Faith Baptist Church
07/20/25 Worship Service
Isaiah 53.10ESV
Isaiah 53.11ESV
Isaiah 53.12ESV
- Wonderful, Merciful Savior
- In Faith, I Follow
- Redeemed
- What Will You Do With Jesus?
Exodus 3.1-2ESV
Exodus 3.3-5ESV
Exodus 3.6ESV
- Illustration: new countertops- joking that we would miss the beautiful eighties beige color laminate countertops and the honey oak veneer cabinets. Let’s go out into the dumpster and salvage our old kitchen!What would it take to salvage our old kitchen and put it back together again?That was the task the Lord was facing with His people.Judges 21:25 “25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”1 Samuel 4:4 “4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.”1 Samuel 4:17 “17 He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.””1 Samuel 4:22 “22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.””One one side you have sinful Israel- they are broken! One the other side you have a Holy God (Moses Scripture Reading). There is a massive problem!How is God going to salvage this? How is God going to draw this sinful nation back to Himself?Maybe you feel this way? Maybe your life is a mess. Maybe your life feels like old kitchen cabinets and countertops from the 1980’s that has been ripped out and thrown away in the dumpster.Here is the good news! God is a master at restoring that which is most broken! In fact, that is exactly what God did for the nation of Israel and that is exactly what God can do for you! He can restore your brokenness!How is God able to restore the brokenness of His people?How is God able to restore your brokenness?God wants to use three steps to restore your brokenness.Step #1: For God to restore your brokenness-I. If the Lord is God, Follow HimSyncretism- Israel had mixed worshipping God alone, with a the false god’s and deities of the nations surrounding them. If God was to restore their brokenness He first needed to assert the truth that He alone is worthy of our allegiance.A. Down goes Dagon (5:1-5)
1 Samuel 5:1–5 ESV 1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.B. A Parody of a Victory Parade (5:6-12)1 Samuel 5:6–12 ESV 6 The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.C. Nothing Happens by Chance (6:1-12)1 Samuel 6:1–12 ESV 1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7 Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.” 10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.Why did God want His people to know the events that happened in the land of the Philistines?These are historical accounts recorded by Samuel for future generations of Jews so that they would know that there is no one like God in all the earth.Exodus 9:14–16 ESV 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.God wanted His people to know that He alone is God. There are no other gods beside the Lord. There is none like Him in all creation. He is unique, solitary, separated from the rest of creation. Therefore, He alone deserves our undivided loyalty.Why did the Jews in Samuel’s day need to hear this? Everyone did that which was right in their own eyes. They had a divided loyalty (cf. I Sam. 7:4). Did the subsequent generations of Jews struggle with divided loyalties?1 Kings 18:21 ESV 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.You know the rest of the story. What happens after God calls down fire upon Elijah’s altar and burns up the sacrifice?1 Kings 18:39 ESV 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”Devotional Exerp: When the awe of God is absent then the awe of something or someone else takes His place. If God is not supreme in our lives and if living for His glory is not at the heart of every decision we make, our choices will always be for our own glory not His. We need to keep fresh and forefront the awe (supremacy) of God in every area of our lives.Why does God want you to know the events that happened in the land of the Philistines?God wants you to know that He alone is worthy of your loyalty. God is the only person worth following. He is the only person worthy of your whole life. And God wants all of you! He does not want a divided allegiance. He wants you to follow Him with all of your heart, and all of your soul, and all of your might.No one else is worthy of your heart. The Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God.It is pure futility to share your heart with another god.Pastor Jon, I don’t worship another god. Why are you preaching this sermon to me?How much do we struggle with idolatry? All the time! Why do I say that?Ephesians 5:5 ESV 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.Colossians 3:5 ESV 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.Why does Paul equate covetousness with idolatry? How are those two things equal? I thought idolatry was bowing down to a statue of wood or stone. How is that the same thing as covetousness?How do you define covetousness?Sens: greediness n. — the excessive and immoderate desire of acquiring more and more.Covetousness is the excessive and immoderate DESIRE of acquiring more and more. Covetousness has to so with desire. Idolatry has to do with desire.What should be the greatest desire of a Christian?Matthew 22:37–38 ESV 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.Idolatry happens anytime another desire replaces my desire to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind.The moment my heart is ruled by another desire I have become an idolater of the heart. I have become like the Jews of Samuel’s day. I have mixed loyalties, mixed allegiances.If the Lord be God, Follow Him!How do you know?What makes you tick?What sun does your planet revolve around?Where do you find your