PAULA WISEMAN

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Revival: Throw Out Your Idols

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Revival Throw out your idols title graphic

A new year is a good time to take stock and evaluate where we are compared to where we need to be. Many people, unhappy with that evaluation will make resolutions, and it’s no secret most of those people will abandon those commitments within a few days. As believers, we may be less in need of a resolution and more in need of REVIVAL. We’re looking at some Biblical revivals to see what we may need in our lives. Last week we discussed the revival Israel experienced after their great sin in making the golden calf. This week, the prophet Samuel leads the nation to revival. His instructions begin with throw out your idols. Let’s set the scene.

Samuel was not just a prophet, but he was also the last judge over Israel. During the period of the judges, Israel fell into apostasy, then in judgment God allowed another nation to oppress Israel. The current oppressor was Philistia. They had a highly organized army and had iron implements of warfare, like shields and swords. This gave them a decided advantage.

In the opening chapters of 1 Samuel, the war with Philistia has heated up, with the loss of the Ark of the Covenant and the death of Eli, the priest. Because God is not like the pagan gods of the Philistines, He divinely protected His Ark and it wasn’t long before the Philistines returned it. When a group of men from Beth-Shemesh were killed for looking inside the Ark, the entire nation mourned that God had abandoned them.

That’s when the prophet speaks.

“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.” (1 Samuel 7:3)

He gave them four things to do. 1. Repent. 2. Throw out your idols, your foreign gods. 3. Direct your hearts to the LORD. 4. Serve Him alone.

This list still holds today. If we want revival, we must repent and get rid of our idols. While I doubt any of us have statues in our homes, it is easy to become idolaters. Think about what gives you peace, identity, comfort, purpose. If it is anything besides Christ, idolatry may be an issue.

Israel rejected their idols.

So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. (1 Samuel 7:4)

Repentance is more than simply identifying sin. It’s more than even asking for forgiveness and being sorry for our actions. Repentance requires action, a change of direction. Israel took the action Samuel recommended, by throwing out their idols. We may need to action, even drastic action, to cut the idols from our hearts. It will no doubt be hard, but totally worth it.

God defended Israel.

But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. (1 Samuel 7:10)

Samuel said the reason Israel’s enemies were victorious was Israel’s heart problem, specifically a worship disorder. Rather than indignation and dismissal of the prophet’s words, Israel threw out their idols, and God worked in their nation. If we see the enemy gaining ground, it could be an indication that we also have a worship disorder. Rather than dismiss the very idea, if we respond in humility and with action, God can work in us and through us.

Samuel set up a memorial.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12)

Samuel didn’t want Israel to forget their commitment to throw out the idols or God’s divine intervention. Likewise, we can memorialize milestones in our Christian life. They can encourage us to remain faithful. They can remind us that God does hear, He is with us, and He does act on our behalf. The name Ebenezer is probably best known from Dickens’s famous story, but it literally means “stone of the help.” The idea is that God had brought them that far, and would surely carry them forward. We have reminders, like our baptism, that confirm Christ has saved us and will bring us to eternity with Him.

Last week, Israel needed to recommit themselves to God’s Law. The first commandment in that Law is to have no other gods before the LORD. As we work toward our own revival, let’s make sure nothing has God’s spot in our hearts and lives. Next week we’ll see what David can teach us about revival.

Revival After Sin

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Revival after sin title graphic

A new year is a good time to take stock and evaluate where we are compared to where we need to be. Many people, unhappy with that evaluation will make resolutions, and it’s no secret most of those people will abandon those commitments within a few days. As believers, we may be less in need of a resolution and more in need of REVIVAL. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at some Biblical revivals to see what we may need. The first revival we’ll look at happened after a great sin committed by the people of Israel.

In Exodus 32, the people of Israel commit one of their gravest sins and enlist Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. Judgment falls. Moses intercedes for them, and there is repentance. God reaffirms His covenant with the people in Exodus 34:10-11, then goes on to reiterate the responsibilities on the people. The people’s heart and spirits are stirred, and they respond with great offerings and a commitment to build and furnish the tabernacle. They also re-committed themselves to following God’s law.

Then near the end of Exodus, we read: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” Exodus 40:34-35.

This is a very brief overview, and I definitely recommend reading the details in chapters 32-34 and 40, but even in this quick look, it’s clear the people needed a revival after their sin. Now, let’s consider the takeaways for us.

Revival is needed after sin.

Even if the sin wasn’t as egregious as Israel’s idolatry, we damage our relationship with God when we sin. Israel renewed their commitment to God by reviewing His laws and dedicating themselves to obeying everything God said. We too can review what God requires of us and rededicate ourselves to those standards. (Ephesians 4-6 can be a good place to start if you want to see how believers should behave in the world.)

Revival should be followed by action.

The people of Israel didn’t just talk about their failure and how things were going to be different. They generously offered all the materials to construct the Tabernacle. They diligently applied themselves to the task in whatever ways they could. In the same way, it does us no good to talk about how horribly we failed or the changes we’re going to make. We need to get to work. Change the habits that need changing. Take on the ministries God has been nudging us about. Commit to the spiritual disciplines. Lists of disciplines vary, but they include things like prayer, study, memorizing Scripture, fasting, and evangelism.) If we don’t follow through, then maybe our repentance and revival weren’t as sincere as we thought. If that’s the case, we need to start over.

Revival is honored by God.

When the people of Israel follow all of Moses’s instructions and properly set up the Tabernacle God’s Spirit fills up the space. The majesty of presence is overwhelming, to the point that Moses can’t even go inside. Since the moment of salvation, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit already living in us. In revival we experience more of His work and less of our own. Paul explained it to the Colossians this way: “[Y]ou have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator (Colossians 3:9-10).

When we sin, repentance and then revival help get us back on track. Next week we’ll look at the revival that happened during the prophet Samuel’s ministry.