1 Samuel 7:2-3 (KJV) – “2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kir’jath-je’arim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ash’taroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only: and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
All Israelites cried to God because the Philistines had tormented them for a long time (twenty years). You may cry to God because you have been afflicted `for a long time by a dreadful illness, poverty, or enemy.
Samuel gave the people of Israel a solution. This was the solution:
Return to the Lord with all your hearts – This phrase means that they were once close to God, but at the moment they were lamenting, they had moved far away from Him. God is a God who delights in giving us sinners numerous chances. Therefore, God allowed them to return to Him.
1 John 1:9 (KJV) – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And once God forgives you, He blesses you. Psalms 32:1 (KJV) – “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” What hinders us from receiving the blessings of God is sin. But once God has forgiven you, He blesses you because He has taken away your sin, and nothing hinders Him from blessing you.
Samuel did not tell the Israelites to return to God with a part of their hearts. He told them to return to God wholeheartedly. Not 99.9% but 100%. God is only obligated to bless someone who has surrendered fully to Him. If you want to enjoy blessings from God, you need to return to Him fully. If you have decided to stop drinking alcohol, don’t buy it for a friend, don’t sell it, and don’t even touch it. If you have chosen to keep the Sabbath day holy, don’t keep the morning hours on Saturday holy while you use the rest of the day to do your business, keep the entire day holy. Sin should be stopped in all its forms.
“God will accept nothing less than unreserved surrender. Half-hearted, sinful Christians can never enter heaven. There they would find no happiness; for they know nothing of the high, holy principles that govern the members of the royal family.” – Unreserved Surrender, September 13, Ellen G. White.
We must yield our whole hearts to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness. By nature, we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: “Dead in trespasses and sins;” “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;” “no soundness in it.” We are held fast in the snare of Satan, “taken captive by him at his will.” Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6; 2 Timothy 2:26. God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him. – Steps to Christ, Page 43.2, Ellen G. White.
Put away the strange gods and Ash’taroth from among you – God commanded the Israelites to put away all strange gods. The first commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3). God needs to come first in your life. You should make God your first, your last, and your best.
“Says the wise man, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” But do not for a moment suppose that religion will make you sad and gloomy and will block up the way to success. The religion of Christ does not obliterate or even weaken a single faculty. It in no way incapacitates you for the enjoyment of any real happiness; it is not designed to lessen your interest in life, or to make you indifferent to the claims of friends and society. It does not mantle the life in sackcloth; it is not expressed in deep-drawn sighs and groans. No, no; those who in everything make God first and last and best, are the happiest people in the world. Smiles and sunshine are not banished from their countenance. Religion does not make the receiver coarse and rough, untidy, and uncourteous; on the contrary, it elevates and ennobles him, refines his taste, sanctifies his judgment, and fits him for the society of heavenly angels and for the home that Jesus has gone to prepare.” – Messages to Young People, Page 38.1, Ellen G. White.
Exodus 20:5 says that God is a jealous God. God wants to be the only God in your life because He wants to bless you and He knows that it is only Him who can give you blessings. The Israelites were afflicted, and the strange gods which they had among them could not help them. God knows that all created beings are limited in what they can do for you. He knows that without His enabling, nobody can do anything. Jesus said in John 15:5 (KJV) – “For without Me, ye can do nothing.”
Humans are limited in what they can do for you, but God is unlimited. Therefore, when He tells you not to have other gods before Him, it is for your own good, not for His. God doesn’t want you to share the love you have for Him with anyone else because He wants to fully bless you. He does not want to bless you partially.
God does not want to share His blessing for you with anyone else. The gift He has for you is ordained for you and you alone. God wants you to put Him above everyone else because He put you above everyone else. When He created you, He gave you undivided attention that is why there are no two people who are exactly alike.
Man is special to God because after man sinned, God sent His son Jesus Christ who is God to die for the human race. He never sent Jesus to die for the serpent which had tempted Eve to sin. He never sent Jesus to die for the Devil and his angels who were kicked out of heaven because of their sins. He sent Jesus to die for our sins.
“Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. “With His stripes we are healed.” – Desire of Ages, Page 25.2, Ellen G. White.
