Seven Mile Road

Acts 10.34-43
This Sunday, we’ll celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the good news that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

Do you want God as King? It’s such a simple question on the surface yet we struggle to answer “Yes!” with a fully aligned head, heart, and hands. But this struggle is nothing new. This week, we’ll see God’s people realize they will soon need a new earthly leader as Samuel ages and his sons are unfit and we’ll see them ultimately reject God as their King even though He is a King like no other.

How do you turn it around? You know you’ve been headed in the wrong direction and haven’t been very focused on God in your life. Maybe your circumstances are causing you to question the way you’ve gone? Or it could be behavior or desires that you see within yourself that surprise you. What do you do to see God present in your life once again and how to get out of the rut of your sin?These are questions we all face at times in our lives. We find answers in the story of Israel in 1 Samuel. We get to hear Samuel call us all back to God to see victory and peace once more in our lives as we learn from the story of early Israel. 1 Samuel 7

1 Samuel 6-7:2The Philistines have Israel’s God captured, or so they think. The Ark of the Covenant, the holy symbol of God’s presence, which was so easy to take and move around and place inside their temple, is now causing all sorts of national problems. The Philistines can’t handle God’s presence, the ark must go. Maybe when the ark is returned to Israel all will be better again? Not so much. Israel can’t handle God’s presence either. Who then can stand before this holy God?

"Is God the Lord?” After Israel loses a big battle, the Philistines think very little of God. After their capture of the ark of God, the Philistines set it up in the house of their god, Dagon. Israel’s God seems weak and defeated, but is that true? How will he respond?

“Why were we defeated?” After defeat in an important battle, the people of God look to God for deliverance but don’t address the real issue: their sin. They try again but don’t turn from sin, leading to another lost battle, more ruined lives, their enemies capturing the Ark of God, and one of the most terrible lines in the whole bible, “The glory has departed from Israel.”

As we continue in 1 Samuel we see Israel is livingIsrael is living in the dark because God’s speaking to his people was rare. Then, into that darkness God calls Samuel to be his prophet, bringing the light of his word to Eli and Israel. Just like our bodies need food when we are hungry, we need the prophetic Word of God in order to live. We will be asking ourselves this question: Are we living our lives guided by God’s prophetic word?

After Eli, the priest, has confronted his sons regarding their sin, God sends an unnamed prophet to confront Eli. Eli’s house has been honored by God for generations and received great blessings, but has, in return, dishonored God. God rejects Eli and his line, but his redemptive plan won’t end. Instead, He will raise up another line of priests who will be faithful forever.

As we find out the priests are stealing from God in his Temple, the darkness increases in the Book of Samuel. After all, sin is to be confessed, not committed, in God’s presence. And even when confronted about their sin, these priests won’t stop. Yet, God was also growing a light in the darkness. We’ll find that, amidst all of the corruption and contempt, the boy Samuel is growing in favor with God and man.