1 January 2017
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Samuel 7:2-12
2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long
time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the
Lord. 3 So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord
with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the
Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will
deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away
their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.
5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,
and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at
Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they
fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel
was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled
at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the
Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 They
said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may
rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb
and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the
Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering,
the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord
thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a
panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed
out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a
point below Beth Kar.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between
Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped
us.”
-- well, we finally made it -- 2017!
-- a new year is here and last year is in the books -- apparently, 2016 was one
of the worst years on record -- I didn’t think it was particularly bad, but
apparently most of the world did
-- I can’t tell you how many times I
saw someone on social media complaining about how bad 2016 was and how much
they were looking forward to the new year -- one person, who usually doesn’t
stay up till midnight to watch the new year come in, posted that they were
staying up this year to see the ball drop because they wanted to see 2016 die a
painful death -- which just kind of sums up the way a lot of people thought
about it this past year
-- without a doubt, 2016 was a hard
year -- it was a year our country struggled through one of the most divisive
presidential campaigns we’ve ever seen -- it was a year when a new recession
threatened, with the continued economic downtown being experienced by many --
it was a year of crime and violence and terrorism, both here and abroad -- it
was a year we watched as the people of Aleppo were caught in the midst of a
brutal civil war and suffered mightily as the world powers dallied on the
sidelines -- it was a year when we lost so many famous people -- David Bowie --
Alan Rickman -- Muhammad Ali -- Gene Wilder -- Carrie Fisher -- and Debbie
Reynolds -- it was a tough year -- it was the kind of year that made you wonder
if you were going to make it or not -- if there was hope on the horizon, or if
the future just held more of the same
-- I was thinking about the general
moroseness of the country in regards to 2016 yesterday while I was watching
football, and I was reminded of the Superbowl commercial from 2012 that
featured Clint Eastwood narrating a commentary called, “It’s Halftime in
America” -- let me share with you the
commentary from this commercial that was aired at halftime in that Superbowl:
-- “It's halftime. Both teams are in
their locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second
half. It's halftime in America, too. People are out of work and they're
hurting. And they're all wondering what they're going to do to make a comeback.
And we're all scared, because this isn't a game.
“The people of Detroit know a little
something about this. They almost lost everything. But we all pulled together,
now Motor City is fighting again. I've seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of
downturns in my life. And, times when we didn't understand each other. It seems
like we've lost our heart at times. When the fog of division, discord, and blame
made it hard to see what lies ahead. But after those trials, we all rallied
around what was right, and acted as one. Because that's what we do. We find a
way through tough times, and if we can't find a way, then we'll make one.
“All that matters now is what's
ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And, how do we win?
Detroit's showing us it can be done. And, what's true about them is true about
all of us. This country can't be knocked out with one punch. We get right back
up again and when we do the world is going to hear the roar of our engines.
Yeah, it's halftime America. And, our second half is about to begin.”1
-- I think this commercial sums up
why so many people were looking forward to seeing the ball drop last night and
a new year dawn -- it marks a fresh start -- a new beginning -- a new hope --
it doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past -- it’s a new year -- and this
year, things will be different -- change is in the air, and things are going to
be better
II. Scripture Lesson (1 Samuel 7:2-12)
-- this passage from 1 Samuel finds
Israel at a similar point in their existence -- Moses and Joshua had passed
away -- and the nation was being led by a series of judges -- some good, some
not so good -- it was a time of feast and famine -- a time of violence and war
-- a time when many turned away from their God who had brought them out of
Egypt -- it was, as the Book of Judges states in its last verse, a time when
“everyone did as he saw fit”
-- at this time, the nation of Israel
was under constant attack by the Philistines -- under the failed leadership of the
priest Eli and his sons, the nation had lost their final symbol of hope -- the
very presence of God in their midst -- the ark of the covenant -- to the
Philistines in a decisive battle -- all hope looked lost -- it appeared that
even God had abandoned the Israelites
-- but it was only halftime in
Israel, and God was not done with His chosen people -- God forced the
Philistines to return the ark to Israel to help the people see the gravity of
their sin and to lead them to repentance and restoration
-- and so, as this chapter opens,
the ark of the covenant has been in Israel for twenty years, and the people
have finally reached the point where they are truly mournful for their sins and
ready to return to God -- they come to Samuel -- God’s chosen leader --
Israel’s high priest and judge -- to beseech him to intercede before the Lord
on their behalf so God might bless them again -- so they might know a better
future and have better days ahead
-- look at verse 2
1 Samuel 7:2-6
2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long
time—twenty years in all. Then all the people of Israel turned back to the
Lord. 3 So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord
with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the
Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will
deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away
their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.
