Convert to God with all your heart
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English And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:3 (ESV)
1. First step: Remove the foreign gods
20 years have passed without proper worship. The Ark of the Covenant now stood unnoticed in a remote place. A proper church service was therefore no longer possible. What was missing was the Ark of the Covenant (God's presence).
They should repent, turn away from evil completely. This includes confession: “They fasted all day and confessed that we had sinned against the Lord by our idolatry.” According to 1 Samuel 7:2-6
2. Second step: Set your hearts on the LORD and serve him only
The Philistine military commanders encourage their soldiers: Arise, you Philistines, be men! Show them who you are! Fight like lions! They kill many Israelites and take the Ark of the Covenant with them as a building. According to 1 Samuel 4:9-11
When Israel was defeated by the Philistines, they looked outwardly at the Ark of the Covenant, but did not repent. No church, no religion, not even a visit to God's house, makes us happy, no external forms. My perspective has to change!
What is crucial is that we set our hearts on the Lord, live in close fellowship with him and pay attention to the tender work and guidance of his Holy Spirit.
In a song by David we read:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
Psalm 139:23 (ESV)
3. Third step: Serve Him alone
So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only. 1 Samuel 7:4 (ESV)
If we also put all our trust in the Lord, our practical life in business and in dealings with other people, as well as in all areas of life, will be a service to the Lord.
4. Sacrifice as a prerequisite for victory
Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered a burnt offering to the LORD - a whole offering - and cried to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD heard him. And while Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines came to fight against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud noise on the Philistines that same day, and terrified them, and they were defeated before Israel. Then the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and defeated them as far as Bethkar. Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called it Eben-ezer, and said, The LORD has helped us until here.Or applied to us between Golgotha and the place of our salvation, Jesus through his own sacrifice gave all people the opportunity to be freed from all their guilt.
“When he sacrificed his own blood once for all, he freed us from our guilt forever.” Hebrews 12-14
What is crucial is that we set our hearts on the Lord, live in close fellowship with him and pay attention to the tender work and guidance of his Holy Spirit.
Author: Egon Waechter
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