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RESTRAINING MERCYBy James L. Thornton In This Study We Assert That There Is A Spirit That Strives Silently With Man And Holds Him Back From Ruin; From What He Would Do If Left To His Own Intentions.
The Psalmist Asks, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him" (Psalms 2:4) In This Study We Will Look At Some Of The Weaknesses Of Man, And The Great Need That We Have To Pray, "Lord, Lead Us Not Into Temptation." Temptations Are A Common Experience, But Sometimes They Come In Like A Flood, Then We Are In The Most Need For Help. The Psalmist Reminds Us In The Verse We Just Read That The Lord Is Mindful Of Us, And That He Visitest Us. Sometimes He Comes Unseen, And Unnoticed By Us Until We Look Back Later, And Then We Can See That The Restraining Hand Of God Worked In Our Lives In A Certain Situation. Prevention Of Sin Is A Most Invaluable Mercy. Between The Purpose To Transgress And The Act Itself There Is Usually An Interval Of Time, And In That Interval There May Occur Physical Restraints, Rendering That Act Impossible. Or, Sometimes In That Interval Of Time, A Moral Restraint Rises Up And Stops Us From Committing The Act. God's Restraining Mercy Works In Many Ways. When The Soul Has Been Brought Face To Face With A Terrible Sin By The Force Of Our Violent Impulses, And Kept From Committing It By What We Call "Chance," Then The Good Hand Of God Is Clearly Seen. Restraining Mercy Is Most Strongly Recognized When We Have Passed Through Unusual Temptations. The First Instance Of The Restraining Mercy Of God That I Would Like To Bring To Your Attention Is Found In 1 Samuel 25. In This Chapter We Find David As He Was Hiding From Saul. A Large Number Of Men (600 Warriors), Many With Their Families, Had Joined Him In The Country Side. In This Chapter, We Notice The Strict Discipline Which He Expected Of His Men. He Was Bringing His Wild Followers Under A Loving Discipline And Government Which They Had Never Experienced. David Needed Supplies, Especially Food, To Sustain This Large Number Of People. There Was A Very Rich Man By The Name Of Nabal, Who Had Several Thousands Of Sheep And A Thousand Goats, In The Area Where David And His Men Were Encamped. These Men From David's Camp Could Have Easily Supplied Their Needs From The Herds And Flocks Of Nabal. But, Instead Of Raiding His Flocks They Helped Guard It Against The Many Marauders In The Country. David Hearing That Nabal Was Shearing His Sheep, Felt That It Was A Good Time To Ask For Food For His Followers, As Sheep-Shearing Time Was A Joyful Time. David Sent Ten Young Men To See Nabal With Instructions For Them To Greet Him With Friendly Greetings In His Name, And Asking For A Favor Of Food Supplies In Return For Their Good Deeds To Him. Now The Scripture Tells Us That Nabal Was "Curlish And Evil In His Doings." This Means, That He Was Coarse, Rude, Ill-Tempered, Mean, Profane, Uncivil, And, Anti-Religious. When The Young Men Approached Him In David's Name He Gave Free Vent To His Rude Feelings Without Restraint. 1 Samuel 25:10. And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
Thus Did Nabal, Knowing Full Well Who David Was. He Knew The Reason He Was In The Fields With The Band Of Men, He Knew The Trials That Had Befallen Him, And He Knew The High Spiritual Goals That Were Associated With His Checkered Life. Nabal Expressed His Contempt For The Coming King And His Mission In Israel. David Was To Him A Mere Slave Who Had Run Away From His Master, Saul. David's Reaction To Nabal's Words1 Samuel 25:12. So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.