garden of delight?What lights up your world?What fountain of life, hope, and delight do you drink from?What food sustains your life?What really matters to you?What fairy castle do you construct in the clouds?What pipe dreams tantalize or terrify you?Around what do you organize your life?What magnetic north orients your world?Many gripping metaphors can express the question,“What are you really living for?”What desire is ruling over your heart? For some it is a deep thirst in your soul for intimacy. That is your god.For some it is a deep angst for achievement. That is your idol.For some it is a deep longing for respect, or health, or wealth, or control, or for comfort.These desires rule in your heart and they supplant the one true God.1 Kings 18:21 ESV “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him!Some of us need to be reminded down to our very soul, that there is one God, the Lord. God wants you to know that He alone is worthy of your loyalty. God is the only person worth following. He is the only person worthy of your whole life. And God wants all of you! He does not want a divided allegiance. He wants you to follow Him with all of your heart, and all of your soul, and all of your might. No one else is worthy of your heart.This is the first step that God wants to use in your life to restore your brokenness. God can salvage your life for His glory. And the first step is follow God with undivided allegiance.Step #2: For God to restore your brokenness-II. If the Lord is God, Fear HimFear of God- An awesome respect and reverence for a holy God. It is a reverential awe, but it is also a health dose of fear as a sinner before a holy God.Proverbs 14:27 “27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”A. Man-Made Religion (6:13-16)1 Samuel 6:13–16 ESV 13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.What did the people of Beth-shemesh do wrong? Seems pretty innocent doesn’t it?How many of you would describe yourself as Christian? Why?How many people in our country do you think would describe themselves as Christian? Why?George Barna did a national poll of thousands of teenagers and found that 49% described themselves as Christians—despite a large share of those same individuals rejecting the divinity and holiness of Christ, the authority of Scripture, and the presence and effects of sin.“Our studies over the past few years have found that millions of Christians embrace the label “Christian” not because they love Jesus or accept the Bible, but because in their minds, that term implies they are basically good people.”In other words, people are attempting to know God through their own terms. If I am basically a good person, then God will accept me. Well, what does God think about that?I think we have a clue here in our text.1 Samuel 6:13–14 ESV 13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.At first glance this impromptu worship site seems to be an act of great reverence for God. Actually, the people of Beth-shemesh were acting recklessly. They began to worship God according to their own designs and opinions.Noticed what they offered to the Lord as a sacrifice in v. 14. They offered the two cows that pulled the cart. What’s the problem?Leviticus 1:3 ESV 3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord.Did the people of Beth-shemesh offered male cows without blemish?1 Samuel 6:10 ESV 10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home.Why is that such a big deal? So what? The cows were female instead of male....We don’t get to come to God on our own terms. He is holy, we are not. He provides his own way for us to come to him. We don’t get to deviate from that.1 Samuel 6:15 ESV 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord.Why did I underline the word “them”? What does the word them include? It includes the ark of the Lord. Why is that such a big deal?Numbers 4:5–6 ESV 5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.According to the Law, no one outside of the Aaronic priesthood was permitted to look upon the outside of the ark of the covenant. And yet what did the people of Beth-shemesh do?1 Samuel 6:15 ESV 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord.1 Samuel 6:19 ESV 19 And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord.Look upon- בַּאֲרֹ֣ון, lit. they look into the ark. The Hebrew preposition can mean at or upon, but it also can mean in or within. Most translations use this secondary idea.1 Samuel 6:19 CSB 19 God struck down the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the Lord.Numbers 4:20 ESV 20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”It is as if the men of Beth-shemesh were saying, “God we don’t care about the provisions you have made for humanity to know you or to worship you. We are going to do things our way, on our terms.” You cannot come to God on your own terms. That is the repeated theme of the Bible from OT to New.John 14:6 ESV 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.49% of teenagers thought they were Christians because they were basically a good person. That is a man-made idea. That is exactly what the people of Beth-shemesh were doing. They were attempting to come to God on their own terms. The Bible is very clear, it is very exclusive. That does not work! Why not?B. The Reality of Sin (6:19)1 Samuel 6:19 ESV 19 And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow.Textual issue:Hebrew is lit. 70 men 50 thousand men.The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible 1 Samuel 6:19Some Hebrew manuscripts have “seventy men,” but the LXX and other Hebrew manuscripts have “fifty thousand and seventy men,” an unusually large number.
