A Heart for the Heart of God: The Message of 1 Samuel
October 27, 2013 :: 1 Samuel 12:1-25
In our message from 2 weeks ago in chapter 8, the people of Israel demanded a king such as all of the other nations around them had.
And in last week’s message, chapters 9, 10, and 11, God gave the people of Israel the king that they had asked for. He did it out of mercy for them because they did need saving. And the brand new king, King Saul, did deliver them from the clutches of the Ammonite king Nahash.
But we saw that God also gave them this king out of discipline. He gave them what they deserved, and King Saul will prove to be a disappointment.
At the end of chapter 11, Samuel rounded up all of the nation at Gilgal, and there they affirmed and reconfirmed Saul’s kingship.
And it appears that at that same event, Samuel got up and gave his last big national speech, which is our chapter 12.
It’s not really a farewell speech, since Samuel is not quite dead and not quite done.
But it is a major transitional speech, where old prophet Samuel looks back over the last several hundred years and gives both a history of Israel’s failures and a prophetic call to serve the Lord in the new era of the monarchy.
God has given Israel a king, and that’s because they’ve been bad.
But they don’t have to stay that way.
From here on, things can change.
From here on, things must change.
From here on, God is asking them to change.
I’ve entitled today’s message, “From Here On.”
And I hope that it helps all of us to put down a stake today and make a fresh decision to follow the Lord anew. From here on.
“Samuel said to all Israel, ‘I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.’ ‘You have not cheated or oppressed us,’ they replied. ‘You have not taken anything from anyone's hand.’ Samuel said to them, ‘The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.’ ‘He is witness,’ they said.” Stop there for now.
So, Samuel is talking about the transition from having a national prophet who has been basically acting as a judge and leading the nation to having a bona fide king installed as their leader.
“I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader.”
And Samuel is going to have some hard things to say about that.
This is not your typical inauguration speech where the new public official gets honored and glorified by the kingmaker.
Samuel is going to say some of the hardest things for the people to hear and to accept.
So, he begins by putting himself on trial. V.3
“Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.’”
I think Samuel is talking this way to establish his basic integrity and to show that he is qualified to say the hard things that they need to hear and are about to hear. V.4
“‘You have not cheated or oppressed us,’ they replied. ‘You have not taken anything from anyone's hand.’ Samuel said to them, ‘The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed (Saul) is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.’ ‘He is witness,’ they said.”
Can I just say in passing that this is a good practice to engage in from time to time?
To take an inventory of your life and see how much integrity is there.
Is there anyone I have cheated?
Is there anyone I have oppressed?
Is there anyone I owe anything to to make it right?
And even to ask others.
Is there anything I have done to hurt you?
Is there anything I need to apologize for?
Is there anything I need to make right?
It’s a great thing to short accounts.
But of course, the point here is that Samuel has led them with integrity.
He didn’t do anything that warranted their abandoning him and demanding a king.
And he is spiritually qualified to deliver the indictment that is coming. V.6
“Then Samuel said to the people, ‘It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your forefathers up out of Egypt. Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers.”
Samuel says, “Listen up. I’m going to give you a little history lesson. You’re going to go on trial right now and be found guilty by the evidence.” V.8
“‘After Jacob entered Egypt [the last part of Genesis], they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your forefathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place [the books of Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua]. ‘But they forgot the LORD their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
They cried out to the LORD and said, 'We have sinned; we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.' Then the LORD sent Jerub-Baal [that is Gideon], Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely.”
That’s the book of Judges in a nutshell and the first part of this book, 1 Samuel.
God has consistently rescued His people from their enemies, whether they be Pharoah or Sisera or the Philistines or Moab or whomever. But. V.12
“‘But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us'–even though the LORD your God was your king. Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the LORD has set a king over you.”
You have rejected the LORD and asked for a human king. A king is now what you have.
Now, wait a second before reading verse 14.
What do you think that Samuel should say next?
You might think that Samuel will tell them that the LORD is done with them.
Right?
I have been good to you.
God has been good to you.
You have forsake Him.
You have asked for a king instead of Him.
Now you have your king, so I’m out of here....and so is God!
That’s what they deserve.
But that’s not what Samuel says. V.14
“If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God–good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.”
It’s another chance.
God is giving them a new chance. A new start.
“If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God–good!”
Notice that it takes both of them, both the people and the king for this to work.
They have this king now, for better or for worse.
And they are both being called to serve and obey the LORD.
This king is not a new god. He is to serve and lead his people to serve the one true God.
And if they don’t, there will be consequences.
“But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.”
New start, same rules as before.
With obedience comes blessing. With disobedience comes danger. V.16
“‘Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king.’ Then Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel.”
Kaboom! This was an impressive miracle.
The wheat harvest was the driest time of the year. It hardly ever ever rained then much less thundered and poured.
It’s like saying that there will be two feet of snow here on the 4th of July. And then it happening overnight.
And the people of Israel finally seem to get it.
They finally understand with this sign where they had gone wrong. V.19
“The people all said to Samuel, ‘Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.’”
Help! We get it. We get it! We are in big trouble. We have done something very wrong by rejecting the kingship of Yahweh and asking for a replacement that we could see and touch and trust in.
This is a significant point in the story. Since the beginning of chapter 8, the people have not understood what they were asking for.
We said, “Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.”
And Samuel told them what they were doing, but they wouldn’t listen.
Now, they finally get it, and they are scared stiff.
“Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”
They finally get it. And they are repentant.
And the Lord is merciful. V.20
“‘Do not be afraid,’ Samuel replied. ‘You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.”
... I love that.
Notice how Samuel tells it like it is but also offers hope.
“‘Do not be afraid,’ ... ‘You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.”
Yeah, you have messed up.
You have broken your promises.
You have done wrong.