David Was Stung By The Insult And He Prepares To Take Speedy Vengeance On Nabal. There Is At Times A Sad Disproportion Between The Beliefs And The Practice Of Even The Best Of Men. David Was, Undoubtedly, The Most Spiritually Enlightened, Patient, And Devout Man Then Living. The Psalms Of The Period Indicate A Wonderful Faith In The Care And Goodness Of God. His Recent Conduct Towards Saul (1 Samuel 24:8-22) In Sparing His Life, And In Which He Commits His Personal Wrongs To God, Is Worthy Of New Testament Teachings. Nevertheless, David Could Not Bear The Insult And Ingratitude, But Must In Unholy Zeal Cease To Trust His Cause To God, And Avenge Evil With His Own Hand. 1 Samuel 25:21-22, Tells Us How Hot The Wrath Was That Boiled In David's Heart. He Intended To Annihilate Nabal And Everything That Pertained To Him. No Doubt This Was Egged On By The Insurgent Men He Was Surrounded With. We Should Be On The Watch Against Sudden Provocation Of Our Unholy Tendencies. What Was Most Needed In David's Life At This Moment Was The Restoration Of Reason And Conscience To Their Proper Place And Power. This Was Brought About By Providential Circumstances In Wise And Faithful Counsel, And A Stirring Of His Inward Conscience. What Takes Place When David Is On His Way To Avenge Himself Against The Insult Is A Wonderful Example Of The Restraining Mercy Of God. Two Individuals Are Used By God In This Part Of The Story To Bring David To His Rightful Senses, And One, The Servant, Is Often Overlooked In Our Study. This Is To Show How God Sometimes Uses The Most Insignificant Person Or Circumstance To Set In Motion His Restraining Mercy. One Of The Young Men (Servant Of Nabal?) Overheard The Conversations, And Hearing The Threats Of David Against The House Of Nabal, Went And Told Abigail, Nabal's Wife. He Also Relates To Her The Circumstances Of David's Kindness To Nabal's Men, And Appeals To Her For Intervention, As He Has No Faith In Nabal's Wisdom And Generosity. (1 Samuel 25:14-17) Now The Scripture Gives Us A Wonderful Description Of Abigail.1 Samuel 25:3. Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. (KJV) What A Contrast Between The Husband And Wife. A Low And Groveling Disposition, Reveling In Sensual Indulgence And Proud Of Wealth, Could Not But Embitter The Life Of A "Woman Of Good Understanding," And Of Such Spiritual Perceptions As Are Indicated Of Abigail. There Are, Unfortunately, Many Such Homes, In Which, Wise And Holy Women Are Held To The Humiliating And Sorrow Of A Life-Long Bondage. In Many Cases Release Is Only In Death, So Utter Is The Desolation. Men, Like Nabal, Would Be Much Worse If It Were Not For The Restraining Influence Of An Abigail. Abigail The IntercessorUpon Hearing From The Servant And Aware Of The Impending Danger, Abigail Hurriedly Provides Ample Provisions For David's Men And Loading Them Upon Several Beasts Of Burden, And Went To Meet David. 1 Samuel 25:18. Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
First Of All, Let Us Notice Her Humility Before The Future King As She Bows Before Him. Second, She Assumes Blame For Nabal's Rudeness. Then She Asks For An Audience With David. The Appeal To David Which Followed Has Few Equals In Holy Scripture. Doubtless Abigail Had Not Studied Eloquence In The Schools, But The Spirit Of God Alone Made Her Such An Orator. God Put The Wisdom Into Her Heart, And It Flowed Out In Wise Counsel. With Great Delicacy, She Reminds David Of The Sin Of Avenging Himself, And The Goodness Of The Lord In Restraining Him From It. 1 Samuel 25:26. Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. (KJV) This Appeal To The Moral Sense Is Strengthened By An Assurance That Nabal Was Far Beneath The Notice Of One So Distinguished, And That Dignity Could Well Afford To Let Him Alone. (1 Samuel 25:25) Abigail Calls David's Attention To The Ample Provisions Which She Had Brought To Him (1 Samuel 25:27). David Is Assured Of Confidence In His Divine Call And The Integrity Of His Life , Despite All Slanders (1 Samuel 25:28). She Passes On To Tell David That, "The soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God" (1 Samuel 25:29). Meaning, "You Are Under The Protection Of God, As One Bound To His Person." This Word Translated "Bundle" Is Used Once Before Of The Bag Or Purse Of Money Which Each Of Joseph's Brethren Found In His Sack Of Corn. It Is An Ancient Custom For Men To Carry Some Of Their Prized Possessions, Money, Signets, Ect. In A Bag Strapped To Their Body For Safe Keeping. This Lets Us Know That God Has His Own, His Loving Followers, More Or Less Strapped To His Person For Safe Keeping. To Crown All, Abigail Leads David To Think Of The Not Distant Day When, As King Of God's People, He Will Enjoy The Highest Honors. And, It Would Be A Pity To Mar The Joys Of Such A Time By Reflection On An Act Of Personal Revenge By Deeds Of Blood. There Was Power In Abigail's Argument Derived From Her Appeal To David's Sense Of The Wrong Of Revenge. But That Which Touched David Most Was Her Reference To, Him Being The Object Of God's Love And Care. To Be Restrained By A Loving God, To Be In Favor With Him Amidst The Wrongs Of Evil Men, To Have An Interest In The Higher Spiritual Life Nourished And Guarded By God Was Worth More Than All Else. David, Recognizing The Hand Of God, Expresses His Sense Of His Mercy And Blesses Abigail For Her Advice. 1 Samuel 25:32. And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:
