DO NOT COPY THE LOST SINNERS OF THE WORLD

PROCLAMATION

“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, ‘Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ ”  1 Samuel 8:4-5 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to lead and judge Israel. (1 Samuel 8:1)  However, although Samuel was a prophet of The Lord God, (1 Samuel 3:19-21) his sons did not follow his ways.  They accepted bribes and perverted justice. (1 Samuel 8:2-3)  So the elders of Israel got together and told Samuel to appoint a king to be over them so that they could be like all of the other nations around them.  Having The Lord God as their king was not good enough for them.  They wanted to copy the sinful nations around them.  Samuel was displeased with them for this request and he prayed to God. (1 Samuel 8:6)  As an answer to his prayer, The Lord God told him that the people of Israel had rejected God as their King, but they had not rejected Samuel as their leader. (1 Samuel 8:7)  He told Samuel to warn them and let them know what having a king over them would mean.  Samuel told them all that The Lord had told him to say, in terms of what it would cost them and their families, but the people still wanted a king. (1 Samuel 8:8-20)  The Lord God then told Samuel to listen to them and give them a king. (1 Samuel 8:21-22)

 

APPLICATION

There are times when we ask for things which are not in our best interest.  Some of the things we want because they are popular and everybody else has them.  However, when you have the best, why would you want to copy something less?  Why would we want to imitate the sinful people of the world when we know where they will end up? (Revelation 20:15)  As believers we have The Holy Spirit of God within us (Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26-27) and therefore we are not of this world. (John 8:33)  We are to behave in a Christ-like manner. (Romans 6:4 and 6:11)  It is Christ that we ought to imitate and not the sinful people of the world.

 

SAMUEL LEADS ISRAEL

PROCLAMATION

“And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If ye do return unto The Lord with all your hearts … He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’  Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served The Lord only.”  1 Samuel 7:3-4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ark of The Lord from Beth Shemesh as requested.  They kept the ark with them for twenty years. (1 Samuel 7:1-2)  Then the Israelites turned back to The Lord.  Samuel told them to put away their foreign gods and serve only The Lord, and He would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 2-4)  The Israelites put away their idols and gathered at Mizpah where they fasted and confessed with Samuel as their leader.  When the Philistines heard that they had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines led an attack against them. (1 Samuel 7:5-7)  Samuel offered a sacrifice unto The Lord and that same day The Lord thundered with a loud thunder and caused the Philistines to panic.  The men of Israel then rushed out and pursued and slaughtered the Philistines. (1 Samuel 7:8-11)  They so subdued the Philistines that the towns of Ekron and Gath which had been captured were restored to Israel. (1 Samuel 7:12-14)  Samuel continued as the leader of Israel all the days of his life. (1 Samuel 7:15-17)

 

APPLICATION

If we as believers, who are called Christians, would humble ourselves, and pray, and seek The Lord God, and turn from our wicked sinful ways, then He would forgive us and heal us and our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  We have heard The Word of God preached to us, but we need to internalize it and become doers of The Word. (James 1:22)  We also need to read and study The Word of God, (2 Timothy 2:15) so that we can grow in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18) and grow in holiness.  We should not stay babes in Christ and be fed The Word as milk instead of meat. (1 Corinthians 3:2)  We should want to grow spiritually.

 

GOD IS IN CONTROL

PROCLAMATION

“And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart … and they laid the ark of The Lord upon the cart … and the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-Shemesh … and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-Shemesh.”  1 Samuel 6:10-12 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.   The people of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron had been afflicted with tumors because the Philistines had brought the ark of The Lord into their cities and they wanted it taken away.  The Philistines asked the priests and the diviners what to do with the ark and how should they send it back to Israel.  They were told to send it back along with a guilt offering of five gold tumors and five gold rats, one for each of the five rulers and cities which were stricken with the plagues.  They were told to put the ark on a new cart, hitched to two cows that had never been yoked, along with a chest containing the gold objects, and send it on its way. (1 Samuel 6:1-10)  They did as they were told and they watched the cows take the ark straight to the city of Beth Shemesh.  The people of Beth Shemesh rejoiced when they saw the ark.  The Levites took the ark and the people chopped up the cart and sacrificed the two cows as a burnt offering to The Lord.  The Philistines followed the cows at a distance and when saw this, they returned to Ekron. (1 Samuel 6:11-18)  The Lord God struck down seventy people of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the ark of God.  Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim to come and take the ark to their town. (1 Samuel 6:19-21)    

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God was in control and guided the two cows and the ark from the Philistine territory in Ekron to the Israelite city of Beth Shemesh.  Just as The Lord controlled and guided the cows, He can control and guide all of the other events and actions in this world.  The wind and the waves even obey His will. (Mark 4:39)  The people, however, are not robots and have the free will of choice regarding their behavior and beliefs. (John 3:16)  He wanted that all people would be saved, (1 Timothy 2:4) but He gave us the choice to accept Him or not.  Whosoever will, let him come to The Lord. (Revelation 22:17)

 

THE POWER OF THE ARK OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of The Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.”  1 Samuel 5:4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.   After the Philistines captured the ark of God they took it from the city of Ebenezer to Ashdod and placed it beside the statue of their god Dagon. (1 Samuel 5:1-2)  The next day they arose to find that Dagon had fallen on his face, on the ground before the ark of The Lord.  They picked Dagon up and put him back in his place.  On the following morning they arose and again found Dagon had fallen on his face, but this time his head and both hands were broken off and they were lying upon the threshold of the temple. (1 Samuel 5:3-5)  The people of Ashdod were afflicted with tumors so they moved the ark to Gath.  When the ark arrived in Gath, the young and the old were afflicted with tumors. (1 Samuel 5:6-9)  So they sent the ark to Ekron.  As the ark entered Ekron the people cried out against it, saying that it would kill them.  Then they asked the leaders of the Philistines to send the ark of The Lord away and let it go back to its own place. (1 Samuel 5:10-11)