5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,
and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at
Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they
fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel
was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.
-- these verses point out a truth
that America would do well to heed -- restoration doesn’t happen because of
happy wishes or the turn of a new year -- things don’t magically get better
because the last page of the calendar has been torn away and a new year has
begun -- those people who were so excited about 2017 have woken up this morning
to the same realities and the same problems they faced in 2016
-- nothing had changed for the
Israelites in the twenty years they had the ark of the covenant back from the
Philistines -- things had remained the same because they had remained the same
-- as Henry Blackaby said, “You can’t stay where you are and go with God” --
the Israelites wanted all the blessings and the benefits of the faithful
without being faithful in the first place
-- but after twenty years of
continued suffering, the people finally come to Samuel, as God’s
representative, ready for a change -- ready to see things made different through
the power and presence of the Lord
-- Samuel points out that
restoration and healing only comes through repentance and an honest seeking of
the Lord -- he tells the people, “If you are returning to the Lord
with all your hearts,” indicating that he had heard this story before -- “If
you are doing so, then let your actions follow your words -- let your deeds
reflect the true nature of the change within”
-- he tells them to get rid of the
foreign gods and the idols they still worshiped -- those things they still held
close that were hindering them from coming to God with their whole hearts --
“put those behind you,” he said, “and I will go to the Lord on your behalf” --
the people did as Samuel directed, and confessed and repented of their sin and
called on the presence of God to return to their land once again -- restoration
begins with repentance and a heart seeking God
-- verse 7
1 Samuel 7:7-11
7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled
at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the
Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 They
said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may
rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb
and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the
Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering,
the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord
thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a
panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed
out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a
point below Beth Kar.
-- contrary to the teachings of some
churches in this land, being faithful to God and being a true Christian at
heart does not keep you safe from trials and temptations -- bad things happen
to good people all the time -- it’s a fact of life and a result of living in a
fallen land where evil still holds sway, where Satan still commands
-- even as the people of Israel were
dedicating themselves to the Lord once again, the word came to them that the
Philistines were on their way -- trouble is always just a step away -- but the
difference is that now the Israelites were not going to face the Philistines in
their own power, but with the power and the presence of God
-- we are going to face trials and
troubles in this new year, there is no doubt about that -- just because the
calendar has changed doesn’t mean things are going to get any easier -- looking
at the news, it appears that we are in for hard times ahead
-- but here we find a choice -- we
can either struggle against the troubles and trials on our own, or we can trust
in the power and presence of God to see us through -- rather than taking up arms
on their own and rushing out to meet the Philistines in battle in their own
strength, the Israelites cried out to Samuel to keep calling on the Lord for
them so that He might rescue them from the Philistines -- and God responded to
their faithfulness
-- even as Samuel was offering up a
burnt offering to the Lord, God thundered against the Philistines and threw
them into such a panic they were easily defeated by the broken-down Israelites
-- a decisive battle was realized on that day as the men of Israel slaughtered
the army of the Philistines and drove them back out of the land
-- when we face trials and troubles
in this new year, we must respond as the Israelites -- we cannot lose hope --
we must keep our eyes on the Lord and trust in His promises -- He will deliver
us -- He will see us through -- He will make a way -- we may have to walk
through the storm, but He will bring us through to the other side
-- verse 12
1 Samuel 7:12
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between
Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped
us.”