The Success Of Abigail's Wise Council Was Now Assured In A Good Man Being Saved The Guilt And Shame Of Acting At Variance With His Professed Trust In God. While Giving Abigail Due Honor For Coming To Him, He Acknowledges The Real Instrument Of Deliverance Was God's Restraining Mercy. Balaam Is Confronted By The Death AngelThe Next Instance Of God's Restraining Mercy That We Would Like To Discuss Is Found In The Book Of Numbers Chapters 22, 23, And 24. In This Story Of Balaam We Will See How It Is Possible To Break Through The Restraining Mercy Of God And Override The Barriers God Sets Up, Then We Must Face The Consequences Thereof. First, We Need To Look At Some Of The Background Of Balaam, Who He Was, What He Was, And How He Became A Part Of The Bible Story. Not Many Characters Take Up As Much Space In The Bible As Balaam (Over 3 Chapters), Many Life Histories Are Told In A Single Sentence, So I Feel That God Wanted Us To Know Something About Him So That We Could Avoid The Pitfalls He Fell Into. Numbers 22: 5 & Deuteronomy 23:4, Indicate That Balaam Was From Mesopotamia. The Question Arises, "Whence Did Balaam Derive His Knowledge Of The True God, And How Deep Was This Knowledge?" The Only Satisfactory Answer Is That Such A Knowledge Had Never Disappeared From That Region. The Man Who Lives Before Us In These Chapters (Numbers 22, 23, & 24) Has Not Only A Considerable Knowledge Of, But A Very Large Amount Of Faith In, The One True God. He Sees Him That Is Invisible (Numbers 24:16), The Presence Of God, And God's Direct Concern About His Doings Are As Familiar And Unquestioned Elements Of His Every-Day Life As They Were Of Abraham's. We Must Remember That Abraham Was Living In Mesopotamia When God First Appeared To Him, And Many In Abraham's Family, Nahor, Bethuel, Laban And Others Retained A Knowledge Of The One True God Throughout Their Lives. Every Glimpse Which Is Given Us Of The Descendents Of Nahor In Their Mesopotamian Home Confirms The Belief That They Were Substantially At One With The Chosen Family In Religious Feelings And Speech. True, That Many Centuries Had Passed Since The Days Of Laban, And During Those Centuries The Common People Had Retained The Idolatrous Practices Of Their Fathers. But The Knowledge Of The One True God Had Not Completely Died Out. Men Like, Balaam, Who Probably Had A Hereditary Claim To His Position As Seer, Remained Purely Monotheistic In Belief. And, In Their Hearts Called Only Upon The God Of All The Earth, The God Of Abraham And Of Nahor, Of Melchizedec And Of Job And His Three Friends, Of Laban And Of Jacob, Even Down To The Magi Who First Hailed The Birth Of Christ, All, Probably, From Mesopotamia. It Is Also True That In Joshua 13:22 He Is Called A "Soothsayer," A Name Of Reproach And Infamy Among The Jews (1 Samuel 15:23, "Witchcraft;" Jeremiah 14:14, "Divination"). No One Doubts That He Played For Gain (2 Peter 2:15) The Part Of A Soothsayer, Using The Arts Of Heathen Sorcery (Numbers 24:1), And It Was Quite Natural That Joshua Should Recognize The Lower And More Obvious Side Of Balaam's Character. Evidently There Was Some Things Concerning Balaam That Are Not Recorded In The Scripture. We Ask The Question "How Did Moses, The Author Of Numbers, Obtain His Knowledge Of The Incidents Recorded Here (Numbers 22, 23, & 24), Many Of Which Must Have Been Known To Balaam Alone?" Was It Directly By Revelation, Or From Some Memorials Left By Balaam Himself? As Most Of These Things Recorded In These Chapters Took Place Miles, And Nations, Away From Where Israel Was, And Unbeknown To Moses. The Best Answer Seems To Be, That A Man Of Balaam's Character, And Training Would Be Very Likely To Put On Record The Remarkable Things Which Had Happened To Him. And, That Balaam Was Slain Among The Midianites (Numbers 31:8), And His Belongings Must Have Fallen Into The Hands Of The Isralites, And Passed On To Moses Who Compiled The Story. Balaam Is Sought To Curse IsraelThe Story Of Balaam Begins In Numbers Chapter 22 When Moses And The Children Of Israel Were Getting Near The Land Of Moab. Balak, The King Of Moab, Upon Hearing About The Conquests Of The Nations Around Him By The Isralites, "Was Sore Afraid Of The People" (Numbers 22:3). Knowing He Did Not Have The Resources To Fight Them, And Having No Confidence In His Gods To Deliver Them, Sent To Mesopotamia For The Prophet Balaam To Pronounce Curses Upon Israel. Balaam Must Have Had Widespread Fame As A Diviner, As Moab Was About Four Hundred Miles From Mesopotamia And News Traveled By Camel Caravans. Balak Put His Trust In Balaam Because He Was A Prophet Of The Lord, And Might Be Expected To Use His Influence To Change The Purposes Of The Lord, Perhaps Even To Counterattack Those Purposes. Balak Had A Belief In The Effectiveness Of Balaam's Prayers And Evil Spells, Even Against The People Of Balaam's God. Numbers 22:6. Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot (know) that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
Balak Sent Emissaries To Mesopotamia With "the rewards of divination in their hand." Balaam Was Solicited To Come For A Purpose Which He Must Have Felt Sure Was Wrong. From The Beginning Balaam Was Tempted Through His Love Of Money And Good Things, Even Though He Refused The First Offer. A True-Hearted Prophet Would Have Been Ashamed To Receive Gifts And Promises For The Use Of His Spiritual Powers, And Would Have Vehemently Refused Them, As Peter Did (Acts 8:20). Samuel Could Easily Have Become A "Prophet For Hire" If He So Desired (I Samuel 9:7-8). But, Instead Of Sending The Men Away At Once Balaam Kept Them Overnight So He Could Enquirer Of The Lord, Knowing All Time That He Should Not Go. That Night God Came To Talk To Balaam. Notice The Searching Question God Asks Of Balaam. Numbers 22:9. And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? (KJV) "Who Are These Men?"
