A Leader for God’s People

1 Samuel 9-10

The nation of Israel was governed by judges for 320 years. The last verse in the book of Judges, describes this period of time this way:

Judges 21:25 (NKJV) In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Under Moses, the people took an oath to seek the Lord and be faithful to Him, but it never worked that way. The pattern of turning away from the Lord and being disciplined by Him continued until the people asked for a king, thus rejecting God as their ruler. 

God listened to their demand for a king and chose a man for them. The man God chose for them was an ideal candidate. He came from an influential family. Also, he was handsome and a choice young man. 1 Samuel 9:1-2 describes him.

1 Samuel 9:1–2 (NKJV) ¹There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. ²And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

His name was Saul, and he was everything the nation wanted in a king. First, his father was a mighty man of power. According to the NKJV Study Bible note for this verse, the phrase “a mighty man of power,” suggests he was like a feudal lord, having wealth and influence. The point seems to be establishing that Saul was from the right family. He was Jewish, not a foreigner, from the tribe of Benjamin, and his father and family were respected and influential.

Second, Saul was a choice and handsome young man. The word “choice” in this context means “of very fine quality.” The text says, “There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel.” Humanly speaking, they could not have found a better candidate. If they had done a nationwide search, they would not have done any better. The text adds the statement, “From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. These are all characteristics that stand out to us. We want our leaders to be strong, handsome, and vigorous.

The people of Israel asked for a king, stating that they wanted to be like all the nations and have their king judge them, go out before them, and fight their battles. God gave them what they asked for.

After showing us what kind of man the Lord singled out, 1 Samuel 9 tells us of the events leading up to the anointing of Saul.

Saul’s father’s donkeys were lost. So, Kish said to Saul, “Please take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.” (Just a side note here, the family was well off and had servants.) Saul and the servant did quite a bit of traveling. From Gill’s commentary on the Bible, they probably walked at least 55 miles. However, we cannot know for sure because we do not know with certainty the locations of the towns and regions named, nor do we know how much wandering they would have engaged in. However, 1 Samuel 9:20 tells us that they spent three days on the journey. They covered a lot of miles but did not find the donkeys.

1 Samuel 9:5 and following tells how Saul and his servant came to ask Samuel where the donkeys were.

When they did not find the donkeys, Saul said they should turn back and head home. But his servant suggested they inquire of the man of God. Verse 9 has an interesting note. It says:

1 Samuel 9:9 (NKJV) Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus: “Come, let us go to the seer”; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.

This helps us understand the times in which they were living. A seer is a person who sees and tells the future, like a fortune teller. A prophet might foretell the future, but a prophet’s primary function is to speak the word of the Lord. In Deuteronomy 18:15 & 18, God calls Moses a prophet. Therefore, we know that the word and concept of a prophet were taught at the time of Moses. God never called His servants “seers.” People seek fortune tellers because they want to know the future and see the unseen. God forbade inquiring about the future of mediums and spiritists. The fact that prophets were called “seers” shows the lack of scriptural education that had taken over Israel. This reveals a misunderstanding of what the role of the prophet was. There were other indicators of a lack of scriptural knowledge. For example, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept showed they did not understand what it was, and they were not keeping the law of Moses.

Saul and his servant inquired after a seer. They were not seeking the Lord, but they were seeking donkeys. However, they did know that this man was a man of God. But God knew that they were coming before they got there, and He told Samuel they were coming.

1 Samuel 9:15–16 (NKJV) ¹⁵Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, ¹⁶“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

Many translations say the Lord revealed to Samuel that Saul was coming, but the NKJV translation is literal when it translates “The Lord had told Samuel in his ear...” Let me remind you that when Samuel was a boy, the Lord came and stood beside Samuel’s bed and spoke to him so that he heard it with his ears. Samuel knew the voice of the Lord. Jesus said:

John 10:27 (NKJV) My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

I wonder if the donkeys were lost or if Saul was lost. This was to be a marked difference in the leadership of Israel. Samuel’s qualifications for leader were that he knew the voice of the Lord, and Saul’s qualifications for office were that he looked good and went his own way.

Let’s look again at verse 16. It says, “I will send you a man.” The Lord knew Saul, and He knew the circumstances. In Jeremiah 1:5, God spoke to Jeremiah, saying:

Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV) Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.

Psalm 139 also says that God knows a person even before they are born. God sees our unformed substance. God prepared the way before Saul and sent him to Samuel. God gave Saul everything He needed for success. Therefore, God said, “...you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel.”