God did not send the highest angel to die for our sins. He sent His only son, one who is equal with Him, to die for our sins. Romans 8:32 (KJV) – “He that spared not His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
God delivered Jesus to die for our sins so that we can receive all things. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV) – “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” Jesus was sent on earth as a pauper. He was destitute that He could not be born among human beings. He had to be born in a manger among animals. He was extremely poor that He had no place to sleep. Luke 9:58 (KJV) – “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.”
Therefore, having other gods come before such a loving God is incredibly unfair. You shouldn’t exchange your favorite celebrity for God, whether it is your favorite musician, movie star, or football star. One reason is that there are high chances that your favorite star does not know you, but God knows you. Even if they know you, they can’t give you what God can give you because they are human beings and are limited in everything.
You should not exchange a politician or a person in a position of authority for God. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful king the earth has ever seen (Daniel’s prophecy of a statue with a head made of Gold representing the Kingdom of Babylon, Daniel 2:31-45).
When Nebuchadnezzar threw the three Hebrew boys to the fiery furnace that was heated seven times, God saved them, they did not burn even a single bit. Through this, God showed that He truly has more power than Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged in Daniel 4:17 – “The most high ruleth in the kingdom of men.” He admitted this after God had humbled him.
Pharaoh was also mighty, but God delivered the Israelites from the hand of Pharaoh (Exodus 20:2).
You can’t put your relatives before God. They may help you with resources and make your social life more joyous, but they can’t add one second to your life. They can’t assure you of good health.
Ash’taroth was the goddess of fertility. The Israelites probably turned to her for fertility. Sometimes turning to other gods may seem to have worked because the Devil can make some things work. However, we should understand that all power the Devil exercises is by God’s permission. In Job 1, the Devil had to seek consent from God to touch the life of Job because God had provided a hedge over everything that Job had (Job 1:10).
When God allows the Devil to do something, He will enable that for a reason best known to Him. If God was not in control, the world would be worse than it currently is. We would not even be alive because the Devil delights in destruction (John 10:10).
When Jesus saw the man with a legion of demons inside him, the demons saw Him and bowed to His authority. They pleaded with Him not to torment them (Mark 5:7). When people go to diviners and witches to seek other powers and the powers tend to work; they may work because God has allowed them to work.
When Jesus says no, nobody can say yes and when Jesus says yes, nobody can say no. If God blesses a man, nobody can curse that man. Likewise, when God curses someone, no one can reverse that curse.
God commanded the Israelites to take away the strange gods from among them. He emphasized the strange gods by mentioning Ash’taroth. This was because Ash’taroth was the god they held most dearly than all the other gods. One may be committing various sins, but there is that one sin that they hold on to so dearly. One may be willing to stop all sins but still hold on to one. God is bidding us to put away all sins including that one sin to which we hold so dearly.
Prepare your hearts unto the Lord – Is your heart prepared for God? Is it conducive enough for a Holy God to live in? Allow God to sanctify your soul. Let Him do His remarkable work in your heart.
Matthew 5:8 (KJV) – “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” A pure heart does not harbor sin. A pure heart holds no jealousy. One will be happy when their friend or enemy succeeds if they have a pure heart. A pure heart thinks no evil. A pure heart has no pride. Someone with a pure heart will be the first to reach out to someone who wrongs them rather than wait for the person to come to them and apologize.
Matthew 5:23-24 (KJV) – “23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
The Bible says before you worship God, first reconcile with someone with whom you are in conflict so that your heart can be pure. Someone with a pure heart is willing to go the extra mile in helping someone else because Christ went the extra mile when He died on the cross for you. Someone with a pure heart will never be angry with his brother without a cause and will never hate anyone (Matthew 5:21). A pure heart forgives easily no matter the magnitude of the wrong done to them. A pure heart does not hold grudges.
“The Jews were so exacting in regard to ceremonial purity that their regulations were extremely burdensome. Their minds were occupied with rules and restrictions and the fear of outward defilement, and they did not perceive the stain that selfishness and malice impart to the soul.” – Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, Page 24.2, Ellen G. White.
“Jesus does not mention this ceremonial purity as one of the conditions of entering into His kingdom, but points out the need of purity of heart. The wisdom that is from above “is first pure.” James 3:17. Into the city of God there will enter nothing that defiles. All who are to be dwellers there will here have become pure in heart. In one who is learning of Jesus, there will be manifest a growing distaste for careless manners, unseemly language, and coarse thought. When Christ abides in the heart, there will be purity and refinement of thought and manner.” – Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, Page 24.3, Ellen G. White.
