I Samuel 7,8:1-5

“The Spiral Toward Autonomy” * 9/11/07 * Autonomy, Authority & The Man Of God, Session #1

Intro.

- Much of what we become is defined by the times that we live in.

- There are certain climates, political, spiritual and otherwise that we have grown up in that make us the men that we are.

- The Biblical characters that we love are no different. They did not live in ivory towers, removed from the elements.

- In the beginning of this study on the life of David, I wanted to take a look back at the history that predated his life, and shaped the world around him. A sort of “prequel” if you will.

- We begin with the prophet Samuel. As a young boy, Samuel was raised in the temple and rose to be a judge of the people of Israel.

- During his time, the national enemies of Israel, the Philistines, began to be an ever-present threat to their national security.

- We see this in I Samuel 7, when Philistia came up against the Israeli city of Mizpah. They were driven back, largely in part, to the faithfulness of Samuel in interceding for the people of Israel.

• I Samuel 7:13 : "So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel."

- God was with Samuel and the people sensed a great peace because of his presence.

- But Samuel grew old and inevitable change was in the air, leading the Israelites to cower at what might happen next.

- Samuel, anticipating his own need to replace himself, took steps to do so.

• I Samuel 8:1 : "Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel."

- This did nothing to ease the tensions of the people of Israel, who knew that the threat of the Philistines still had to be answered.

- It did not help that Samuel's sons were of lower quality, in terms of their own spiritual condition.

• I Samuel 8:4,5 : "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, 'Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.'"

- Next week, we will look at God's response to these matters, but today, in our short time together, I want us to examine the motives that are seen here.

- As we begin our study, I want us to look at three things here that contribute to an autonomous, self-ruled, heart.

I. A Defining Moment

II. A Dangerous Decision

III. A Dreadful Motivation

Text

I. A Defining Moment (I Samuel 7:7)

• I Samuel 7:7 : “Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.” : The road to rebellion begins here at this moment.

- The Philistines have come deep into Israelite territory.

- These Philistines were constantly at war with the Hebrews.

- It’s believed by scholars that one of their advantages came from their ability to shape iron into weaponry.

- When Israel heard of their incursion, they were afraid, the Hebrew word expressing shock and awe, overwhelming fear.

- This perfectly describes a critical moment in time where the people of Israel can step up and see the deliverance of God, or they can fall back on their own devices and think of an alternate solution.

- These type of crises make up the fabric of our faith.

- If we were honest, we would admit deep fears motivate us.

- We may not have a physical nation breaking down our doors of protection, but we have all faced moments of crisis that force us to evaluate where our faith is.

- It may be as simple as the fear of man’s opinion. Others fear for the loss of their children, while still others fear the loss of their reputation.

- Where does fear come from? Let me suggest that it comes from a lack of confidence in our relationship with God.

- If we are not sure that He is with us, guiding our every decision, and directing our every step, then fear can dominate our life while confidence drains from our life.

- How were the Israelites living? In complete compromise and idolatry.

• I Samuel 7:3 : “Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.’”

- The Israelite hearts were far from the Lord, turned to other gods.

- When the crisis came, all confidence was lost.

- Troubles will come. How will you respond? When the fear is real, when your reputation is on the line, when kids, wife and co-workers are watching, what will your heart response be?

- Let me suggest that we follow the good example of King Hezekiah, who received a threatening letter from the terrorists of his time, the Assyrian army.

- Upon receiving it, Hezekiah’s response instructs us to do likewise.

• II Kings 19:1 : “And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.”

II. A Dangerous Decision

• I Samuel 8:4,5a “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways." : Israel has made a fatal mistake which we are all prone to.

- The confidence in their relationship with the Lord was gone, even while they had victory.

- How did this happen? It must be the man that God used!

- It’s all about him! If we just had a man like him, then we would be good to go!

- “Samuel, you are old. Where will our help come from?”

- It won’t be your sons because they do not walk in your ways! They don’t have the same power that you do!

- Here Israel was right. Samuel’s sons were poor substitutes that Israel was right to reject.

- They recognized that they needed someone who was willing to stand in the gap spiritually.

- Samuel had been their champion, but He was their champion because God was with Him!

- It was God’s hand that was with Israel against the Philistines, but they did not credit God.

- As a result, to think that God would remedy this situation, was far from their hearts.

- To think that God would appoint another judge or even appoint a King did not even enter into their thinking.

- We are prone to the same issue.

- Any trust put in man will come back to disappoint.

- The answer is never a man, even a man of God, but God Himself working through man!

- It’s telling to me that the book of Psalms, largely written by King David himself, as works of praise, often speak of this issue of trusting in God alone.

- One such Psalm goes like this.

• Psalm 118:4-9 : “Let those who fear the Lord now say, ‘His mercy endures forever.’ I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes.”

- Where is your trust today? Is it entirely in the Lord?

III. A Dreadful Motivation

• I Samuel 8:5b : “Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." : Here we see the ultimate statement of the heart condition of the people of Israel at this time.

- Make us a king! Wait a minute. You already have a King! His name is YHWH! He has been your King since you came out of Egypt. He protected you through the dessert, feeding you and healing you, even when you complained against Him and desired to go back.

- He has been faithful and vanquished your enemies before your face.

- Israel was to be a distinctive nation, meant to be God’s representative to the other nations that surrounded them.

- She was to be a picture of God’s power, protection and special presence, for God chose to allow His presence to rest in their midst, the Tabernacle and the Temple.

- Instead, they cried, “make us a king.” But here is the kicker: Just like all the nations!

- The betrayal here is not just that they were refusing the authority of God over them as sovereign ruler. The betrayal is enough.

- However, consider this: They were willing here to hand over their purpose.

- When they are saying that they want to be like all the nations, they are willing to hand over all that made them distinctive, and useful in the hands of God.

- They think, in their own wisdom, that they are bettering themselves, when in reality, they are crippling themselves.

- For whatever reason, when fear, coupled with trusting in man are combined, our vision of reality is blurred. For example, how did the nations fare without God against Israel?

- Ask Egypt how they managed at the Red Sea? What would Jericho say about their mighty walls in the land of the Canaanites? Maybe, one should ask the recently vanquished Philistines whether they would take a king or God to be their champion!

- In the end, what we see is the same group of people that preferred leeks and onions to freedom! The same people who descended from men who would choose soup over a birthright!

- What good comes from being like the world in any way?

- Sure, those in the world may have their riches and seem immune from many of the challenges that we might face, but in the quiet of their hearts, and as they search in their souls, they know that they are hopeless men and women with nowhere to turn.

- Asaph the Psalmist had similar feelings looking at those of the world in Psalm 73.

- His feet almost stumbled at the lack of pain and suffering that the world goes through.

- But then it all came clear to him.

• Psalm 73:17-20 : “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.”

- Israel was wrong to assume that the world had the answers to the fears that bound them.

- So are we!

Conclusion

- As we come to the end of this beginning section, I feel that it’s always my duty to remind you that this lesson might not be where you are at right now. Store it away, for it will be valuable yet.

- Fears, troubles, and terrible situations should lead you directly to God, so that you might seek how you might respond.

- The other alternative is to trust in men, and their devices, such as manipulation or deceit.

- These are worldly devices, which on the surface, seem right, but are instead, destined to fail.

- Take heed, be careful and purpose now to trust in the Lord…no matter what!