Samuel 6

Revive Us Again

• The first revival in the Promise Land was a heartrending, far-reaching and ongoing event.
• Before the revival swept Israel, things were both good and bad.
• The sons of Eli were dead and Samuel the prophet had succeeded him.
• The ark of God that was captured by the Philistines was returned to the Israelites but not to Jerusalem.
• Then a revival swept the land under the right conditions.
• What is revival? When how and why does it happen?
• Why did it happen in Israel after a long absence?

1 Samuel 7 So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. 2 The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them

Israel’s revival took a long time

• Revival did not occur the moment Eli the priest or his sons died - That would have made Eli the unfair scapegoat of all Israel’s ills.
• More than twenty years had passed since Eli had died, yet no revival had broken out.
• Even the presence of Samuel, the great prophet, did not spark a revival. However, a revival swept the nation at the most unlikely time: when the people of God mourned the ark’s absence from Jerusalem.
• Remarkably, this was the first and only time the nation mourned after the Lord before the exile
• the word reappears twice during the exilic period (Ezek 32:18, Mic 2:4).
• This seldom-used Hebrew word for “mourned” means “to groan, i.e. bewail; hence (through the idea of crying aloud), to assemble (as if on proclamation).”
• The people thought the Lord had abandoned them...and recognized that if they were abandoned...it was deservedly so
• Israel’s hearts longed for the Lord, their eyes were wet with tears and their hands were busy in prayer.

• The people did not sob quietly or privately, Israel wailed loudly and publicly.
• Revival takes EVERYONES responsibility
• Revival cannot be premeditated, planned or packaged
• it comes only when people’s hearts are groaning
• when eyes are glassy and when they recognize where they have failed the law
• A web site posted an anonymous writer’s poem entitled “Little Christians”

Little Christians came to church all the time, one fell out with the preacher, then there were nine.

Little Christian stayed up late, one slept on Sunday, then there were eight.

Little Christians on their way to heaven, one took the low road, then there were seven.

Little Christians chirping like chicks, one didn’t like the singing, then there were six.

Little Christians seemed very much alive, one took a vacation and then there were five.

Little Christians pulling for heavens shore, one stopped to take a rest, then there were four.

Little Christians each as busy as a bee, one got his feeling hurt, then there were three.

Little Christians couldn’t decide what to do, one couldn’t have his way, then there were two.

Little Christians each won one more, now don’t you see two and two make four.

Little Christians worked early and late, each brought one now there were eight.

Little Christians if they double as before, in just seven Sundays we have one thousand twenty four.

• we see here the dramatic growth of a church after a steep decline and a loss of members
• Some left because of disagreements with pastor or other people
• Some left church as a priority finding sleeping in or other things more important
• Some left because of type of songs, or noisy kids
• Finally when only 3 remained one left when they didn’t get their way
• Down and down and down in attendance the church went
• Until... the last two left realized their short comings and took responsibility
• One by one reaching one by one...they took it personal
• Responsibility brings revival...

ALL of Israel began to take personal responsibility... No one was unaware, no one was untouched and no one was uninvolved.

1 Samuel 7 3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord. 5 Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the Lord. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the Lord.

Israel removed the idols...

• Samuel challenged the Israelites to take action
• to get to the root of the nation’s decline.
• Mourning after the Lord was a fantastic start, fair and good, but it could only go so far and do so much.
• The next thing the Israelites had to do was to take away, cut down and get rid of the idols (v 3).
• Baal and Ashtaroth were the first foreign gods Israel served in the new land (Judg 2:13).
• They were the unrivalled male and female gods of fertility out of all the enemies’ pantheon of gods.
• For true revival to occur, they had to forsake, displace, smash, burn, uproot and banish the idols in their heart and in their community.
• The roots of idolatry that had lasted over 300 years in the new land (Judges 11:26)
• Israel could not reverse the course of idolatry or rid the menace of idolatry until they return to the Lord with all their hearts (v 3).
• God has no room, regard and patience for a third-party.
• Revival takes EVERYONES Real relationship
• Half-hearted repentance, conversion and faith do not result in half-hearted revival, but no revival at all.
• Half-hearted believers are never half-developed; they are always empty and fully dead. Half-hearted effort equals zero return.
• Half-hearted Christians serve half-time, do things halfway and give half effort.
• Half-hearted Christians will only go all in if it’s their plan or the way they feel things should be done, if they disagree they will be Quarter-hearted or (like the poem) leave all together
• Revival takes real relationship with God...allowing God’s will to be done
• Revival takes real relationship with each other

1 Samuel 7 When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. 8 “Don’t stop pleading with the Lord our God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel. 9 So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them.

• Israel’s revival was tested
• Just when they were turning things around...the Philistines show up
• These were the people that had killed thousands upon thousand 20 years ago!
• These were the people that had taken the Ark
• Here they come again...to disrupt the event, to make Israel question.
• Did Israel panic? YOU BET...they were badly frightened
• But this time...this time they did not run in without wise counsel...this time that did not give in to their fear...they took that fear to God
• “Don’t stop pleading with God” was their response!
• Don’t stop...they were not going to stop...they were recognizing and taking RESPONSIBILITY for their past and they were WHOLE HEARTED in their relationship with God

Conclusion

• Revival RESPONDS to testings with Obedience

Samuel “the lord hears”

When God’s people take responsibility for the sins of their past... commit to whole-hearted relationship now and in the future and don’t back down at trouble...GOD HEARS THAT

A. W. Tozer says, “To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience.”

• When revival begins to happen in your heart...in your home...in this place TESTS WILL FOLLOW
• Unfortunately those tests can come from within the church... I have been a part of churches that have split mid $100,000 building project because the “wrong” person was allowed to sing, or the “wrong” worship song was picked, or the “wrong” chair color was selected
• The tests can also come from outside the church...financial struggles, weather damage, bad social media reports, gossip...
• My dad used to say...if your testimony isn’t being attacked ya need to testify louder 😉
• I frankly get a little excited when the tests start coming...though they are frustrating...because it means SOMETHING IS HAPPENING!
• Do you know what that something is...REVIVAL

Will you allow revival to begin in your heart? WIll you continue to obey when testing comes?