Forget religious trappings! Embrace the Lord! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 7:10-11,

"While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew
near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with
loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic
that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed
out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the
way to a point below Beth Kar."

The Lord "thundered with loud thunder" to provide Israel victory over
the invading Philistines. Here is a different picture altogether than
what we read of in 1 Samuel 4:10, "So the Philistines fought, and the
Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter
was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers."

Why the difference? Samuel pointed out the problems Israel had with
the Lord. He told them, "... rid yourselves of the foreign gods and
the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,
and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." So the
Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord
only." 7:3b-4. Israel had turned her back on God and had even used the
ark as some kind of religious amulet in an attempt to extract a
victory over the Philistines, even while in rebellion against God.

At Samuel's direction, Israel returned to God with their hearts. Now,
rather than "using" God for their own purposes, they turned their
hearts toward him and he responded mightily to their plea for help
against the Philistines.

Wise direction for us in 1 Samuel: forget all the religious trappings
and turn to the Lord with our hearts! He alone can bring us what we
need!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com