I Samuel 7
Thursday, 13th July 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
The people of Beth Shemesh were weeping because they only saw death, they didn’t see the presence of God. What do we see in our lives? Do we only see what we have lost? Or do we see God with us? So often, we are like the people of Beth Shemesh, we are blind, and we don’t see God’s love. He loves us no matter what, He never changes yesterday, today, and forever, but it was our heart that changed. We don’t see blessings, but we only see disciplines.
At the beginning of the day, when we come to God, we must open up our spirit, otherwise it will only be a religious ritual. We must experience God in our spirit, not just in our head. When our spirit is completely opened up to God, then we can align with God, then all the teaching and all the worship can then become the spiritual feast for us. But we are blind by the teaching of the world, do we know that our God is Spirit? When we are connected with God then our lives can be changed.
God is a jealous God, we cannot worship God and worship the world at the same time. Samuel told the people of Israel to prepare their heart and to serve God only. Do we have this alertness to see the enemies around us? Because we didn’t serve Him only, and we must repent and return. The Israelites got rid of all their idols, then they gathered at Mizpah to listen to Samuel. When we repent, we also must listen to the servant of God. This is why it is so important for us to come to morning prayer, because then we can hear what God wants to say to us today through the servant of God.
Samuel then judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. The Holy Spirit comes to convict us for sin, for righteousness, and for judgement. The hands of God came upon the people of Philistines, God vindicated for His people, but they only saw fear. We must align with God, then we can see what God is doing to our enemies, and we will not be afraid of our enemies. But God is always helping us and being with us, but if we are not humble then we can not see anything God has done for us. We only see problems in our family, our finance, our work, our relationship, our children, our spouse…
Can we believe that our children are in God’s hands? When we do, we will no longer see problems, do not let our children become our idols, but let God be our God. We don’t see the hands of God, we only see our hard work, and we complain to God about our work produce no fruits.
Who can stand before the holy God? No one. But when we are willing to get rid of the foreign God, let God be God, and God will reveal to us He is the Ebenezer God, He had helped us all the way. And our enemies will flee before us because the hands of God are helping us, and have never left us! God is still helping us today, His hands are still with us, but we must let go of what we are holding tightly onto, let God be the first, then people, then the earth. Let us put everything in God’s hands.
撒母耳记上 7
2023年7月13日 星期四
潘锡安牧师
伯示麦人只看到死亡，却没有看到神同在。我们在生命中看到的是什么呢？是看见自己 所失去的，还是看见神与我们同在？神的爱亘古不变，但人心善变，我们只看见规条，看不见神的爱和祝福。
在一天开始的时候，我们要先让自己的灵完全向神敞开，才能与神对齐，领受从神而来的灵粮。但我们被世界的教导蒙蔽，习惯用头脑身体去跟从神。我们是否知道我们的神是灵？唯有真正与神连接，我们的生命才能改变。
V2-4 “外邦的神和亚斯她录”代表人的情欲。我们是否看重情欲过于神？耶和华是忌邪的神，所以我们不能既拜耶和华又拜玛门。我们是否察觉到现实生活中我们的家庭、关系、个人等正受到仇敌搅扰？这是因为我们看重这个世界，没有一心归顺于神，所以我们应当悔改，除掉我们生命中的外邦神，“专心归向耶和华”。
V5 我们不仅要归向神，也要谦卑领受神的仆人给我们从神而来的话语和祷告。
V6 圣灵来让我们能为罪为义为审判自己责备自己。撒母耳知道罪让我们与神隔绝，所以要在米斯巴“审判”以色列人。
V7 仇敌却总试图阻止我们来到神面前袒露自己的罪。
V8 以色列人因为惧怕“非利士人的手”，就忘记当初耶和华的手是如何让非利士人生“痔疮”。
V9 我们向神祈求时，也要“献祭”，并非像古时那样用动物，因为耶稣已经为我们献上了他自己为赎罪祭，使我们得以与父神和好。因此，我们在灵里与主耶稣连接才如此重要。我们是否看重我们的生活或家庭更大于神，甚至让我们的另一半或儿女成为我们的偶像，以致我们无法真正亲近神？
V10 并非以色列人去打败非利士人，而是“耶和华大发雷声，惊乱非利士人”。我们是否没有看见神的作为而只看见自己的努力？
V12-13 谁能站在圣洁的神面前？当我们愿意将外邦偶像从我们生命中除去、以神为神的时候，才能经历“到如今耶和华都帮助我们”。我们是否有看到“耶和华的手”到如今都帮助我们？让我们将生命中的不信、惧怕除去，先神后人再大地，将一切交托在神的手中，真实经历他“到如今都帮助我们”！