Life Around "The Fire"
This podcast is dedicated to those wanting to experience a living and real relationship with God as well as growing together in love for one another. We consider that to be a true sign of spiritual growth as we journey along The Way. If this is you then come along with us as we co-operate with God in what He is doing around the corner and around the world!
Life Around "The Fire"
When God Moves: The Power of Repentance
Have you ever wondered what happens when God's glory collides with careless curiosity? Or why spiritual breakthroughs often trigger immediate opposition? This compelling journey through 1 Samuel 6-7 unveils ancient patterns that still define our spiritual lives today.
The narrative begins with a remarkable scene: the Ark of the Covenant, captured by the Philistines, makes its way back to Israel on an ox cart, coming to rest in "the field of Joshua" beside a large rock. These aren't random details but profound symbolism pointing to Christ as our foundation. Yet celebration quickly turns to mourning when seventy men die after looking inside the Ark—a stark reminder that approaching holy things demands reverence, not casual curiosity.
Then comes perhaps the most haunting line of the passage: "It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim." Twenty years of spiritual stagnation summarized in a single sentence. How many of us live in similar prolonged spiritual droughts? Samuel's solution cuts to the heart: "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, rid yourself of foreign gods." His call for complete repentance—eliminating competing loyalties and idols—created the perfect conditions for divine intervention. When Israel confessed and offered sacrifice, God thundered from heaven against their enemies.
This ancient story reveals a timeless pattern: genuine repentance positions us for supernatural breakthrough. What idols might be preventing God's thunder in your life? What would change if you returned to Him with your whole heart? The glory that defeated Israel's enemies is still available today for those willing to abandon lesser gods and embrace the power of authentic faith in the One, True, God!
Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!
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Shalom to you and your home.
We've been looking at the book of 1 Samuel and right now we're in chapter 6. And today we're going to be covering quite a bit of ground. We're going to be looking at chapter 6, verses 13, through chapter 7, verse 11. So we're going to get right in Now.
Speaker 1:The people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh and there it stopped beside a large rock. Huh, interesting, the people were harvesting wheat in a valley right and the ark had been captured by the Philistines and taken into their region. And as a result of them taking the Ark, their area experienced a significant display of God's glory and showing the inferiority of their gods, and it so affected them that they didn't want that ark in their territory any longer. They wanted to get back to what they were doing and the ark was interrupting what was going on. And so they sent the ark back to Israel on an ox cart and they said well, if it goes back, then we know that God has been the one who has brought these things against us and it's going back to its rightful place, and if not, well, then we'll do something else. Well, it went back to Israel. Two cows brought the ark back without being directed, except they were being directed by the Spirit of God. So the ark finds its way back. And the ark stopped in the field of Joshua, and another name for Joshua would be Jesus, yeshua. And it stopped by a large rock, jesus being the rock. Hallelujah, there's a great correlation here. And so the ark stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. Interesting, how symbolic is that right? The ark is placed on the rock. The ark, the glory of God, is placed on Jesus in the field of Jesus, in the field of Joshua, yeshua, the ark is placed on a rock, yeshua being a rock in the field of Yeshua, the kingdom of God being that field, the pearl of great price. That's profound how things tie together.
Speaker 1:On the day, the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifice to the Lord. The five rulers of the Philistines saw this and returned the same day to Ekron, or they went back to the region of the Philistines. These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord, one each for Ashdod, gaza, ashkelon, gath and Ekron. And the number of gold rats were according to the number of the Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers, the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which they set the ark is a witness to this day. In the field of Joshua, of Beth Shemesh, it's a witness to this day. Jesus is a witness to the glory of God concerning the kingdom of God. To this very day, amen. But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting 70 of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the Lord.
Speaker 1:See, you just don't handle the things of God lightly. You don't flippantly go around messing around with the things of God unless you do them according to the way God has prescribed. He allowed for the ark to come back on an ox cart, but that wasn't his method, that wasn't his way, they were not his instructions, and there are ways to go about doing things concerning handling those things that are dedicated to God. We're talking about God. We're not talking about just anybody. We're talking about God. We're not talking about just anybody. We're talking about God Almighty, who is worthy of all of our respect, all of our honor, all of our worship, and who's? He's almighty, he's powerful and he we just can't flippantly go around doing things because we're nosy, we're curious, we just kind of want to find out about stuff and we enter into things. We just don't even know what we're talking about or doing and we just kind of think that we can do that. That's really not the way things work.