Then God Told Balaam, "Thou shalt not go with them: thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed." (Numbers 22:12) That Should Have Been The End Of The Whole Deal. Balaam Should Have Sent Them Away With No Further Bargaining Possible. But, Perhaps, In The Manner Or Tone Of His Voice When He Told The Emissaries That God Had Forbidden Him To Go With Them, He Left The Door Open For Further Bargaining. It Was In His Heart To Obey The Request Of Balak And Receive The Prize He Offered. "He Loved The Wages Of Unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:15). There Is A Tone Of Disappointment In The Words, "The Lord Refuseth To Give Me Leave To Go With You (Numbers 22:13). Let Us Note That Balaam's Outward Conduct Was Consistently Conscientious. It Is Hard To Detect The Flaws In Some People. But Satan Is Shrewd And Will Find, And Nurture, Any Weakness In The Human Character. Satan Says That Every Man Has His Price (Job 2:4). Balak Must Also Have Realized This, And Rightly Judged That Balaam Was Not Really Unwilling To Come, And That It Was Only Needful To Charm Him With More Flattery And Larger Promises. And He Sent Other Emissaries "More Honorable" Than The First. Numbers 22:17. For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. (KJV) We Must Consider That It Was Balaam's Inward Desire To Go If Possible, Because It Promised Honor And Gains For Himself. He Obeyed God, But He Gave Him Clearly To Understand That He Wished It Might Be Otherwise. Balaam Respected The Definite Command Not To Go, But He Paid No Heed To The Reason God Gave Him--Because Israel Was Not To Be Cursed. The Only Obedience Which God Cares For Is Obedience From The Heart (Romans 6:17; Ephesians 6:6). To Many The Commandments Of God Are Formal Barriers Which They Do Not Step Over Only Because They Dare Not. To Such These Barriers Are Sooner Or Later Done Away With, That They May Have Their Own Way. Trying To Bribe Conscience Is Like Seeking Permission To Sin. Balaam Referred The Matter Again To God (As If It Was A Matter Which God Might Reconsider), And Was Permitted To Go (Numbers 22:20). This Is The Very Essence Of Tempting God--To Cast About For Ways And Means To Follow Our Own Will, And Compass Our Own Ends, Without Open Disobedience. When Men Will Go Into Evil They Are Judicially Permitted To Go, And The Law Of God Ceases To Constrain Their Conscience, Thus Was The Case Of Balaam. There Is, Such A Thing As The "Permissive Will" Of God And The "Perfect Will" Of God. Numbers 22:21. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
God Was Angry With Balaam For Going, Although He Had Given Him Allowance To Go. Even So If Men Are Inwardly Desirous To Do Wrong, God Will Allow Them To Persuade Themselves That It Is Not Actually Wrong, And They Will Go With A Clear Conscience; But God Will Be Angry With Them. The Destroying Angel Stood In The Way As An Adversary To Him. We See In This Incident The Restraining Mercy Of God. Even So Destruction Awaits Us In Every Way Wherein Sin Leads Us Contrary To The Will Of God. God Himself Is An Adversary To Us (Matthew 5:23-26), And Is Ready At Any Moment To Fall Upon Us And Cut Us Asunder; If Our Motives Be Corrupt, Then, The Sword Of Divine Justice Is Drawn Against Us. But For God's Restraining Mercy We Would All Fall Into The Quagmire Of Sin. The Beast, Balaam Was Riding Upon, Saw The Angel And Saved His Life. Although Balaam Was A "Seer," And Prided Himself On "Having His Eyes Open" (Numbers 24:4), And Being Familiar With The Unseen Things Of God, Saw Not The Angel. How Easy It Is For Men To Be Blinded By Their Own Passions, Or Greed, And See Not The Danger Ahead. Many Times We Should Praise God For Delays And Hindrances, It May Be God's Restraining Mercy At Work In Our Lives. After Turning Aside The Third Time From The Death Angel, Balaam Struck The Beast With His Staff. Even So Foolish Men Are Often Very Angry With The Very Circumstances, Or Persons, Which Are Saving Them From Destruction. The Beast Was Divinely Permitted To Speak And Rebuke Her Master, And Teach Him A Lesson If He Would Learn It. For She Had Been Faithful, And Docile, And Never Been False To Him As Long As She Had Been His. Yet He Had Been, And, Was Unfaithful, Obstinate, And, Disloyal To His Master In Heaven. God Opened Balaam's Spiritual Eyes And He Saw The Angel Of Destruction. He Offered Then To Go Back, If Necessary, And Acknowledged That He Had Done Wrong (Perhaps Sincerely), But Was Not Permitted To Go Back. Sometimes When Men Have Insisted Upon Taking A Line Which Is Unwise, Dangerous, And Wrong, It Is Often Impossible For Them To Turn Back. They Are Committed To It, And God's Providence Compels Them To Go On With It, Even Though It Brings Awful Peril To Their Souls. In The Next Two Chapters (Numbers 23, 24) Balaam Rises As High As, Any Of The Other Old Testament Prophets. His Four Oracles Concerning The Greatness Of Israel, And Prophecies Concerning Their King, And Messiah, Are Truly Outstanding. Balaam Recognizes The Blessedness Of The Ransomed People, But Has No Personal Share In That Blessedness. He Discerns The Bright Vision Of The Future, The Rising Of Jacob's Star (Numbers 24:17), The Gleam Of The Royal Scepter That Shall Rule The World, The Coming Of The World's Redeeming Lord, But He Sees Him Only From Afar. Balaam Foretold Of The Destruction Of Those Nations Which Stood Against Israel. Balak Sought To Stop His Prophecies And Send Him Back Home. Numbers 24:10. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.
