1 Samuel 7:13-17 – Making a difference with God

Nothing happens to God’s children outside of His plan. Everything happens to us so that God can fulfill His purpose in us. Whether we have a congenial or a non-congenial experience, it is God using those circumstances to shape and hone us. What the children of Israel had experienced was God giving them a wake-up call. It was to stimulate them to realize how far they had departed from the covenant relationship with Him. So, the hostility of the Philistines was not for nothing. It took a long time for Israel to realize how far they had departed from God. Why? When the leadership was inept under Eli and the people had forgotten what was instructed to them, and when they chose to adopt the gods of the land. Now, Samuel the new leader had emerged. He was a praying man, a great intercessor. God raised Him up to get His people into the position He all along had for them.  

Under Samuel’s leadership, Israel once again experienced peace. We read that the Philistines were subdued and they did not come and trouble them. The word made it clear that it was the hand of the Lord that was against them. In other words, It was God who had given His people the victory. Israel was able to reclaim all that the Philistines had taken from them, from Ekron to Gath. Not only were the Philistines subdued, but the native people of Canaan, the Amorites, also stopped being a menace to them. It was a case where the people could see that God was on Israel’s side. And when that happened, no one could mess around with them and expect to remain undealt with by God. With God on their side, Israel had the supremacy. This is always the case. With God, we will always be the majority. God had done a great thing in their midst and they no longer needed to walk with their heads hanging down.  

With Samuel on the helm, Israel returned to where God intended them to be. So verses  15-17 say,  ^“Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.  He used to go annually on circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. Then his return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel; and he built there an altar to the Lord.” Samuel led them in the way of righteousness. In him we see the kind of leader we need, to get us intact. And Israel must be thankful that God gave them a Samuel. He was the glue that helped put everything together. For us who are in leadership, the life of Samuel and the way he went about his life is worthy of our emulation. If we want an effective life, a right relationship with God must be our pursuit. As leaders, we must guide the people in that pursuit. Like Samuel, let us stay sensitive to God and be relevant to the people of God. Only then can we guide them into a fruitful relationship with God.