1 Samuel 7 Devotional
by Pastor David Groendyk

The ark of the covenant, originally stolen while in battle with the Philistines, has finally finished its circuitous journey and been returned to Israel. But the real question is, Has Israel learned its lesson from the judgment of chapter 4? What is a proper response to their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Philistines?

Apparently, about 20 years have passed since that major defeat in chapter 4, and the Philistines have been oppressing Israel ever since. The first thing we hear from Samuel in 20 years is a call for Israel as a whole to put away their idols and turn back to God. And in a very matter-of-fact way, the text says that Israel did exactly what Samuel said. This is true repentance. Not only did Israel lament their miserable estate (v. 2), but they recognized that their sin was against God (v. 6), removed their idols, directed their hearts to the Lord, and served him (vv. 3–4). All five of those aspects are necessary for true repentance. We must grieve over our sin, recognize that God is the primary offended party, put away our sin, love and desire the Lord above all else, and then actually serve him with our actions. This is what it looks like to return to the Lord, and this is the only proper response when faced with God’s wrath and punishment. Humility and teachability are absolutely essential in the Christian life, and Israel displays both of those characteristics here. How can you apply those five aspects of repentance in your life now?

Now God turns the tables on the Philistines. Just like the usual cycle went in the book of Judges, now that Israel has turned away from their sin, God is ready to throw off their oppressing enemy in war. And that’s exactly what God does. The Philistines are routed by the thunderous power of God (vv. 10–11). What’s Samuel’s response? He sets up a memorial stone and calls it “Ebenezer” which means “stone of help”, and what a good reminder this is for us. The Lord is our help. It’s only when we come to the end of ourselves and our own power that we can recognize this reality. We cannot be our own help. That’s what Israel had tried in chapter 4. We cannot be our own strength. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psa. 124:8). Isn’t that good news? Wouldn’t you rather rely on the God who made everything that you can see and everything that you can’t see to be your help rather than yourself? I sometimes need to make a second effort to get up off the couch. How can I possibly save myself? We are built to rely on God’s grace in our weakness, which just emphasizes the sufficiency of God for us, and so we should even go so far as to rejoice in our own weakness (2 Cor. 12:9–10). And ultimately this truth plays out most clearly in our salvation. Christ is the true Ebenezer we must look back upon to remember God’s help. All of us are helpless and hopeless in ourselves when it comes to facing God the Judge. Praise God that he took away our sin and gifted us his own righteousness at the cross! And if he has done such a great work for us at the cross, we should be all the more certain that he will be our sufficiency and give us his grace all the way through our lives until we reach heaven. What Samuel did in setting up the Ebenezer is a good practice for Christians to do to help them remember God’s grace. What other Ebenezers has God worked in your life—utterly helpless situations where he helped you? Remember them, reflect on them, and let them spur you on to continue trusting God.

Finally, we can’t leave this chapter without reflecting on another one of Samuel’s roles. He speaks God’s words and calls them to repent (as a prophet), he sets up the Ebenezer after battle (as a judge), but he also intercedes for the people (as a priest). As the battle drew nearer, the Israelites recognized how horrible their sin was and how they needed someone to reach out to God on their behalf (vv. 6–8). For Christians, our only intercessor is Christ. He is the only mediator between God and his people (1 Tim. 2:5). He is the one who made reconciliation between God and us through his work on the cross, and he is the only intercessor between us and God now. No one else can truly and perfectly intercede on your behalf but Christ. Like the Israelites, then, let’s all continue to cry out to Christ, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us.”