 

APPLICATION

Our bad times and bad situations do not reflect a diminished power of The Lord God, or a loss of His control.  The Philistines had defeated the Israelites and captured the ark of God, but The Lord punished the people wherever they took it.  Even those people who do not believe in The Lord God will be made to respect His power.  The day will soon come when everyone will respect the power of The Lord God.  For as it is written, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Christ is The Lord. (Romans 14:11)

  

NON-BELIEVING PRETENDERS WILL PERISH

PROCLAMATION

“And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten … And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.”  1 Samuel 4:10-11

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  The Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines and were defeated. (1 Samuel 4:1-2)  The elders of Israel asked why The Lord allowed them to be defeated, and then they sent for the ark of covenant so that The Lord could go with them into battle. (1 Samuel 4:3)  When the people brought the ark of the covenant to them, the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, came with the ark. (1 Samuel 4:4)  Eli’s sons did not know The Lord although they ministered in the temple. (1 Samuel 2:12-17)  Again Israel fought against the Philistines, and again they were defeated.  This time the ark was captured and both of Eli’s sons were killed. (1 Samuel 4:10-11)  Eli the priest fell over backwards, broke his neck and died when he heard that his sons had died and that the ark had been captured. (1 Samuel 4:15-18)  Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was near the end of her pregnancy and she went into labor when she heard that her husband and father-in-law were both dead.  She died during childbirth but delivered a son whom she named Ichabod saying, “The glory of The Lord is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken.” (1 Samuel 4:19-21)

 

APPLICATION

Everybody carrying a Bible is not a man of God.  For whatever reason, some men pretend to be men, prophet, or priest of God and they mislead God’s people. (Matthew 24:11 and 2 Peter 2:1)  That is why we a taught to compare everything that we hear to The Word of God before we accept it as truth. (1 John 4:1)  That is also why we should read and study The Word of God so that we can rightly divide the word of truth.  The Lord God will deal with those who pretend to be His servants. (Revelation 20:10)

GOD SPEAKS TO HIS PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“Now Samuel did not know The Lord, neither was the word of The Lord yet revealed to him.  And The Lord called Samuel again a third time.  He arose and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here am I; for thou didst call me.’  And Eli perceived that The Lord had called the child.  Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He call thee, thou shalt say, ‘Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  And The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, ‘Samuel, Samuel.’  Then Samuel answered, ‘Speak; for Thy servant heareth.’ ”  1 Samuel 3:7-10 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  The young boy, Samuel, was being raised up in the temple by Eli, the priest. (Samuel 3:1)  His mother, Hannah, had given him to Eli to keep her vow to The Lord God for giving her a son. (Samuel 1:24-28)  Samuel was being trained in the temple but he did not know The Lord God for himself.  That is why he got up from his resting place and ran to Eli three times because he thought that the priest was calling him. (1 Samuel 3:2-8)  Eli finally realized that The Lord God was calling Samuel so Eli told him to answer The Lord the next time that He calls him.  When The Lord called Samuel again, he answered Him. (1 Samuel 3:8-10)  The Lord told Samuel what He was going to do in Israel and to the house of Eli. (1 Samuel 3:11-14)  The next morning Eli called Samuel and questioned him regarding what The Lord had told him and Samuel told him everything. (1 Samuel 3:15-18)  Samuel grew and The Lord was with him.  All of Israel recognized Samuel as a prophet of The Lord. (1 Samuel 3:19-21)

  

APPLICATION

Everyone cannot hear the voice of The Lord God.  Some people hear only a noise, (Acts 9:7) or a sound like thunder, (Exodus 19:16) but nothing which they can understand.  Those who hear the voice of The Lord and obey it will be blessed. (Deuteronomy 28:2 and 30:10)  There are times when The Lord God speaks in “a still small voice” to His people. (1 Kings 19:12-13)  At times the voice of The Lord is powerful. (Psalms 29:4-5)  The voice of God can create something out of nothing. (Genesis 1:1-30)  At other times His voice can be soft and gentle.  Jesus, The Christ, said that His sheep know His voice and follow Him. (John 10:27)  As a believer we need to listen carefully for our call, answer it, and then get busy doing whatever it is that The Lord has for us to do.  He also speaks to us today through His Holy Word so read it prayerfully.  Woe be unto them who hear the voice of The Lord and understand it but do not hearken unto it. (Deuteronomy 28:62 and 1 Samuel 12:15)

RUTH IS BLESSED

PROCLAMATION

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife; and when he went in unto her, The Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.”  Ruth 4:13 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

The Bible Book of Ruth was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  As part of his attempt to acquire Ruth, Boaz met with the kinsman, guardian-redeemer who was more closely related to Naomi than he was. (Ruth 3:12 and 4:1)  Boaz took ten elders with him to witness the transactions of the sale of Naomi’s property and the acquisition of Ruth.  When the guardian-redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it”  Boaz announced that he would redeem it. (Ruth 4:2-10)  Afterwards, Boaz took Ruth as his wife and she conceived and bore him a son Obed, who would become the father of Jessie, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17)  The chapter and the Bible Book of Ruth ends with listing of the genealogy of David. (Ruth 4:18-22)

 

APPLICATION

All things happen for a reason, even if that reason is not apparent at the time of the occurrence.  The Lord can turn bad things into blessings and our enemies can become steppingstones to higher ground.  Sometimes what The Good Lord has in store for us is better than the thing that we wanted for ourselves, and better than the thing that we lost.  We just need to learn to count it all as joy when bad things happen (James 1:2) because even the darkest of storm clouds can have a silver lining.  Blessings come to those who wait on The Lord.