Priests were anointed, prophets were anointed, and now a leader was to be anointed. Anointing represented the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the person and consecration to the office. We are told that once Saul was anointed, he received another heart (1 Samuel 10:9). God said to anoint Saul as “commander” over His people. The one to be anointed was to be commander, but the people still belonged to the Lord. In other places, the Bible uses the word King, but I think it is significant that God chose the word commander, which also means leader. While Saul was to be leader, God was to remain king.

When Samuel met Saul, he knew that this was the one God had spoken to him about. So, Samuel gave Saul the seat of honor at the table and gave him the choice piece of meat. Then, Saul stayed the night. In the morning, on the way out of town, Samuel anointed Saul. Now, I am going to jump way ahead in the story to 1 Samuel 15:35.

1 Samuel 15:35 (NKJV) And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul.

I point this out to establish the fact that Samuel loved Saul. When Saul started out as king, everybody loved Saul.

This will come up again when we consider the anointing of David, but it is a vital issue. 

Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

Saul had all the qualifications. God provided everything he needed, including the Holy Spirit, but Saul was later rejected as king. 

When the time came for him to publicly take his place as king, Saul hid among the luggage. But this revealed the root of the problem. Later, when he was rebuked by Saul for disobeying the Lord, Saul said,

1 Samuel 15:30 (NKJV) I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel.

Saul was concerned with appearances. This is an issue that will keep many out of heaven.

All of Israel had this problem (or should I say “has this problem”). Look at what Paul says in Romans 10:2-3.

Romans 10:1–3 (NKJV) ²For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

They sought to establish their own righteousness. They were of the right people and had the blessings and anointing of God, so they thought they could be good enough. As a result, appearances became more important than truth.

This same problem found its way into the Church. In Philippians 3, Paul warns about putting confidence in the flesh.

Philippians 3:2–9 (NKJV) ²Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! ³For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, ⁴though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: ⁵circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; ⁶concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

⁷But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

I want you to absorb all of this passage, but pay special attention to the phrase “and have no confidence in the flesh.” Whenever we put confidence in the flesh, appearances will become overly important to us.

You cannot put any confidence in the family you came from. Saul came from the best of families, but it became a stumbling block to him. You cannot put any confidence in your background. Saul was a man of his time and had everything going for him, but that was not enough. You cannot put any confidence in even your baptism. Saul was anointed, but it did not save him in the end.

God looks at the heart. If we would gain the kingdom of heaven, we must count everything that is gain to us as rubbish, that we may gain Christ. We cannot say, “I have sinned, but honor me before the people.” Instead, we should pray with David, 

Psalm 51:10 (NKJV) Create in me a clean heart, O God.

The Altar and the Crown

1 Samuel 8

1 Peter 1:16 (NKJV) “Be holy, for I am holy.”

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world.

A soldier escaped the battle and ran into Shiloh with dust on his head and his clothes torn. Everyone knew that this meant tragedy, and the city was immediately in an uproar. Somebody took the man directly to Eli. Eli was old, he had judged Israel for forty years, and now he listened to the news he dreaded. His two sons were dead, and the Ark of the Covenant was in the Philistines’ possession. The boy Samuel had told Eli that this would happen. Eli fell off his stool at the news that the Ark had been captured and broke his neck.

Samuel was still a boy, so he went back home to Ramah, where his father and mother were. For twenty years, the Ark did not return to the tabernacle in Shiloh, nor did the people seek God. When Samuel was about thirty years old, he became judge of Israel, but he did not return to Shiloh. He made Ramah his home base for his entire life. 1 Samuel 7:15-17 sums this up.

1 Samuel 7:15–17 (NKJV) ¹⁵And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. ¹⁷But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Samuel did not keep his governing activities in one place but traveled in a circuit. However, at his home base, he built an altar. Building an altar signaled a serious commitment to seek the Lord. 

Abraham built an altar at Bethel.

Genesis 12:7 (NKJV) Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants, I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Isaac built an altar.

Genesis 26:25 (NKJV) So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Jacob built an altar.

Genesis 35:7 (NKJV) And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

The significance of these altars is that each one made a habit of worshiping the Lord in the place where they lived. They established a place of worship.

