1. God’s Heart Can Be Broken 1 Samuel 7-8 October 26, 2014

2. 1 Samuel 7:2 The ark remained at Kiriath- jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord alone.

3. 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.”

4. The need for God's mercy There in verse 6, when they gather to Mizpah for this general assembly. “We have sinned.” Three things that Samuel asked of the people: “ Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

5. The Experience of God’s mercy Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel and the Lord answered him. 10 Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were [b]routed before Israel. 11 The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down as far as below Beth-car. God’s mercy comes through in prayer

6. 1 Samuel 8: 1 And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. 3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5 and they said to him,

7. “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from

8. Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.”

9. The Problem of Backsliding 1. They wanted a king just like the nations around them. 2. Their security and safety were always in jeopardy. 3. They had seen the invisible God at work on their behalf. 4. They could not stand uncertainty. 5. They wanted a visible king. 6. Deuteronomy 17 – God would choose for them a king

10. In wanting a king, they are rejecting God. God says to Samuel, you remember, “It's not you they’re rejecting, it's Me,” God opens His heart to Samuel and says to Samuel, ‘This is what these people have been doing ever since I brought them out of Egypt. Ever since I brought them out of Egypt I've blessed them. I've showered them with mercy after mercy after mercy, but they keep turning away from me. They keep putting their faith and trust in someone or something else rather than Me.’ It's a pattern of idolatry.

11. In wanting a king, they are rejecting God. There is the lesson of Psalm 106:15: “He gave them their request, and He sent leanness into their soul.”Psalm 106:15 What kind of king should they have asked for? “Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation.” The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, King Jesus…the King of which the text in Deuteronomy 17 was in fact a pointer to; a king of God's own choosing.