撒母耳记上［第7章］
Book of 1 Samuel 7
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撒母耳记上［第7章］|Book of 1st Samuel 7【以便以谢的神】
13/07/2023
引言：神直到如今都帮助我们!
一、人的回应(v1-6)
1.百姓回转（v1-2）
他们花了20年的时间才认识到不是神离弃了他们，而是因着他们拜偶像离弃了祂，而痛苦地自食其果。所以，回转可以是当下，也可以花我们一生的时间。
2.除去偶像（v3-4）
从以色列人的历史当中，我们看到他们面临被掳的最大原因是祭拜偶像。因此，撒母耳要他们除掉偶像,还要专心归向耶和华，单单地事奉祂。
我们务要警醒，任何占据我们心思的事物都会成为我们的偶像，代替赐恩典的神。
3.禁食祷告（v5-6）
以色列人通过禁食认罪，来表达他们心中的忧伤。当神叫我们知罪，我们必须承认自己的罪，接受神的赦免与洁净，使我们没任何障碍地与神相交。
二、神的拯救（v7-14）
1. 神应允人的祷告（v7-9）
以色列人在面对仇敌的攻击时，不再自己去找有军事才干的领袖，也不是采取什么外交手段，更不是把约柜再抬出来，而是请撒母耳为他们呼求神的拯救。
2. 神发声击败敌人（v10-12）
经文只简单地交代是上帝亲自出手。而以色列人只需要追赶和杀敌就可以了。人只要真心悔改，祂仍然会给人回转的机会，愿意再次接纳人并与他们同在。
3. 脱离敌人的辖制（v13-14）
以便以谢之战，结束了非利士人对以色列人多年的辖制，使非利士人在相当长一段时间内不敢再入以色列人的境内。
我们若归向神、服事神，神就会给我们能力，击败仇敌退完全归还在我们身所得着的。
三、兴起领袖（v15-17)
神自己兴起撒母耳带领百姓，不但是要他像以前的士师那样带领以色列民对抗敌人，好让他们过一些四境太平的日子，更重要的是要使用撒母耳去把祂的话语教导他们，使他们懂得遵守上帝的律例和诫命，专心一意跟随耶和华。
总结：
耶和华是「以便以谢」的神。过去，祂藉约柜被掳的这件事去管教以色列人，让他们用二十年时间来作深切的反省，使他们再次归向祂。
今天，我们也要不断治死老我，被上帝的话语更新和塑造。如此，以便以谢的神必帮助我们，在信仰上站立得稳，不致被现今世俗的悖谬思想和价值观所动摇！
1 Samuel 7 God of Ebenezer
GK611 Morning Devotion
13/7/2023
The Morning Devotion Speaker: Ps Stella Ling
Introduction: God has helped us until now!
1. The Response of the People (v1-6)
(1) The people turn around (v1-2)
It took them 20 years to realise that it was not God who had forsaken them, but that they had forsaken Him through their idolatry, and had painfully eaten their own fruit. So turning around can be in the moment or it can take us a lifetime.
(2) Remove the idols (v3-4)
In the history of the Israelites, we see that the biggest reason they faced captivity was idolatry. Therefore, Samuel told them to get rid of idols and to focus on the Lord and serve Him alone.
We must be alert to the fact that anything that occupies our minds can become an idol in place of the God of grace.
(3) Fasting and Prayer (v5-6)
The Israelites expressed the sorrow of their hearts by fasting and confessing their sins. When God calls us to the knowledge of our sins, we must confess our sins and receive God's forgiveness and cleansing, so that we may have fellowship with Him without any obstacles.
2. God's Salvation (v7-14)
(1) God Answers Prayers (v7-9)
When faced with the attacks of their enemies, the Israelites no longer went out on their own to find leaders of military calibre, nor did they resort to any kind of diplomacy, nor did they carry the ark of the Lord back out again, but they asked Samuel to call out for God's deliverance for them.
(2) God speaks out to defeat the enemy (v10-12)
Scripture only briefly accounts for the fact that it was God who intervened personally. And all the Israelites had to do was to pursue and kill their enemies. As long as people sincerely repent, He will still give people the opportunity to turn around and be willing to accept them and be with them again.
(3) Deliverance from the dominion of the enemy (v13-14)
So that the battle of Eshek would end the years of Philistine dominion over Israel, so that the Philistines would not dare to enter Israel's territory again for quite some time.
If we turn to God and serve Him, He will give us the power to defeat our enemies and return what has been given to us.
3. Raising up leaders (v15-17)
God raised up Samuel to lead the people, not only to lead the people of Israel against their enemies as the judges had done in the past, so that they could live in peace, but more importantly to use Samuel to teach them His Word, so that they would know how to keep God's laws and commandments, and follow the Lord with all their heart.
Conclusion:
The Lord is the God of "Enenezer". In the past, He disciplined the Israelites through the Ark of the Lord captivity, allowing them to spend twenty years in deep reflection, so that they would return to Him again.
Today, we also need to keep healing our old selves and be renewed and shaped by the Word of God. In this way, so that the God of Ebenezer will help us to stand firm in our faith and not be shaken by the perverse thoughts and values of the world today!
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