Be careful. God allowed this before the establishment of the nation.     However, in Deuteronomy 12, the Lord says they were not to offer their burnt offerings in every place they saw, but only in the location the Lord chose to make His name dwell. In Samuel’s day, the people had strayed so far that the tabernacle and place of worship were not functioning. One of the problems of the days of the judges was that everyone did what was right in their own eyes, deliberately disobeying the command of the Lord. This kind of deliberate disobedience still happens today. After all, I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian. Nonsense! That is just an excuse for doing things your own way. God’s word says, “Do not forsake the gathering of yourselves together.” (Hebrews 10:25) Consider what happened to Israel when every man did what was right in their own eyes. It resulted in disaster, and this is why Samuel started by making Ramah a place of worship. He did it because there was no regular gathering place. Samuel established the school of the prophets in hopes of re-establishing public worship in Israel.

Samuel also traveled in a circuit every year, teaching, judging, and leading Israel, all in an effort to turn the people’s hearts back to God. When Samuel was old, he could no longer travel extensively, so he made his sons judges to carry on their father’s work. However, they made their base of operations in Beersheba. Beersheba was probably fifty or sixty miles from Ramah and their father. This would have been a three or four-day journey on foot.

They did not follow the ways of their father. 1 Samuel 8:3 tells us they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. Like the nation, they turned away from the Lord as soon as they were out from under the judge. These boys rejected God. They did not worship the Lord. There was no altar in their lives.

1 Samuel 8:4-6 tells us:

1 Samuel 8:4–5 (NKJV) ⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

On the surface, it looks like they wanted a king because Samuel’s sons were not like Samuel, but this was not the case. Samuel’s sons were at the southern border of the nation. They were too far away from Jerusalem and the north to make much difference to those living in those regions. No, the real reason they wanted to have a king is found in the last sentence of the passage. “Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Quite simply put, they wanted to be like everyone else. They were not concerned about justice as much as they were concerned with prosperity and power. They saw the nations around them gain wealth and power by their kings’ conquests and wanted a piece of that action. And they wanted secure borders. The Philistines were encroaching upon their borders on one side (1 Samuel 13:3-5), and Nahash, the Ammonite, was threatening on the east (1 Samuel 11:1). The Israelites showed their true desires when they said:

1 Samuel 8:19–20 (NKJV) ¹⁹“No, but we will have a king over us, ²⁰that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

Their request does not seem like a bad thing on the surface, but Samuel was upset and prayed about it. Read what the Lord said in response.

1 Samuel 8:7–8 (NKJV) ⁷And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. ⁸According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

The Lord said, “They have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

The Lord was not deceived by their reference to Samuel’s sons. The nation was rejecting the Lord, just as they had done so consistently. They saw what the world had to offer, and they wanted it.

The Bible warns us about doing the same thing. It says:

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

“Do not be conformed” is a warning because this is the temptation we all face. But we are to be different from the world. We are called to be different from the world, as was Israel. Israel was called and set apart to be holy.

Leviticus 11:44 (NKJV) For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.

God had called them and set them apart to be a holy nation. They were to be a witness to the rest of the world that there is but one God. I have pointed this out previously, but it bears repeating. Isaiah 43:10 says:

Isaiah 43:10 (NKJV) “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,

 “And My servant whom I have chosen,

That you may know and believe Me,

And understand that I am He.

Before Me there was no God formed,

Nor shall there be after Me.”

However, Israel rejected God, and so God said:

Ezekiel 36:23 (NKJV) And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.”

Romans 2:24 quotes this when it says:

Romans 2:24 (NKJV) For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.

God called them and promised to bless them if they walked in His ways, but they rejected God and did not fulfill their calling to be witnesses.

We are faced with the same choice they were. Israel chose to be conformed to the world. They wanted to gain what the world had to offer, and many of us want the same thing. I fear lest any of us hear the words, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Matthew 7:21–23 (NKJV) ²¹“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²²Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Romans 12:2 does not give its warning for no reason. Conforming to the world is a great temptation. This is why the instructions of Romans 12:1 are so vital.

Romans 12:1 (NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

The Lord, through the Apostle, pleads with us, saying, “I beseech you.” Some translations say, “I beg you,” and others say, “I urge you.” God has every right to command obedience, but He chooses to appeal to us. This appeal is based on His mercies. Mercy means not giving one the punishment or penalty he deserves. God is merciful in that we are not destroyed for our unbelief and deliberate acts of disobedience toward Him. Instead of punishing us, God gave His only Son so that we can receive eternal life through faith in Him. This is why Romans 12:1 says that presenting our bodies as living sacrifices is our reasonable service. Another word that can be used in place of “reasonable” here is “logical.” Logically, we should give ourselves to Him since He gave His only Son for us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).

