1 Sam. 7 (Peace)

PEACE

1. Peace within us

They were struggling they did not worship The Lord for a long time. They have been worshiping the idols. Samuel told them to shun the idols and worship The Lord alone. Yet this change was without confession. Samuel told them to come to Mispa. There they pour the water and confessed that they are sinners. Now this is peace with God. And thus the peace came into themselves. 

2. Peace through a fight

May be they thought that there would not be any fight from philistines. But while they are there to confess the philistines came to fight. Some times the fight that was scheduled in further future would approach early to be solved when you are in fasting. Israelites asked Samuel to continue praying for them. Now in the battle Israel won. Now the peace was established. The prevailing fear of philistines have gone. 

3. Peace through a treaty

Text did not say anything about treaty but I think that Amorites made treaty seeing philistines losing fight. That's how May be Israelites got peace with Amorites.

Fasting helped them establish peace in three areas. If not, they would be living with fear from these three areas.

Ex. 34:30

When God was said to be a lion, people were excited. When Holy Spirit was compared to a dove people understood. When God was said to be the Father, people are slow to understand. People understood when you compare The Lord to animal and to a bird, but they do not understand when He was compared the to human being.

God sent Moses and he could not reveal the Father. God sent Elijah and he could not reveal the Father. Only Son can do this. So the Father when he was about to send the Son, he paused. It's because If there was a father and if he was cruel to his son, then if you go and tell that particular son that the God is like father then he would think that God is cruel. So the Father in heaven wanted the fathers to turn to their sons and sons to their fathers. Some one has to go ahead of Jesus and do this. This job was given to Elijah. 

Some people squeeze out their battery to the job, friends and to certain people and when they come home, they use the home as battery recharging socket. They do not come a bit of battery left in them. They supposed to keep some for the family because God can take it into his notice.

Salvation was given to us by Christ but carrying it to the end was a job given to us. You have to continue it with fear and trembling. It's an unavoidable battle. How am I standing, because I always have a fight. Body against the spirit and spirit against body. As long I have this battle this shows to my Lord that I am hungry and thirsty for the righteousness, and I will be satisfied. This battle may be heavy today and may be very light tomorrow but you can not get rid of it. This fear is not for punishment it's a passion to keep up the righteousness. This fear is ok.