Balak Thinks It Is Enough To Say, "Stop." But As He Was Not Able To Make Balaam Speak What He Wanted, So Neither Is He Able To Make Him Cease When The Lord's Message Is On His Lips. God Opened Balaam's Mouth, And It Was Not For Balak To Close It. Now Balak Finds That, Whether He Likes It Or Not, He Must Listen To The Doom Of His Own People, Expressly And Clearly Announced. Balak Was Not Contented With A Refusal To Curse Israel Once, Or Even Twice, He Must Have It A Third Time, And Then He Finds That The Choice Is No Longer Under His Control. Let Us Choose Wisely While We Are Still Able To Choose. One Of The Saddest Phrases In The Story Is Found In Numbers 24:25, "And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place;" He Returns To His Former Ways, Plunges Again Into The Darkness And Foulness Of Idolatrous Mesopotamia, Having First Counseled Balak As To How He Might Corrupt The People God Would Not Let Him Curse. (Numbers 31:18) Balaam Received No Reward From Balak Because He Had Not Cursed Israel, And None From God Because He Wished To Curse Him. Balaam Was A Man Who Came So Close To God, And Was So Blessed By God, A Man Who Saw The Glory Of God, And Heard The Voice Of God, A Man Who Says, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his" (Numbers 23:10), Yet He Returned To His Pollution, As Peter Says In His Writings. 2 Peter 2:20. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
We Could Wonder If We Would Not Have Different Ending To His Story If Balaam Had Only Gone Down Into The Camp With Moses And The Children Of Israel And Said "I Want To Be A Part Of This Great People." He Could Possible Have Become A Great Prophet Along Side Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Or Daniel. Balaam's End.Numbers 24:25. And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way. (KJV) This Verse Implies That Balaam After His Fourth Oracle, Or Prophecy, And With Balak Disappointed With The Results, Returned To His Home On The Euphrates. This Seems To Have Finished His Written Account Of The Incident, But It Does Not Seem To Be The End Of It. If He Did Go Home, He Must Have Retraced His Steps Almost Immediately, Because He Was Slain Among The Midianites A Short While Later (Numbers 31:8). Balaam Broke Through The Restraining Mercies Of God And Plunged Headlong Into The Quagmire Of Sin. From Scriptures Recorded Later (Numbers 31:16), Balaam Returned And Gave Counsel To The Midianites On How To Bring Israel In Disfavor With God By Bringing Them In Contact With Their Idolatrous Practices. In A Closing Note On Balaam. Here Is A Man Raised Above Other Men In Many Respects, Acting In A Way Most Disrespectful To God. He Was Favored Again And Again With Light Which Came To Him In Great Revelations From God. Yet He Remained In Gross Darkness With Respect To The Character God Was Leading Him To. It Is Easy To Say As One Reads Of Balaam, "WHAT A FOOL"! "WHAT A PARADOX"! His Life Was A Mixture Of Unwilling Obedience To God And Most Obstinate Persistence In His Own Path. He Apprehended The Real Power Of Jehovah Without Apprehending His Character As A Whole. Balaam's Beast Was Probably Among The Beasts That Were Taken When Israel Slew Balaam. It Is Pleasant To Imagine That The Animal Which Had So Long Borne A Wicked Man Faithfully, Would Now, With Equal Faithfulness, Be Able To Bear, Perhaps, Eleazar The High Priest Himself (Numbers 31:28-29). Samuel, God's Restraining Force1 Samuel 25:1. And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. …" (KJV) A Holier And More Devoted Man Is Not Found In Scripture, And Yet One Verse Tells Us All About His Death And Burial. The Same Quietness Is True Concerning Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, And Indeed All The Most Distinguished Of Men. Samuel's Life Was Long And Immensely Useful To The World By The Reformation Wrought In Israel By The Force Of His Character, And The Preparation Made For Prophetic Teaching And Stable Government. That Samuel's Influence Was Great Can Be Discerned By The Phrase, "And all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him." Of No Other Person In Scripture Do We Read That So Many Attended Their Funeral. The Public Homage Paid To Samuel Was The Nation's Response To His Life's Appeal To Their Heart And Conscience. The Strifes And Rivalries Of Parties, The Deadly Feuds (Between Saul And David), And The Cruel Animosities Of Life, The Most Urgent Of Human Passions, Were For The Time Set Aside, And All, Great And Small, Came To Lament Over Samuel. We Know, As In The Case Of Samuel, Of Moses, Of David, Of Paul, And Of Men Whose Names You Could Post Here, That A Good Man's Activity Of Spirit Operates As A Power After His Death. We Lose Much When Good Men Die, Yet We Gain Something. The Sobering, Elevating Influence Of A Sainted Memory Is A Permanent