1. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing

2. Monuments are of great value. Especially if the thing it commemorates is of great value.

3. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9)

4. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) Contrasts between this encounter and the one in ch.4: 1.They don’t manipulate God, they ask God

5. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) Contrasts between this encounter and the one in ch.4: 1.They don’t manipulate God, they ask God 2.The seek God through God’s appointed servant

6. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) Contrasts between this encounter and the one in ch.4: 1.They don’t manipulate God, they ask God 2.The seek God through God’s appointed servant Samuel is depicted here as a prophet, judge and intercessor, a leader of such scope and significance that you would have to go back to Moses or forward to Christ to find another like him

7. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12)

8. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Just as the Lord acted alone against the Philistine cities in chapter 5, so now he acts alone again. Verse 10 stresses the fact that even while Samuel was offering up the sacrificial lamb, the Philistines drew near to attack.

9. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) God is waging war on behalf of a repentant people and fulfilling his covenant promises by going ahead of them and throwing their enemies into confusion that they may have victory in battle. (Deuteronomy 7:17–23)

10. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Samuel commemorates this victory and God’s help by setting up a stone monument and calling it Ebenezer, which means stone of help, saying til now (or until this point) the Lord has helped us.

11. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Samuel commemorates this victory and God’s help by setting up a stone monument and calling it Ebenezer, which means stone of help, saying til now (or until this point) the Lord has helped us. this Ebenezer marks a reversal of the events of the first Ebenezer (4:1)

12. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Samuel commemorates this victory and God’s help by setting up a stone monument and calling it Ebenezer, which means stone of help, saying til now (or until this point) the Lord has helped us. this Ebenezer marks a reversal of the events of the first Ebenezer (4:1) the stone Ebenezer (help) is also contrasted to the stone Abel (mourning) in 6:18

13. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Two ways we should practice setting up ‘monuments’ in our own lives and thoughts:

14. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Two ways we should practice setting up ‘monuments’ in our own lives and thoughts: 1.Remembering times of the Lord’s help in our personal lives

15. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Two ways we should practice setting up ‘monuments’ in our own lives and thoughts: 1.Remembering times of the Lord’s help in our personal lives 2.Remembering the Lord’s help to his people in the Bible

16. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Two ways we should practice setting up ‘monuments’ in our own lives and thoughts: 1.Remembering times of the Lord’s help in our personal lives 2.Remembering the Lord’s help to his people in the Bible There is one monument in the Bible that stands taller than all the others- the cross of Jesus Christ.

17. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) Two ways we should practice setting up ‘monuments’ in our own lives and thoughts: 1.Remembering times of the Lord’s help in our personal lives 2.Remembering the Lord’s help to his people in the Bible The cross is a monument with such lasting power and such depth of meaning that we ought to look to it every day, not just every month.

18. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) III.Lord’s Response in Blessing (v13-17)

19. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) III.Lord’s Response in Blessing (v13-17) I.Restoration of Philistine cities back to Israel (v13-14)

20. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) III.Lord’s Response in Blessing (v13-17) I.Restoration of Philistine cities back to Israel (v13-14) II.Peace in the land (v14b)

21. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) III.Lord’s Response in Blessing (v13-17) I.Restoration of Philistine cities back to Israel (v13-14) II.Peace in the land (v14b) III.Godly government (v15-17)

22. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) III.Lord’s Response in Blessing (v13-17) I.Restoration of Philistine cities back to Israel (v13-14) II.Peace in the land (v14b) III.Godly government (v15-17) There are very strong similarities between this summary of Samuel’s life and the summaries of other judges in the Book of Judges: there is defeat of Israel’s enemies, there is an account of all the days the judge led, and a statement concerning peace and/or rest

23. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing I.Israel’s Request (v7-9) II.Lord’s Response in Help (v10-12) III.Lord’s Response in Blessing (v13-17) I.Restoration of Philistine cities back to Israel (v13-14) II.Peace in the land (v14b) III.Godly government (v15-17) This passage is the very, very end of the period of the judges in Israel’s history.

24. 1 Sam 7:7-17 Monument to God’s Help and Blessing Arthur Cundall, in his commentary on the book of Judges, says: In contrast to man’s multiplied misdemeanours there is the constancy of a God who is always ready to hearken to the cries of his wayward people and to intervene on their behalf. He does not act precipitately to blot out the very name of a nation that had treated him so shabbily. His arms are stretched out still to welcome the penitent supplicant. The forbearance of God and the wonderful possibility of a new beginning through his grace strikes a glad note in this book which cannot be silenced by the discordant sounds which appear to predominate.