-- as a reminder to the people of
what God did for them that day, Samuel raised up a stone and named it Ebenezer
-- the stone of help -- “Look on this stone and remember,” he said -- “Don’t
forget what has happened here -- don’t forget God fought on your behalf in the
midst of your trials -- don’t forget what He has done, and stand on that
promise for the future”
-- the Ebenezer was erected to
remind the Israelites of the faithfulness of God -- Samuel spoke out, “Thus far
has the Lord helped us” -- the King James Version says, “Hitherto, the Lord has
helped us”
-- as Spurgeon points out, that idea
of “hitherto” or “thus far” is a promise we should hold on to -- hitherto looks
back to God’s faithfulness over the years -- the times He helped see us through
-- “through poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home
and abroad, on the land, on the sea, in honor, in dishonor, in perplexity, in
joy, in trial, in triumph, in prayer, and in temptation”
-- Samuel set up the Ebenezer as a
reminder of God’s grace and faithfulness in seeing Israelites through
-- but hitherto also points forward -- to 2017 and beyond -- as Buzz
Lightyear from Toy Story would say, “To infinity and beyond” -- to more trials,
more joy, more temptation, more strength, more grace, more faithfulness -- yes,
we know hard times are likely to come -- yes, we know 2017 undoubtedly hold
more trials and troubles -- but we can look to the Ebenezers in our lives and
remember that hitherto, God has
brought us through, and no matter what the future holds, with God we will
continue to make it
-- hitherto even points past our immediate future to our eternal
future -- to our infinity with Christ -- to the new heaven and the new earth,
the face of Jesus, the light of God, the Tree of Life, mansions on a hill,
crowns given to the One truly deserving, rest finally realized
-- the message of this passage is
not that believing in God will deliver you from all your troubles and that your
life will be filled with care-free days -- the message of this passage is that
in the midst of the troubles and in the midst of the blessings, God will be
with you as you walk with Him in faithfulness, trust, and obedience
III. Closing
-- Charles Schultz, in a peanuts
comic strip showed a conversation between Lucy and Charlie Brown -- Lucy said
that life is like a deck chair -- Some place it so they can see where they are
going; some place it so they can see where they have been; and some place it so
they can see where they are at present -- Charlie Brown replied: “I can’t even
get mine unfolded.”2
-- how you set your deck chair this
new year is important -- we need to set our chairs so we can see the past and
remember how God has worked in our lives -- so we can remember how God saw us
through all those times we thought were impossible -- how we made it solely
because of His faithfulness and grace to us
-- we need to set our chairs in such
a way that we look at the present through His presence -- that we see the
troubles and trials as they are -- momentary hardships that will pass if we
trust in God and His faithfulness in our lives
-- and we need to set our chairs in
such a way that we see the glorious future we have in Him -- eternal life with
Christ is our blessed hope -- it is the finish line of this life and the
beginning of an eternity with God -- it is the culmination of our faith and the
realization of our dreams
-- if 2017 resembles the hardships
of this past year, how will we possibly survive? -- only through the power and
presence of God in our lives
-- so as this new year dawns and we
look out at a new horizon, let me encourage you to consider the path of the
Israelites in the face of their trials and troubles -- if you are not where you
need to be with the Lord, now is a perfect time to come to Him with your whole
heart -- repenting of your sin -- confessing your disobedience -- and turning
to Him for forgiveness and restoration and sanctification
-- and, if you have been walking
with God over this past year, remember to stay close to Him in 2017 -- no
matter how blessed you may be at this time -- no matter how wonderful your life
may be going -- remember that troubles can come on you in a moment -- but our
God is faithful -- and if you trust in Him and lean on Him with all your heart,
mind, soul, and strength, God will see you through whatever this new year holds
-- trust God -- trust His
faithfulness -- look on your Ebenezer and remember His grace and trust Him in
this new year
-- let us pray
--------------------------
1[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halftime_in_America#Script]
2
Ted Sutherland
[http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-ted-sutherland-humor-1436]
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