Josephus in his Antiquities records the number as seventy.3 possible solutions:70 men were killed. (original text)50,070 men were killed. (original text)This is an idiomatic way of saying 70 men were killed- that is 50 out of 1000 or one fifth of the clan.Whether is was 70 men or over 50,000 men- the effect of the text is the same- sin is a devastating barrier between us and the Lord.This is the reality of sin. Sin always leads to judgement and death.Proverbs 14:12 ESV 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.Romans 6:20–23 ESV 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Why does sin lead to death?C. The Awesome Holiness of God (6:20-7:2)1 Samuel 6:20 ESV 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?”None of us can stand before a holy God in and of ourselves.We are all sinners, who constantly offend a holy God.Romans 3:23 ESV 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,Habakkuk 1:13 ESV 13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong,When all the dust settles on the current age, who will be the ones that who will have eternal life? Who will be the ones that will walk and talk with God for all eternity?Revelation 21:7–8 ESV 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”Revelation 21:27 ESV 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.Revelation 22:3 ESV 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.1 Samuel 6:20 ESV 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?What is the only answer to that question? In and of ourselves? No one can!How can anyone stand before a holy God?Ephesians 1:4 ESV 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.Ephesians 5:27 ESV 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.Colossians 1:21–22 ESV 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.Jude 24–25 ESV 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.Our only hope of standing before the Lord, before the very presence of his glory, is through His grace. We can never arrive at blameless at perfection on our own. But, Jesus Christ is fully able and willing to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.This is the miracle of salvation. This is why considering yourself a good person is not enough. You must be blameless. And who, on their own, can claim to be blameless? But, the good news of the gospel, is that Jesus Christ can make your blameless. That’s why Jesus died on a cross for our sins. He died and shed his blood to pay for our sins, so our sins could be wiped clean. He was buried and rose again to demonstrate that his sacrifice was acceptable by a holy God. And now Jesus is willing to give you the gift of salvation. He wants to forgive all your sins. He wants to make you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. And you can be exactly that if cry out to Jesus Christ alone and ask him to save you from your sin. Friend, if you are sitting here this morning and you are asking yourself the question,1 Samuel 6:20 ESV 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?And you realize that you can’t. Here is the good news. If you will admit your sinfulness. And if you will turn from your own sin and realize that only Jesus Christ can make you blameless, and if you will trust Jesus and ask him to forgive you of your sin— you can be saved! If you will put your faith in Christ He will make you to be able to stand blameless before a holy God. Will you do that today?How we respond to this question is the most important thing any of us will ever do in our lives.How did the men of Beth-shemesh respond?1 Samuel 6:21 ESV 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”Does their response look familiar to you? We can’t keep the ark of the Lord here in our town. Our men are dying! Who does that sound like? The Philistines. What did the Philistines do? They moved the ark from town to town. They wanted nothing to do with it. “Come down and take it away!”This is what sin does between sinful humanity and a holy God. Sin, left unforgiven, always separates us from God. Instead of crying out for God’s forgiveness, instead of turning from their sin to God, they send the ark away.1 Samuel 7:1–2 ESV 1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.So