1 Samuel 7

Come as earnest suitors, resolve to take no denial. 2. If you would be in covenant with God, break off the covenant with sin; before the marriage covenant, there must be a divorce (1 Samuel 7:3). If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, put away the strange gods; and they…

To pray in the name of Christ is not only to mention Christ's name in prayer, but to pray in the hope and confidence of Christ's merit. (1 Samuel 7:9) Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it, &c. We must carry the lamb Christ in the arms of our faith, and so we prevail in pray…

O pray for mercy! God has treasures of mercy; prayer is the key that opens these treasures: and in prayer be sure to carry Christ in your arms; all mercy comes through Christ; (1 Samuel 7:9). Samuel took a sucking lamb. Carry the Lamb Christ in your arms, go in his name, present…

(4.) All other things, the whole Tabernacle with all the furniture, utensils and services of it, were made and appointed to minister to the Ark, and when the Ark was removed from them they were of no use nor signification. Therefore when it was absent from the Tabernacle, all th…

Indeed, many places of the kingdom have been without a teaching priest, and other places poisoned with false teachers. It is said, that all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord, when they wanted the Ark twenty years (1 Samuel 7:2). O let England lament after the Lord, unt…

And the shadow goes back upon the dial for Hezekiah's sake (2 Kings 20:11). When God would at any time deliver his people, he can muster up lightnings and thunders for their assistance; he can draw all the regiments of heaven into battle array, and arm the stars to fight against…

Ashtaroth is called the god of the Sidonians at (1 Kings 11:5, 33) — "god" rather than "goddess," since the Hebrews have no word to express a deity in the feminine gender. She is first mentioned at (Judges 2:18), and again at (Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:3). That this idol was worsh…

In the Hebrew: his great ones; or, his bowmen (because they are many, or because the great ones did fight afar off) have besieged me. So (2 Chronicles 17:9), (1 Samuel 7:16): Samuel went in a circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh. And (Joshua 6:3): You shall besiege Jericho.

Take a censer quickly, for wrath is begun. And Verse 48. presently the plague was stayed; upon Samuel's prayer the Philistines were discomfited when they were over-running Israel (1 Samuel 7:5, 9-10). With every one of these God was pleased to talk and commune as a friend; such…

See the place (Deuteronomy 6:13-14): You shalt fear the Lord your God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name, ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people, which are round about you. And in other places it is expressed, as (1 Samuel 7:3): If you prepare your…

The experiences we have had throughout our lives of the faithfulness and constancy of Providence, are of excellent use to allay and quiet our hearts in any trouble that befalls us. Hitherto God has helped, 1 Samuel 7:12 We never found him wanting to us in any case hitherto: this…

But in all this, so far as Job had gone, he had not sinned with his lips. As Samuel after many victories and deliverances, sets up a stone or a pillar with this inscription, Eben-Ezer, The stone of help, saying, Hitherto has the Lord helped us (1 Samuel 7:12), so here the Holy G…

This establishment of the covenant of grace with David, David always esteemed the greatest smile of God upon him, the greatest honor of all that God had put upon him; he prized it, and rejoiced in it above all the other blessings of his reign. You may see how joyfully and thankf…

But whether this may warrant none to pray, while they first prepare themselves to pray, before they pray, by praying, and so that prayer which is preparatory must be prepared by another preparatory prayer; and so, without end, spiritual preparations must in infinitum go on befor…

But before this holy God? They own his holiness in the dispensation, though it were so dreadful, (1 Samuel 7:20). It is a great glory to God when you own him as just in all his ways, when he deals most hardly.

What shall a poor forlorn Creature do, to get into Covenant with God? 1. If you would be in Covenant with God, break off the Covenant with sin, 1 Samuel 7:3. What King will be in league with him that holds correspondence with his Enemy?

Former experiences must not be forgotten. Ebenezer, up to now the Lord has helped us; if he shall afflict us afterward, yet up to now he has helped us (1 Samuel 7:12). If he take away life, it is a mercy that he spared it so long for his own service and glory: if liberty, that w…

If anything that can be done by others, we will seek far and near for help, if anything that can be done by ourselves we shall [illegible] it to the utmost of our power, is there nothing to be done that we might have the blood of these sins of ours which have taken away the bloo…

And the heart will never more have to do with these sins, but with God; he sees these evils, sorrows for these, [illegible] to have these removed that he may be under the power of God and his grace. As Samuel said to Israel (1 Samuel 7:3-4): If you do return to the Lord with all…

That faith may be animated in prayer, we must bring Christ in our arms when we appear before God. 1 Samuel 7:9: Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a burnt-offering, and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him. This suckling lamb typified Christ.

And again, 'I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son.' It is expounded of Christ, but was first spoken of Solomon, the Type (1 Samuel 7:14). 'My mercy, that is, my covenant-mercy to the Son of David and his seed, shall stand sure as the days of heaven' (Psalm 89:28…

Faith does two things, in such a case. 1. It renews the parent's covenant, both to itself, and to its child, because faith believes the covenant is made to the parent and his child (Genesis 17:7), and therefore Abraham in that respect looks up to God, 'Oh that Ishmael might live…

Thus you see what kind of mourning it is, from which the Holy Spirit fetches his comparison. Now such shall be the mourning of every gracious heart, looking upon Christ pierced by him; such a mourning is expressed (1 Samuel 7:6): when they mourned for their sin, they drew water,…

When Moses let fall his hand, and he left to pray, Amalek prevailed. So while Israel fought against the Philistines, Samuel prayed (1 Samuel 7:9-10): and while Joab fought against Aram, David prayed (Psalm 60:1). The like I might instance in Asa (2 Chronicles 14:11), Jehoshaphat…