“The pure in heart shall see God. Every impure thought defiles the soul, impairs the moral sense, and tends to obliterate the impressions of the Holy Spirit. It dims the spiritual vision, so that men cannot behold God. The Lord may and does forgive the repenting sinner; but though forgiven, the soul is marred. All impurity of speech or of thought must be shunned by him who would have clear discernment of spiritual truth.” – Counsels for the Church, Page 107.3, Ellen G. White.
Serve God only – Many Christians serve God but also serve other gods. This is quite tasking because you are focusing on other gods who can’t add value to your life instead of concentrating on the only one who can bring immense value to you. Therefore, you rob the true God of the opportunity to bestow stupendous value on your life.
There are some Christians who serve in church but have opened businesses that are contrary to God’s Word. For example night clubs, casinos, and betting companies, among others. Some professed born-again Christians act, produce movies and sing music contrary to God’s law. Some serve God and fleshly lust at the same time. God wants you to serve Him only because He thinks about you only as a specific individual and not collectively as a group.
God treats you as an individual that is why your life is different from the life of others. You might have studied the same course as someone else, but the path God has ordained for the two of you is different.
For example, two people may have studied theology, but one ends up being an evangelist, going for mission work, while the other ends up being a pastor administering a specific church. Two people may have studied law, but one is an advocate in a law firm, while the other is a magistrate or a judge.
Two people may have earned a degree in education. One ends up being a teacher, while the other ends up writing books. Our paths are different. “To every man is given his work.” – Education, Page 138.1, Ellen G. White. God treats us as individuals, which is why different people get different revelations after reading the same Bible verse.
God wants you to serve Him only because He does not want you to waste your energy, time, and resources on things/other gods that add no value. He wants you to serve Him only because He does not want you to miss out on the blessing He has in store for you.
“It is not a vain thing to serve God. There is a priceless reward for those who devote their life to His service.” — Testimonies for the Church 4:107, Ellen G. White.
“Every sacrifice that is made in His ministry will be recompensed according to “the exceeding riches of His grace.”—The Desire of Ages, 249, Ellen G. White.
“Our reward for working with Christ in this world is the greater power and wider privilege of working with Him in the world to come.” — Christ’s Object Lessons, 361, Ellen G. White.
In 1 Samuel 7:3, God promised the Israelites that if they did these four things, He would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines. Did God keep His promise?
1 Samuel 7:10-14 (KJV) – “10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar. 12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. 13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.”
An illness may afflict you for a long time, and God is asking you to return to Him, put away strange gods, prepare your heart for Him and serve Him only so that He can deliver you from that sickness. You may be afflicted with poverty, and God is asking you to do those four things so that He can take you out of poverty. God’s promises are sure. If we are faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us. 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV) – “If we are faithless, He remains faithful- for He cannot deny Himself.” If He is faithful when we are faithless, how much more will He do to us if we are faithful?
GOD BLESS YOU!
Prayer
Dear God, I come before you right now. I thank you for all that you have done for me. I thank you for being faithful even when I’m faithless. God, I ask you to forgive me for all the sins that I’ve committed. Oh Lord, I surrender myself totally unto you, asking you to give me the grace to put away all other gods that I have. I ask you to give me the grace to put away all sins that I’m still holding on to. I ask you to make my heart pure and to make me serve you and you alone. Dear God, take away any affliction that I’m currently facing. I pray this, trusting and believing in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Activity
Ask yourself these questions:
- What affliction have I been facing for a long time?
- In what ways have I not returned to God with all my heart?
- What “Ash’taroth” (idols/sins) am I still holding on to?
Write your answers down in a personal notebook or journal.
Write down the one “idol” or sin they feel most convicted to surrender today (this should remain private).
Then either burn it in a safe setting (if possible) or tear it up, as a symbol of putting away strange gods.
Author: Mark Alex
Email: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com
Phone Number: +254710633247
My LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-alex-0b87a9109/
PayPal: gettruthgetlife@gmail.com
Revolut: revolut.me/markalex92
Get Truth Get Life 
Leave a comment