Speaker 1:And so these people found out the hard way. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them, and the men of Beth Shemez asked who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here? So they sent messengers to the people of Kirith-Jerim saying the Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your place. So the men of Kirith-Jerim came and took up the Ark of the Lord. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar, his son, to guard the ark of the Lord.
Speaker 1:Now it was a long time, 20 years in all, that the ark remained in Kiriath-Jerim. Now I just read that statement in about three seconds. It was a long time, 20 years in all, that the Ark remained in Kirith Gerium. Now that three seconds? Right, that was actually 20 years, and the story really doesn't take on full flavor until you get the picture a little bit clearer. Right, we just breezed right by that. It took 20 years. But when you stop and think about it, 20 years is what? Over 700 days, right, 700 days, right, 700 days. And you take 700 days plus and you just break it down to hours, that's like 17,000 plus hours, 17,000. Have you ever had an hour just drag on because it's been really a hard day or it's been just not only boring but difficult draining. See, like 20 years of that being the same old, same old, same old, same old, 20 years. They felt just this heaviness.
Speaker 1:The people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord, but nothing seemed to be going on, because they still had stuff that they were doing that didn't line up with the kingdom of God and how things function, and they were called to be representatives of the kingdom and so they were involved in things that were just really unhealthy. In fact, the scripture says that, and Samuel in verse 3 of chapter 7,. And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourself of the foreign gods, of the Ashtoreths, and commit yourself to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the Lord only. That means they put away their bales and ashtores and served the Lord only. That means they put away their idols, their false gods, the other things they were worshiping, giving their themselves over to and with their worship.
Speaker 1:There were practices that went along with it, and those practices were part of this whole fertility cult activity going on in the Philistine area and the surrounding Canaanite region, and that was temple prostitution, with women, men and animals giving themselves over a very vile, degraded way of living. And you can't do both serve God and serve something. That is contrary to the ways of God. His ways are not like that. And so Samuel says if you really want to serve God, then you've got to get rid of this stuff. And the same goes for us If we really want to serve God.
Speaker 1:And it's not like we're giving up something secondary. I mean, it's not like we're giving up something that is greater, we're actually giving up things that are lesser than God. But we have a hard time giving them up because they appeal to that lower, base nature and also they're familiar if we've been doing them a long time and it's hard to imagine not having them Like a person using drugs and alcohol and just that kind of whole lifestyle that goes along with that, it seems like man. It's odd not to think about doing that. So it's hard to give it up. It seems like until you reach that break point and they did Hallelujah and we can praise God, be led to that break point where it's just like I'm done, God, I'm done, I'm done, please help, I'm done.
Speaker 1:Whatever it is, it doesn't have to be drugs and alcohol. There are a variety of other things and, yeah, sex is included, but it could be your work. A variety of things just are taking up your precious time that could be devoted to other things, such as worshiping God and serving him and loving one another, for starters. But he said God will deliver you if you put these things away. And he does, and he did.
Speaker 1:Then Samuel said assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the Lord for you, meaning I'll stand, I'll pray, and God knows we need people that are involved in that. That is one of the highest callings there could be, and that is in the calling of intercession. Intercession means to stand in, stand in for you, stand in for someone else, you're on their behalf, you're for them, you want the best for them. Pardon the dogs in the background, it's part of the ambiance in the house, so I will intercede with the Lord for you. When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed Beautiful, we have sinned against the Lord.
Speaker 1:And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah, we've sinned against the Lord. There's nothing like owning your stuff and saying God, I've sinned against you, not in front of others first, but God, I've sinned against you, not in front of others first, but God, I've sinned against you. I am sorry, please forgive me. God loves that. You like that. When it happens, when someone makes it good with you, they come and say man, I've done you wrong, please forgive me. There's something that happens Well. God is greater than us and his heart is moved because he loves us. He wants things restored. He wants things right. He wants it being righteous, right relationships. We've sinned against the Lord.
Speaker 1:Verse 7, when the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. Interesting, they just had a spiritual time, and now the enemy is going to attack them. They just had a time of pouring their hearts out before God, getting things right, and the enemy is now going to attack them. They just had a time of pouring their hearts out before God, getting things right, and the enemy is now going to attack them. Doesn't that sound familiar? You just get things right and here comes the enemy in to attack you. It might not be a human being, it might be. It might come in the form of a human being. To Israel. It came in the form of the Philistines.