Treasure. Churches, And Families, Reveal The Power Of A Character When That Character Ceases To Exercise Its Accustomed Energies And They Continue On In Their Appointed Direction. No Doubt The Nation Of Israel Owes It's Very Existence To Samuel More Than Any Other Person Outside Of Moses. If Not For Samuel The Direction That Israel Was Headed Morally And Politically It Would Have Been Swallowed Up By The Nations Around Them. God Would Have Simply Let Their Enemies Destroyed Them. Like Elijah, Samuel Deplored The Degeneracy Of The Age, And No Doubt Questioned Whether He Was Doing Any Substantial Good. But The Good That God Accomplished Through Samuel Lives To This Day. In This Short Study Of Samuel's Life We Would Like To Look At The Way The Restraining Mercy Of God Worked Through His Life. It Was During The Time Of The Judges That Samuel Was Born. Israel Had Sunk To The Lowest Point In Their History, We Could Call It "The Dark Ages". The Second Chapter Of Judges Lets Us Know The Value Of Strong Leadership. Judges 2:7. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
The Children Of Israel Served The Lord As Long As Joshua Lived, Then After His Death, And The Death Of The Elders, The Next Generation Turned Aside From Serving The Lord And Served The Idols Of The People Around Them. For Almost Four Hundred Years A Disobedient And Idolatrous People Are Defeated Time And Time Again By The Nations Around Them Because Of Their Rebellion Against God. In Seven Distinct Cycles Of Sin To Salvation, The Book Of Judges Shows How Israel Had Set Aside God's Law And In It's Place Substituted "That which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). The Phrase "And they forsook the Lord," And, "They did evil in the sight of the Lord," Is Repeated Over And Over. To Stop The Degenerate Slide Of The Nation, God Needed A Strong Restraining Force, And He Found It In Samuel. As Is The Case In Every Society That Turns Away From God, Not Every Person, Or Family Followed The Paths Of Unrighteousness. God Has Always Reserved To Himself A Remnant (1 Kings 19:18). There Were Many Godly Families Scattered Throughout The Land. The Story Of Ruth Takes Place During The Period Of The Judges. Another Of These Families Was That Which Gave Birth To Samuel, The Last Of The Series Of The Judges, The First Of The Order Of The Prophets, And The Founder Of The Hebrew Monarchy. Samuel Was Born Into A Home Where His Father Worshipped "The Lord Of Hosts" (1 Samuel 1:3). His Mother Dedicated Him To The Lord Before He Was Born (1 Samuel 1:11). God Called Samuel Into His Service When He Was Just A Child (1 Samuel 2:18; 26; 3:1-14). Very Early In His Life The Whole Nation Of Israel Recognized That God Was Working In His Life, And His Influence In The Nation Grew Daily. 1 Samuel 3:19. And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
Judges Chapter 4, 5, 6, Tells How The Philistines Attacked And Once Again Defeated Israel, And Took The Ark Of God. Eli's Sons Were Slain In Battle, Probably Trying To Defend The Ark. Eli Also Died After Hearing The News That The Ark Was Stolen. The Philistines Returned The Ark After God Smote Them With A Plague. Then Great Fear Fell Upon The Israelites After God Also Smote Thousands Of Them Because Some Of Them Looked Into The Ark. Then The Ark Was Brought To The House Of A-bin-a-dab And Sanctified El-a-a-zar His Son To Keep The Ark. 1 Samuel 7:2. And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. (KJV) After The Death Of E-li Samuel Became The Spiritual, As Well As The Political, Leader Of The Nation. The Nation Was Ripe For Repentance, And Samuel Was Prompt In Bringing Them To It. One Of The First Acts Of Samuel Was To Call A General Assembly Together At Mizpeh And He Attacked The Idolatrous Worship Of The People Of Israel (1 Samuel 7:3-6), By Urging Them To Put Away The Worship Of Strange Gods. 1 Samuel 7:3. And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
This Was The Point Of Turning For Israel, There Was Public Consecration To The Service Of The Lord, And Public Confession Of Their Sin, And Above All, A Turning From The Idols Of The Canaanites. They Solemnized Their Vows By Pouring Water Out Before The Lord. It Was On That Day That Samuel Began His Public Labors As Judge, As Well As Moral And Spiritual Leader. When The Philistines Heard That The Children Of Israel Began To Gather At Mizpeh They Also Gathered To Do Battle Against Them. The Philistines Saw The Revival Of The Worship Of Jehovah As A Breaking Away From The Domination Which They Had Exercised Over Israel For Many Years. There Was A Call To Arms Among The Philistines To Keep Israel Under Subjection. The Revival Of Godly Worship Seldom Fails To Call Forth The Fierce Opposition Of Evil Men. The Spirit Of Good And The Spirit Of Evil Are Contrary One To Another, And The More Intense The Former Becomes, The More Intense Also Becomes The Latter. The "Prince Of This World" Dislikes To Be Deprived Of His Captives, And Therefore Seeks To Prevent Sinners From Coming To The Lord (Luke 9:42), And Hinders Saints From Working For Him (1 Thessalonians 2:18). 1 Samuel 7:7. And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