Colossians 2:13 (NKJV) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

The Israelites wanted a king to rule over them. And God said:

1 Samuel 8:7 (NKJV) And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

The issue is the same in the lives of all people. Who will rule over our lives? Will God be king, or will I be king? God went to great lengths to make a nation of His own. He singled out a common man and made Him into a nation. The Lord delivered that nation from slavery in Egypt. He gave them a land with fields and homes that they had not labored for. And still, they rejected Him as king. Are you any different? He gave His Son so that you can live. Have you rejected Him? Will you have Him to be your king?

God does not ask you to build an altar like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But He does ask you to worship in Spirit and in truth. He does ask you to present your body as a living sacrifice.

Where is the altar that you have built in your life?

Do you worship God every day, seeking to know and obey Him?

Have you chosen the crown, to be the ruler of your own life, or the altar, letting God rule over you?

Samuel: The Last Judge

1 Samuel 7

Hebrews 3:12 (NKJV) Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

Israel, also known as “the Children of Israel,” was chosen by God to be a witness.

God chose Abraham. From Abraham’s descendants, God chose Isaac, and from Isaacs two sons, God chose Jacob, whose name He changed to Israel. It is this Jacob from whom the nation gets its name, “Israel.” God’s purpose in His choice is summed up in the words of Isaiah 43:10.

Isaiah 43:10 (NKJV) “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.

In this passage, God says, “You are My witnesses.” This is why God chose them. In Genesis 12, when God chose Abraham, He said to Abraham, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) The blessing that came through Abraham is the knowledge that the Lord is God, and there is no other. The blessing of Abraham is Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Living Word.

When God chose Abraham, he was but one man, and his wife. To build a nation, God moved Abraham’s descendant, Jacob, and his children to Egypt. The four hundred years Israel spent in Egypt were the years of slavery. Then God sent Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, and Israel spent forty years in the wilderness. These were the years of wandering. After Moses, Joshua led Israel in the conquest of Canaan. These were the years of conquest. After Joshua, Israel was led by a series of what are called “judges.” The years of the judges were three hundred twenty. This word “judges” is not referring to a person who conducts a court and oversees trials. These “judges” were those who led Israel after Joshua until Israel’s monarchy was established when Saul became king.

The timeline of Israel up to the monarchy looks something like this:

Abraham - Jacob	Slavery	Wilderness	Conquest	Judges	United Kingdom
215 years	430 years	40 years	31 years	320 years	98 years

 

  

We are looking at the life of Samuel, who was the last of the judges and the first of the prophets. He served as a prophet during Saul’s reign and was the prophet who anointed both Saul and David as King over Israel. Some of the judges who led Israel before Samuel were: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. These are the most well known. Samson is probably the most famous, with Deborah and Gideon not being far behind. 

To understand Samuel in his historical context, it is important to understand the times of the judges. These three hundred twenty years were characterized by what we call the cycle of the judges. It was a repeating circle. At the end of Joshua’s life, Israel was walking with the Lord. But when Joshua died, the people left the Lord and started serving the gods of the land, chiefly Baal and Ashtoreth. This turning away and idolatry angered the Lord, so He turned Israel over to raiders and foreign powers who oppressed and abused the people. Because of their suffering, the people would cry out to the Lord for deliverance, and the Lord would raise up a judge to deliver them. As long as the judge lived, the people remained faithful to the Lord, but when the judge died, the people quickly turned away from the Lord to serve the Baals and Ashtoreths. This turning away started the whole cycle over again. Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson were famous because they delivered Israel from their oppressors when the people sought the Lord to save them from their suffering.

Samuel was the last of these judges. He was born in answer to his mother’s prayers and she dedicated him to serve the Lord from the time of his birth. We see the wickedness that Israel had fallen into in the sons of Eli, the high priest. Because of this wickedness, the word of the Lord was rare until Samuel came along. According to the word of the Lord, Eli and his sons died while Samuel was still a boy. 

The account of Eli’s death and the following twenty years can be found in 1 Samuel 4-6. The Philistines invaded Israel, and Israel was losing the battle. In hopes that it would turn the tide of battle, the Ark of the Lord was carried into the fight accompanied by Eli’s two sons. This resulted in disaster. The Ark was captured, and Eli’s two sons were killed. When a messenger brought this news to Eli, Eli fell off his chair, and his neck was broken because he was very old and very fat. 

