial to seek God'shelp and mercy. But one of the greatest ways touse the marvelous gift of prayer is as an act of in-tercession: praying for other people.

Any church is stronger if believers know thegreat needs of fellow believers and take time topetition God on their behalf. That's what Samueldid. This type of praying allows its to move be-yond self-centered prayers. Too often our prayersare like a Christmas list to Santa Claus, packedwith our own wants and needs. When we praysincerely for the needs and pains of others, webegin to think more like God, who cares for all.My friend Paul's story (along with many Bibleexamples) is a witness to the effectiveness andpower of intercessory prayer (compare Romans15:30-32; Ephesians 6:19. 20).

If you have never prayed for other people,start today—it is not difficult. Share some realneeds among fellow class members; then agree topray for those people during the week. Begin bycommitting to doing it once; then do it. Keepsharing and praying; you may be surprised athow rewarding the ministry of intercessoryprayer can be.

C. Prayer

0 Lord, our help and protector, give us a heartto pray for others. Help us repent of the sins thatfoul our relationship with You. Please be merci-ful to us as You were to the people of Israel. Con-tinue to deliver Your people in their times ofneed. In Jesus' name, amen.

D. Thought to Remember

Intercessory prayer develops the church into acommunity of repentance and remembrance.

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