Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer:
Samuel Intercedes For Israel.
Bible Text:
I Samuel 7:3-15 NKJV
3 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.” 4 So the
children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths,[b] and
served the Lord only.
Samuel's Formula For Success:
1) If you return to The Lord with
all your hearts,
2) then put away the foreign gods
and the Ashtoreths from among you
3) and prepare your hearts for The
Lord,
4) and serve Him only
He will deliver you
5 And Samuel said, “Gather all
Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to The Lord for you.”
6 So they gathered together at
Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before The Lord. And they
fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against The Lord.”
And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.
*) So they gathered together at
Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before The Lord.
Psalm 22:15 NLT
My strength has dried up like
sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have
laid me in the dust and left
me for dead. (Israels
act of penitence.)
*) And they fasted that day,
*) and said there, “We have sinned
against The Lord.”
7 Now when the Philistines heard
that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the
lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the
children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 So the children of Israel said to
Samuel,
“Do not cease to cry out to The
Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the
Philistines.”
9 And Samuel took a suckling lamb
and offered it as a whole burnt offering to The Lord. Then Samuel
cried out to The Lord for Israel, and The Lord answered him.
10 Now as Samuel was offering up the
burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel.
But The Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that
day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of
Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as
below Beth Car.
12 Then Samuel took A Stone and set
it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying,
“Thus far The Lord has helped us.”
(Stone Of Help.)
13 So the Philistines were subdued,
and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the
hand of The Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 Then the cities which the
Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron
to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the
Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 And Samuel judged Israel all the
days of his life.
The people of God
need deliverance from their enemies, the Philistines.
Samuel told them...
1) If you return to The Lord with
all your hearts,
2) then put away the foreign gods
and the Ashtoreths from among you
3) and prepare your hearts for The
Lord,
4) and serve Him only
He will deliver you
*) So they gathered together at
Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before The Lord.
Psalm 22:15 NLT
My strength has dried up like
sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have
laid me in the dust and left
me for dead. (Israels
act of penitence.)
*) And they fasted that day,
*) and said there, “We have sinned
against The Lord.”
Samuel interceded
for them:
I Samuel 7:9-12
NKJV
9 And Samuel
took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to The
Lord. Then Samuel cried out to The Lord for Israel, and The
Lord answered him.
10 Now as Samuel was offering up the
burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel.
But The Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that
day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel.
11 And the men
of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove
them back as far as below Beth Car.
12 Then Samuel took A Stone and set
it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying,
“Thus far The Lord has helped us.”
(Stone Of Help.)
The Lord Our Rock:
Exodus 33:21 KJV And The LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon A Rock: Deuteronomy 32:4 KJV He is The Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of Truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. 1 Samuel 2:2 KJV There is none holy as The LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any Rock like our God. II Samuel 22:2 KJV And he said, The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; II Samuel 22:3 KJV The God of my Rock; in Him will I trust: He is my Shield, and the Horn of my Salvation, my High Tower, and my Refuge, my Savior; thou savest me from violence. II Samuel 22:32 KJV For who is God, save The LORD? and who is a Rock, save our God? II Samuel 22:47 KJV The LORD liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of the Rock Of my Salvation. II Samuel 23:3 KJV The God of Israel said, The Rock Of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. Psalm 18:2 KJV The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler (Shield), and the Horn (Power) of my Salvation, and my High Tower. Psalm 18:31 KJV For who is God save The LORD? or who is A Rock save our God? Psalm 18:46 KJV The LORD liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. Psalm 28:1 KJV Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my Rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Psalm 31:2 KJV Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong Rock, for an house of defence to save me. Psalm 31:3 KJV For thou art my Rock and my Fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Psalm 42:9 KJV I will say unto God my Rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Psalm 62:2 KJV He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defence; I shall not be greatly moved. Psalm 62:6 KJV He only is my Rock and my Salvation: He is my Defence; I shall not be moved. Psalm 62:7 KJV In God is my salvation and my glory: the Rock of my Strength, and my Refuge, is in God. Psalm 71:3 KJV Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my Rock and my Fortress. Psalm 78:35 KJV And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the High God their Redeemer. Psalm 89:26 KJV He shall cry unto Me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my Salvation. Psalm 92:15 KJV To shew that The LORD is upright: He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Psalm 94:22 KJV But The LORD is my Defense; and my God is the Rock of my Refuge. Psalm 95:1 KJV O come, let us sing unto The LORD: let us make a joyful noise to The Rock Of Our Salvation. Isaiah 8:14 NLT He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah He will be A Stone that makes people stumble, A Rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem He will be a trap and a snare. Isaiah 17:10 KJV Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of The Rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: Isaiah 51:1 KJV Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek The LORD: look unto The Rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Romans 9:33 KJV As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a Stumbling Stone and Rock Of Offence: and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. 1 Corinthians 10:4 KJV And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. I Peter 2:6-9 KJV 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion A Chief Corner Stone, Elect, Precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe He is Precious: but unto them which be disobedient, The Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made The Head Of The Corner, 8 And A Stone Of Stumbling, and A Rock Of Offence, even to them which stumble at The Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; I Samuel 7:8 NKJV
So the children of Israel said to Samuel,
“Do
not cease to cry out to The Lord our God for us, that He may save us..."
It is the spiritual duty of every Christian to be an intercessor. Who are you praying for? Can you hear the voices of those around you as Godly Samuel did?
“Do not
cease to cry out to The Lord our God for us, that He may save us...”
And
your answer?
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