I Sam 4 & 8
Come Thou Fount
- Robert Robinson (1726-1791) in his early teens lived in London
- Mixing with a gang of punks and led a life of alcohol, & crime
- When 17 he attended a George Whitefield meeting
- For the soul purpose of “scoffing
- He ended up professing faith in Christ
- Became the pastor of a Baptist church in Cambridge, England.
- He was 23 when he wrote "Come Thou Fount"
- Years later he became backslidden
- One day as he was riding in a stagecoach a lady asked him what he thought of the hymn she was reading.
- He tried to change the subject but she persisted
- He responded, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago,
- I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."
- Gently, she replied, “Sir, the ‘streams of mercy’ are still flowing.”
Tune My Heart To Sing Thy Grace
- We get involved with life & we forget about grace
-The battle is what we see & know around us
- The battle is to live by faith
- Has the fount of blessings stopped flowing
- God's favor is no longer a celebration
- Mercy streams have dried up
- His song has been crowed out of life
- Fascination of other things have crept in
Samuel picks up where Judges ends
- Judges 21:25 (AV)
— 25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
- Little glimpses of God's grace in Ruth & Hannah
- NOTE- Hophni & Phinenas 1 Sa. 2:12, 17, 22, 29, 3:13
- If these were representative of God
- What really were the people like?
- 1 Sa. 4:1-3 - The Battle at Ebenezer
- Defeated - 1 Sa 4:2 - 4,000 dead
- Relying on their own strength!
- 1 Sa. 4:3 ... Let us fetch the ark of the covenant... it may save us...
- Focused on Ark rather than the Lord
- 1 Sa 4:5 - The shout was for the Ark not the Lord
- Looking everywhere else but to the Lord
- Lost what they considered as their talisman
Result - 1 Sa 4
- v. 10 - Israel was defeated
- v. 10 - Slaughter of 30,000 solders were killed
- v. 11 - The Ark of God was captured
- v. 11 - The priestly sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed
- v. 18 - Eli, when heard the report from the battlefield he fell off of his seat and broke his neck and died
- v. 20 - Phinehas’ wife died in childbirth
- v. 21 - She named the child Ichabod: “the glory of the Lord has departed.”
- 1 Sa 7:2 - Twenty years of defeat
- Doing it our way will end in tragedy
Teach Me...Thy Redeeming Love
- Slowly hearts turned to God
1 Samuel 7:2 (AV) — 2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
- Living too long our own way
"Lamented after the Lord"
GNB - cried to the Lord for help
NET - longed for the Lord
Message - fearful movement toward God
Hither By Thy Help I Come
1Sam.7:3
- "If Ye Do" - Take action "return unto the Lord"
Matthew 6:33 (AV)
— 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (AV)
— 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
- "all your hearts" - Be serious, dedicate yourself
- "Put Away" - By Committing
- Matthew 15:8 (AV)
— 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
- Live honestly
- Show by living differently
- "strange gods"
- That which we chase after
Exodus 15:11 (AV)
— 11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
- "prepare your hearts" - Strengthen & Supply
- To be healthy we must eat right, exercise, rest
- The spiritual life has similar needs
- David speaking to Solomon
1 Chronicles 28:9 (AV)
— 9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
- "serve him only"
- Be of use to Him
"deliver you"
- Giving freedom
Colossians 1:13 (AV)
— 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Here I Raise My Ebenezer
- What's an Ebenezer? - 1 Sa 7:12
- Heb. "eben" - Stone
- First time used in scripture
Genesis 2:12 (AV)
— 12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium (rare perfume or crystal) and the onyx stone.
- Referring to precious stones
Ezekiel 28:13 (AV)
— 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
- Memorial Stone
Genesis 28:18 (AV)
— 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. -- (v. 19 Bethel - House of God)
Joshua 4:6–7 (AV)
— 6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
Bind My Wandering Heart To Thee
- "ezer"- Help
- Ebenezer - Stone of Help
- 1 Sa 7:4 - "did put away"
1 Sa 7:6 - " We have sinned"
- 1 Sa 7:7 - "they were afraid"
- 1 Sa 7:8 - "Cease not to pray for us"
- 1 Sa 7:9 - "the Lord heard"
- 1 Sa 7:10 - "`the Lord thundered"
- 1 Sa 7:12 - Hitherto hath the Lord helped us"
Prone to Wander—Lord, I Feel It
- What is central in our life?
- The need for remembrance
- Have Your Own Ebenezer's
- Celebrate daily God's redeeming grace
- Memorize key for you life
- Journal, place scripture where you can see it,
One Family
To recall events of God's protection, Him giving strength & courage, God's faithfulness, Sensing God's presence in a special way
- Collect smooth river stones
- With ink write the date
- Under the date brief description of the event
- Israel problem is our problem
- Taking our focus from what Christ has done for us
