Changed hearts
by Ruth Olsen
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If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts … (1 Samuel 7:3a).
Read 1 Samuel 7:2–17
We began this week thinking about how we use the worldly wealth that God has placed into our care. Today, we see that the Israelites had adopted the local worldly ways of worshipping Ashtoreth and Baal, part of the common Canaanite practice in fertility cults. Consequently, they lost the Lord’s covering; he allowed strife to happen by the Philistines and others, causing them great distress (Judges 2:11–23).
Meanwhile, the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim. Twenty years is a long time, but maybe that’s what was needed for the hearts of the people to be genuinely turned back to the Lord. Samuel tells them to demonstrate their intentions to serve the Lord only by putting away their Baals and Ashtoreths. I wonder what they did; we are not told. But there is a change of tone with them heeding Samuel’s call to gather at Mizpah, where he would intercede for them.
Thinking that the Israelites had gathered for war rather than for worship and intercession, the Philistines decided to attack. Big mistake! The Israelites begged Samuel to continue with his offering and intercession on their behalf; the Lord responded to Samuel and routed the Philistines, resulting in Israel reclaiming some territory.
The Philistines made the mistake of going by appearances. We so easily do likewise! We can easily get swept away by worldly ways unless we learn to assess and discern according to the measure of God’s word, will and ways. He knows our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7) – better than we do! A prayer he loves to answer is ‘Change my heart, Lord; please renew my mind’ (Romans 12:1–3), resulting in us growing in using ‘eyes of faith’ and seeing what we previously could not see.
As King David shared from experience: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise’ (Psalm 51:17).
Abba Father, thank you for Jesus! And thank you for your Spirit who reveals Jesus to our hearts, renewing our minds to grow in trusting you! Keep it coming, please. Amen.
Because of Ruth’s autoimmune disorder that attacked her kidneys, she and her husband, Steen, have been trained this year in using peritoneal dialysis at home at night. Ruth says this was a very steep learning curve! Other underlying health issues are now also being treated, giving a new lease of life that still needs to be paced. Praise God!
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