The account of the next twenty years of Israel’s history is summed up in the words of Eli’s daughter-in-law.

1 Samuel 4:22 (NKJV) And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

For twenty years, while Samuel was growing up to be probably around thirty years old, the Ark of the Covenant was not in its proper place in the Tabernacle of the Lord. 1 Samuel 7:2 tells us that at length, the people of Israel lamented after the Lord.

1 Samuel 7:2 (NKJV) So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

At this point, Samuel’s ministry as the judge of Israel began. 1 Samuel 7:3 marks the beginning of his service.

1 Samuel 7:3 (NKJV) Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

The rest of 1 Samuel 7 details Samuel’s work as judge. The Lord subdued the Philistines, so they no longer harassed Israel, and He gave them peace and prosperity. 1 Samuel 7:15 sums up those years.

1 Samuel 7:15 (NKJV) And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

At the beginning of his ministry, Samuel confronted Israel about their relationship with God. Consistent with the cycle of the judges, Israel had turned her back on God. Look again at 1 Samuel 7:3.

1 Samuel 7:3 (NKJV) Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

The words “If you return” imply they had left. And consistent with the times of the judges, they were serving foreign gods and Ashtoreths.

As the last of the judges, Samuel faced the challenge that every judge had faced. Israel had turned away from the Lord and started serving other gods.

What was the attraction of these other gods? Why did the people turn to them so quickly?

I will attempt a brief answer to these questions. Baal and Ashtoreth worship came as a pair. Baal was the Canaanite word for master, and the god, Baal, represented power, prosperity, and fertility. Ashtoreth was the god of sex. The worship of Baal and Ashtoreth involved all kinds of sensual dancing and immorality.

The significance of the people bowing to these gods is that they were seeking power, money, and sex. These are the things that people have pursued since we were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. 1 John 2 speaks of these things as “what the world has to offer.”

1 John 2:16 (NKJV) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

“The lust of the flesh” = sex

“The lust of the eyes” = money

“The boastful pride of life” = power

Americans bow to these gods. Ashtoreth worship takes place as we watch sex scenes played out in front of us on our screens. Baal worship takes place as we buy the latest iPhone and get caught up in the commercial side of Christmas. Our enemy, the devil, must celebrate as we focus on our power and what we want to be done in the Church rather than on the Kingdom of God and telling people the good news about Jesus.

The New Testament warns us to be on guard against falling away this way. Hebrews 3:12-13 says:

Hebrews 3:12–13 (NKJV) ¹²Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

In this passage from Hebrews, we see the root of our turning - unbelief.

We are warned to beware, take heed, or see to it because, as human beings, we have a weakness in this area. Jesus died for our sins, but one judgment remains.

John 3:18 (NKJV) He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Unbelief sends people to hell. Hebrews 3:12 tells us unbelief is evil. It calls it “an evil heart of unbelief.”

Israel followed the cycle of the judges throughout her history. Eventually, she was destroyed. In 70 A.D., the temple and nation were destroyed because of her unbelief and turning away.

As horrible as this is, the judges were able to turn the nation back to God. Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson all lived at different times. In other words, each one single-handedly turned the nation around. Samuel, at approximately thirty years of age, turned Israel around without anyone to help him. Actually, none of these was alone; God was with them.

What did Samuel do? Let’s look.

1 Samuel 7:3 (NKJV) Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

Do you see what Samuel did? He spoke the truth about the Baals and Ashtoreths, and he spoke the word of God. 

One man talking straight and faithful to the word of God turned around a nation. Do we need to name Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, or any of the other great people of history?

Consider how Hebrews 3:13 tells us to deal with our evil, unbelieving hearts.

Hebrews 3:12–13 (NKJV) ¹²Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

In this passage, it says to “exhort one another.” This is another way of saying, “speak the truth.” Need I remind us that the Bible says to “speak the truth in love?” (Ephesians 4:15) When we use the Bible to demand submission, we are using the word of God in the worship of our own power. Speaking the truth in love means that we are trying to build one another up. The first thing each one of us must do is deal with our unbelief. This is done with God’s help in confession and repentance. If we have dealt thoroughly with our unbelief, we can prayerfully and humbly speak the truth to our neighbors.