Episode Details

A Man in the Gap

1 Samuel 12:19-25, Remsen Bible Fellowship, 12/06/2020

Introduction:

And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with your whole heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

Last week we discussed chapter 12 as a whole, taking as our theme the importance of remembering. Israel had forgotten her God, she had forgotten his past provision and protection, and as a result when a new threat came knocking she ran for a human savior. Nonetheless, there was hope. God does not demand that you come to him from a point of perfection; rather, he invites you and even demands you to come from where you are right now. So, though the people had sinned grievously, Samuel can say to them in vs20-21, Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. What grace! What mercy! Even in this moment of national rebellion, Samuel can hold forth the hope that God will indeed accept them if they trust in him rather than in vain and empty things. That’s a hope each of us needs when we sin, for to sin is to trust in vain and empty things, rather than in the Lord God.

This hope can be hard to believe, and that hard-to-believe-ness is upped when you add Samuel’s faithfulness to the people. He promises not only that God will listen to their prayers, but that he himself will continue to pray for them and to instruct them. It reminded me of a story from American history. In the year 1750, Jonathan Edwards, the famous Congregationalist preacher/theologian/philosopher, was fired by his church, after serving them for over 20 years. There were a number of precipitating factors including some botched pastoral decisions and long standing family rivalries in the church, but the issue that ultimately caused for him to be removed from the pastorate was his insistence that only those who actually professed faith in Jesus Christ should be admitted into church membership and welcomed at the Lord’s table. Stop and think about that. One of the most famous preachers of the 18th century was fired for saying you have to be a Christian to partake in the Lord’s supper. 

What makes that story all the more remarkable is what comes next. You see, he was a pastor in rural Massachusetts-there weren’t many preachers to come by. So for over a year after being fired, the church continued to ask him to preach Sunday by Sunday. “We don’t like you and don’t want you to be the pastor, but could you come preach to us another 60 or 70 times?” Sometimes a leader can be totally rejected and mistreated by those they lead, and nonetheless continue to love and serve them because of their commitment not only to the people-but to God. 

I want to zero our focus this morning on verse 23, As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. As we focus on one specific verse, I want our framing que