Israel Realized Their Human Weakness, And They Were Afraid. The Consciousness Of Human Weakness Is The Condition Of Receiving Divine Strength (2 Corinthians 12:10). Their Need Impelled Them To Look To God, Whom They Called Their God, Asking Samuel To "Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us,." (2 Corinthians 12:8) 9. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And Samuel Cried Unto The Lord For Israel, With A Piercing And Prolonged Cry, And With His Prayer Their Own Rose Up To Heaven. A Praying Army Is Irresistible. What Victories Have Been Achieved By Prayer. 10. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
The Forty Years Of Domination Of The Philistines Over Israel (Judges 13:1) Could Not Be Overthrown By The Supernatural Strength Of Samson, But Was Terminated By The Prayers Of Samuel. Samson Only Began To Deliver Israel (Judges 13:5), Samuel Completed The Work. THE MEMORIAL OF THE VICTORYSamuel Set Up A Stone As A Memorial Of The Victory Call It The Ebenezer, Or Stone Of Help. The Words Samuel Used In Setting Up This Stone Has Great Significance. "Saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us." Hitherto; For All Jehovah's Help Is Only Hitherto--From Day To Day, From Place To Place; Not Unconditional, Not Wholly, Not Once For All, Irrespective Of Our Conduct, But On The Condition That One Follows After Divine Guidance. More Conflicts Have To Be Waged, And It Is Only Through Trust In God, Self-Dedication, And Prayer That They Can Be Waged Successfully. The Life Of Man Is Nothing More Else But A Continual Warfare With Temptation. And This Is A Battle From Which, As It Only Ends With Life, There Is No Escape. And, He Who Fights Not In It Is Of Necessity Taken Captive Or Slain. Because Of This Warfare You Must Watch Always, And Keep Guard Upon Your Heart, So It Be Ever Peaceable And Quiet. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE VICTORY OF EBENEZERTrue Revival Is Always Followed By Beneficial And Lasting Effects. The Power Of The Enemy Was Broken. "The Philistines were subdued, and came no more into the coasts of Israel." "The hand of the Lord was against them all the days of Samuel." Lost Territory Is Restored, And Far Reaching Peace Is Established Between Israel And The Amorites (1 Samuel 7:14). The Battle Of Ebenezer May Be Considered One Of The Most Decisive Battles Of The World, Inasmuch As It Introduced A New Order Of Things In Israel, And Contributed In An Eminent Degree To Its Subsequent Prosperity And Power. In Israel, As In Every Nation, Every Revival Of Religion Was Succeeded By National Prosperity And Political Independence. Three Verses In The Seventh Chapter Of 1 Samuel, Tells Us A Great Deal About The Life Of Samuel. 1 Samuel 7:15. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
It Was In Each Of These Cities That Samuel Did His Greatest Work, For It Was In Them He Established Schools For Prophets, And No Doubt There Were Other Places Which Are Not Mentioned. 5 In These Schools Young Men Were Taught The Law Of The Lord, They Were Taught Worship Of Jehovah Through Singing And Musical Skills, And No Doubt He Taught Them How To Read And Write Whereby They Became Prepared To Make A National Profession, And Receive The Divine Blessing. It Is No Doubt That David, After He Was Anointed By Samuel To Be The Future King Of Israel, Became One Of Those Students At An Early Age. By The Time He Came To Play Before Saul On The Harp He Was A Skilled Musician (1 Samuel 16:16) Which Must Have Been Five To Ten Years Later. Another Of The Great Accomplishments Of Samuel Was The Establishment Of The Monarchy In Israel. Before Samuel Anointed Saul King The Nation Had No Strong Political Leader To Weld The Nation Into A Unity. Each Tribe Was Independent Of The Other And Many Time Could Not Be Counted Upon To Help Defend Another. The Nation Was Unified By The Anointing Of Saul As King. They Had A National Army Made Up Of Men From All Tribes. This Had Been Promised To Israel By Moses In The Book Of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). This Also Was Providing A Way Whereby The KING OF KINGS Would Be Born. 1 Samuel 10:24. And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. {God...: Heb. Let the king live}