my friend you have a choice. How will you respond?Christian, unsaved- doesn’t matter. If you have sin in your life, that sin is separating you from the Lord. Now if you are a believer that sin does not damage your relationship with the Lord, but it does disrupt your fellowship. How will you respond?How should you respond?Step 3: For God to restore your brokenness-III. If the Lord is God, Forsake SinSome people don’t like preaching the idea of repentance, of forsaking and turning from sin. But, the Bible is consistent with the theme of forsaking sin, from cover to cover. If you want a relationship with the Lord you must forsake your sin.A. True Repentance (7:3-4)1 Samuel 7:3 ESV 3 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.”Two directions involved in turning.Turn away from your sin (foreign gods).Turn toward God (direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only).This is exactly what the people finally did! After 20 years!1 Samuel 7:4 ESV 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.Friends, if you have sin in your life that is separating you from the Lord, this is exactly how you should respond. Turn away from your sin (forsake it), and turn toward the Lord.Isaiah 55:7 ESV 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.B. True Deliverance (7:5-11)1 Samuel 7:5–7 ESV 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.1 Samuel 7:8 ESV 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”Note the stark contrast between there first time the people battled the Philistines. Then they tried to manipulate God, using the ark to force God to defeat the Philistines. Now in repentance they plead for God's mercy and grace.C.f I Sam. 4:31 Samuel 4:3 ESV 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”1 Samuel 7:9–11 ESV 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.1, 2 Samuel (3) The Lord Routs the Philistines’ Army (7:2–17)In chronicling the events of this section, the narrator is careful to indicate that mighty deliverance from the Philistines came about only after Israel repented and turned wholeheartedly back to God. The movement of Israel’s heart, not Yahweh’s ark, brought about true freedom from Israel’s oppressors.
C. True Help (7:12-17)1 Samuel 7:12 ESV 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”1, 2 Samuel (3) The Lord Routs the Philistines’ Army (7:2–17)Samuel named the newly erected stone monument “Ebenezer” (Hb. ʾeben hāʿāzer, “The Stone of [the] Help” or “The Help[er] Is a Stone”) because “the LORD helped us.” The name given the memorial undoubtedly is a confession of faith and trust in the Lord.
1 Come, thou Fount of every blessing; tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of God’s unchanging love!2 Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.3 O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.1 Samuel 7:13–17 ESV 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.The people truly turned from their sin to the Lord. The Lord truly delivered His people from the hands of the Philistines. And the people memorialized the truth the the Lord is only source of help that can save.How did God restore the brokenness of His people?How is God able to restore your brokenness?God wants to use three steps to restore your brokenness.If the Lord is God, follow HimIf the Lord is God, fear HimIf the Lord is God, forsake Sin Exodus 9:14–16NASB95
1 Kings 18:21NASB95
1 Kings 18:39NASB95
Ephesians 5:5NASB95
Colossians 3:5NASB95
Matthew 22:37–38NASB95
1 Samuel 6:13–14NASB95
Leviticus 1:3NASB95
1 Samuel 6:10NASB95
1 Samuel 6:15NASB95
Numbers 4:5–6NASB95
1 Samuel 6:15NASB95
1 Samuel 6:19NASB95
1 Samuel 6:19NASB95
Numbers 4:20NASB95
John 14:6NASB95
1 Samuel 6:19NASB95
Proverbs 14:12NASB95
Romans 6:20–23NASB95
1 Samuel 6:20NASB95
Romans 3:23NASB95
Habakkuk 1:13NASB95
Revelation 21:7–8NASB95
Revelation 21:27NASB95
Revelation 22:3NASB95
1 Samuel 6:20NASB95
Ephesians 1:4NASB95
Ephesians 5:27NASB95
Colossians 1:21–22NASB95
1 Thessalonians 5:23NASB95
Jude 24–25NASB95
1 Samuel 6:20NASB95
1 Samuel 6:21NASB95
1 Samuel 7:1–2NASB95
1 Samuel 7:3NASB95
1 Samuel 7:4NASB95
Isaiah 55:7NASB95
1 Samuel 7:8NASB95
1 Samuel 7:12NASB95
- I Stand Redeemed