You have done all this evil.
But it’s not the end.
“Do not be afraid.”
Start over again.
Do you need to hear that this morning?
I’m pretty sure that a lot of us need to hear that this morning.
We have blown it this week.
We have failed.
We have fallen.
We have not lived up to our potential.
We have regrets that we dread coming to terms with.
We have done all this evil.
But “do not be afraid.”
That’s what God is saying to you today.
“Do not be afraid.”
This is not the end, and God is not done with you.
Do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
That’s point #1 of four.
From here on:
#1. SERVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
Don’t stop now in defeat.
Decide now to serve the Lord with all of your heart.
Our sermon series is called “A heart for the heart of God.”
That’s what Samuel is telling repentant Israel.
Don’t be afraid but get a heart for the heart of God.
Serve the Lord with all your heart.
God is a God of second chances. And third chances and fourth.
Don’t turn away from him now. I know you’ve done all this evil. But I also know that God is gracious and wants your heart.
All of your heart.
Make a new start today. And from here on serve the LORD with all your heart.
#2. TURN AWAY FROM USELESS IDOLS.
From here on, turn away from useless idols. V.21
“Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.”
Samuel is saying, “Don’t throw away this new chance by turning to idols.”
They are King James “vain” or ESV “empty.” They are useless.
Idols are as useless as a screendoor on a submarine. (ala Rich Mullins)
Or an ejection seat on a helicopter.
Samuel says, don’t turn to useless idols.
And we need to hear today.
Not because we believe in Baal or the Ashtoreths of verse 10.
But because we believe in our modern day idols–substitute gods that promise so much but deliver so little.
They are useless...
... but they don’t seem like it!
The power of an idol is that it seems to be powerful.
Here’s this thing that if you treat it right it will give you things back.
We said that King Saul was like an idol to these people. He was impressive looking and tall!
He was something you could see and touch and follow into battle.
The LORD on the other hand is invisible.
What idols are you tempted to trust in and turn to?
They will disappoint you every time.
“Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.”
From here on, turn away from useless idols.
#3. BE ASSURED OF YOUR WELCOME. V.22
“For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.”
This is precious.
If you have strayed from the straight and narrow and are hearing this call to come home, you might be worried about your reception.
You know that you need, from here on, to return to the Lord and to serve Him with all your heart.
But you’re not sure that you’re really wanted. That you’re really invited.
Oh, God doesn’t want me. I’ve been too bad. I’ve messed up too many times in too many ways.
I’m too far gone.
God can’t forgive me!
No. Come home. The LORD will not reject His people.
Why? For the sake of his great name!
Because God gets the glory when He gives out His grace.
Israel wasn’t picked because they were so good or great or godly.
Israel was picked because God wanted to show off how gracious He is.
V.22 “The LORD was pleased to make you his own.”
How much more is that true of us today?
How much more is that true of Christians who have been saved by the Cross of Christ.
“The LORD was pleased to make you his own.”
Do you hear those words applied to you this morning. “His own.”
“The LORD was pleased to make you his own.”
“For the sake of his great name.”
Be assured of your welcome.
You who are weary, come home.
From here on, be assured that you are wanted, forgiven, accepted, and welcome.
You who are weary, come home.
Samuel reassures the people that they are not just welcome but prayed for. V.23
“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”
Samuel is promising from here on to continue to be a good prophet. To pray for them and teach them what God says.
Even Samuel is not giving up on them!
Samuel here is, of course, a great model for us of promising to pray for those we are connected to. It is a sin to fail to pray. A sin of omission. And faithful friends pray for their loved ones.
But I was struck in reading verse 23 this week, not that Samuel was an example for us but that Samuel was a foreshadowing of Jesus.
Jesus is before the throne of God above interceding for us right now.
We are not just welcome, but we are prayed for, by the Son of God!
You might feel defeated this week and are tempted to despair.
When Satan Tempts Me to Despair
And Tells Me of the Guilt Within (True Guilt! “You have done all this evil.”)
Upward I Look and See Him There Who Made and End to All My Sin
Because the Sinless Savior Died, My Sinful Soul Is Counted Free
And God the Just is Satisfied to Look in Him (My intercessor) and Pardon Me!
“Do not be afraid...the LORD will not reject His people.”
#4. DON’T FORGET ALL HE HAS DONE FOR YOU. V.24
“But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”
From here on, don’t forget all the LORD has done for you.
Raise that Ebenezer we talked about a few weeks ago. That pile of stones to remind yourself of what God has done on your behalf.
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
This is a powerful way of staying on track in the Christian life.
Remember.
Remember.
Remember.
Try to regularly rehearse the stories of God’s grace in your life.
Tell them to others!
And tell them to yourself.
Starting this week, I want many of you to consider sharing a story of God’s grace to you at Christmas time.
The holidays aren’t that far away, and I’d like to enlist at last 5 of you to tell us all a story of how God intersected your life at some point around Christmastime.
I want to call it something like “Stories of Christ at Christmas.”
It could be something small like, “God reminded me what Christmas was all about” in a short story.
Or it could be a big thing like, “God saved me during the holidays one year.”
Pray about that, would you? I’d like to have several of us get up and share a story this Christmas season.
The important point is to not forget all that He has done.
He gave His life for us. To pay for our sins!
He came back from the dead to give us life.
He sent His Spirit to be with us always.
He promised to return to take us to be with Him where He is.
Let’s remember that each and every day from here on.
***
A Heart for the Heart of God
01. Hannah's Prayers
02. Those Who Honor Me I Will Honor
03. Speak, LORD, for Your Servant Is Listening
04. God In A Box
05. Who Can Stand in the Presence of the LORD, This Holy God?
06. Be Careful What You Ask For
07. "Go and Look for the Donkeys."
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