Samuel Yielded, And The People Trusted Him So Thoroughly That They Left The Choice Of A King Entirely To Him. And Permitted Him To Settle The Terms And Limits Of The Monarchy, Or, As We Should Say, To Give The Nation A Constitution, And Treated Him Throughout The Rest Of His Life With The Deepest Respect. Samuel Was Deprived Neither Of His Prophetic Rank Nor Of His Judicial Functions. He Remained To The Last A Co-ordinate Power By The Side Of A King So Self-willed And Energetic Even As Saul. No Man Who Ever Lived Exercised A Greater Restraining Force Over A Nation Than Samuel. No One Ever Did More For Their Nation Than Samuel. God's Restraining Force, The Holy Ghost And ConscienceIn This Part Of Our Study We Would Like To Look At How The Holy Spirit Works Through Our Conscience To Restrain Our Actions. And How It Becomes One Of The Most Powerful Force In Our Lives. It Is Formed By The Principal We Have Been Taught. "Is There Not A Sort Of Blood Shed
God Has Placed In Every One Of Us The Awareness Of A Moral Or Ethical Aspect To One's Conduct Together With The Urge To Prefer Right Over Wrong: We Call This Conscience. It Is Part Of Our Thought Process Or Intellect. We Are Not Born With A Conscience. But The Conscience Is Formed By Teachings And Instruction We Receive From The Time When We Are A Small Child. Mothers And Fathers Are The Primary One's That Help To Mold The Conscience At It's Earliest Stage Of Development, Along With Teachers And Instructors At School And Church. The Conscience Is The Awareness Of Right And Wrong Which Comes From Knowing Right And Wrong, Good And Bad, Moral And Immoral. After Formed, The Conscience Is The Part Of Us That Rises Up To Defend The Moral Or Ethical Good We Have Been Taught. If A Person Has No One To Teach Him The Moral Law Of God, And Society, They Never Develop The Since Of What's Right And What's Wrong. The Apostle Paul Speaks Of This In His Writing To The Church At Colossae.Colossians 1:21. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled {in...: or, by your mind in} (KJV) Here Paul Speaks Of Those That Were "alienated" (A Stranger To One's Self And To God), And "enemies in your mind (Thought). This Brings About "wicked works" (Their Mind Was An Adversary To The Moral Law Of God, Therefore They Committed Wicked Acts Unknowingly). Paul Also Speaks Of Reconciliation. Men Must Still Come To Terms With The Christian Revelation. God's Purpose Can Only Be Realized Through The Submission Of Human Wills To The Divine Purpose. In This Reconciliation Process The Holy Spirit Joins With, And Becomes An Advocate Of Our Conscience. Our Conscience Becomes A Spokesman On Behalf Of Our Moral Virtue. The Bible Speaks Much Of The Conscience (31 Times). It Teaches That The Conscience Of A Believer Acts As A Moral Guide. It Also Teaches It Is A Deterrent, Or Restraint, To Committing Sin. An Unhappy Conscience Will Trouble The Soul, And Keep One From Sleeping Well. After Jesus Told The Jews, Who Had Brought A Woman To Hin Who Had Committed Adultery, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7), Their Conscience Spoke To Them, Yea, Even More Than Spoke, They Were Convicted (a suggestion of shame). John 8:9. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: … The Greatest Preacher You Will Ever Hear Is Your Own Conscience. Twice In The Book Of Romans Paul Speaks Of The Conscience Bearing Witness. (Romans 2:15; 9:1) In 2 Corinthians 1:12, He Speaks Of "the testimony of our conscience." The Bible Speaks Of A "good conscience," (1 Timothy 5:19; 1 Peter 3:16; 21) Paul To The Jews At Jerusalem, ""I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day." (Acts 23:1) To The Governor, Felix, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." (Acts 24:16) In Hebrews Of, "a pure conscience," (One That Is Purged (Cleansed) From Dead Works). (Hebrews 9:14) It Is The Restraining Mercy Of God Working Through Our Conscience That Keeps Us, In Many Situations, From Doing Things That We Would Do If Left To Our Own Fleshly Passions. The Scripture Also Warns Us Of Wounding Our Conscience (1 Corinthians 8:12). It Is Possible To Override The Warnings Of Our Conscience To The Point That It Will No Longer Convict Us Of Our Evil Deeds. Paul In Titus Speaks Of A Conscience, "Defiled." (Titus 1:15) And In Hebrews He Speaks Of An "Evil Conscience." (Hebrews 10:22) This Is A Conscience That Has Been Defiled With Evil. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul Speaks Of A "Conscience Seared With A Hot Iron." This Is A Conscience That Is Past Feeling And No Longer Bothers A Person, Until, Finally, As Paul Speaks Of In (Hebrews 10:2), There Is "No More Conscience." So Let Us Take Heed To The Voice Of Our Conscience When It Speak To Us, It Is The Restraining Mercy Of God Speaking To Us. I Hope This Study Will Help Us To Recognize That God In His Mercy Is Always Striving With Man To Hold Him Back From Ruin. We Invite You To Read The Other Studies On This Web Site And To Visit Our Other Web Sites By Clicking On The Links Below E-Mail Address, Godsgrazingfield@att.net By James L. Thornton |