Speaker 1:The Philistines came out to attack them and when Israel heard of it, they were afraid because they'd gotten in trouble before they had been defeated and the ark was captured. I mean people would. They died. 30-some thousand plus people right Died in battle. That's real and they were afraid. And that's real. And sometimes, when we experience things that come against us just when we're getting things right. It can strike up things from the past and it feels real. You're afraid. They were afraid because of the Philistines.
Speaker 1:They said to Samuel do not stop crying out to the Lord, our God, for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines. So Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering, a lamb, the lamb of God. He is the one. Jesus is the one. That was a picture of Jesus being sacrificed. And Jesus being sacrificed on our behalf defeats the enemy before the enemy can even take us into captivity. He cannot take us into captivity because of the blood of the lamb. He took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf and the Lord answered him. God answers prayer. God answers prayer.
Speaker 1:While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in the battle. Right, it was going to happen. Because he did that. It doesn't mean that the enemy is going to stop right away In your life. It doesn't mean the enemy is going to stop right away, but the day, that day, but that day, but that day. It's been 20-some years right. But that day when things got right.
Speaker 1:But that day, because of the lamb, because of the prayer, because of the confession, that day, that day, that day, the Lord thundered with a loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites, meaning they started to retreat in fear. They didn't know what the thunder was, so significant. It was so big, loud, frightening. They didn't understand. Again, being people that were accustomed to believing in gods, they believed that the gods were against them. It was the God of Israel that was on behalf of the Israelites and the enemy got routed.
Speaker 1:The enemy will get routed in your life when God moves, and God is supernaturally moving these days in a great way across the nations. Things are happening on a scale that have never been happening before, and this was one of them that happened. Then God thundered from heaven. I can't tell you exactly what's going to take place in your life, but God will move on your behalf. When you believe in him, when you confess, when you have the blood of the lamb on your life, things will take place because God will move in ways that cause the enemy to be routed. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them all the way to a point below Beth-kar, meaning a long way. That's verse 11.
Speaker 1:Okay, we covered a lot of ground, man, and you see, in the picture, in this story that is centuries old, the relevancy today, and we see Jesus in it.
Speaker 1:That's the amazing thing. It's a picture of Jesus and the Father and the Spirit moving on behalf of the people in the same way that he will do in our lives today, and even greater, because Jesus said even greater things than he performed would happen, because he went and now is at the Father's right hand. He went to, he ascended to and now is at the Father's right hand and we are seated with him in heavenly places. We have stuff to do. We are empowered to do them. We are able to cooperate with God in things that are divine. Supernatural things are taking place and we are called to be naturally supernatural people. We need to see supernatural power. We can't see certain things take place unless we have that, and God has promised that to us and we are seeing it happen now and it's growing more and more and more and more.
Speaker 1:The glory of God is coming more and more and more because he's calling us up. He's calling us up, up up, to see things from a higher level, to function with a higher degree of authority. We're going up so his glory can come down. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places and we can function in ways that are far beyond what we've been doing. And God is teaching us how. He's showing us in his word that he's willing to do it when we confess our sins, get rid of our idols and follow him according to his word. His word is good, it's a light, it's a lamp, it's the way for us to live. We align ourselves with the scriptures. Things happen, man. Things happen for us because we've aligned ourselves with God Almighty, the highest, high, most high God, god, hallelujah.
Speaker 1:This story shows us the beauty of God doing things in ways that we can't, but then calls us to function with him in seeing things happen. The Israelites cooperated with God, as he provided the means by which they could then defeat the enemy, and we need to take responsibility in defeating the enemies in our life. I'm not talking about human beings. I'm talking about principalities and powers, things in high places, defeating them in the name of Jesus, seeing them topple and seeing a different whole environment take place where we are. Atmosphere changers, peacemakers, shalom makers, atmosphere changers.
Speaker 1:Praise God. Let's pray Father, thank you, thank you. Thank you, thank you for the power of your spirit, for declaring things and causing things to happen. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you, jesus, for standing in the place where we needed you most, for laying down your life, shedding your blood, which we need the most. Thank you for the power that you've released in your name, which we need the most. Help us walk like you, holy Spirit, teach us to do that very thing, and we thank you for it. We stand here in the name of Jesus and we say Amen. So be it. Amen, amen, all right, folks. We stand here in the name of Jesus and we say Amen. So be it, amen, amen, all right folks. We love you. If you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to drop us a line at LifeAroundTheFire, at gmailcom, or type in LifeAroundTheFire. Look us up on the web. We would love to hear from you In the meantime. God bless you. Adios amigos.