Tag: Philistines

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Wisdom Prayer

Intercessory Prayer!

Intercessory Prayer!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who cry out to the Lord in intercession. In Jesus’ name, amen.

There are prayer warriors who pray fervently.

Samuel intercedes.

1 Samuel 7:8-11 (ESV) tells us the people of Israel were scared, and what Samuel does to intercede.

“And the people of Israel said to Samuel, ‘Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.’ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack 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. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.”

God answered prayer and provided a miracle.

Ask the Lord how he would have you pray.

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Wisdom Prayer

Repent and Cry Out!

Repent and Cry Out!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who repent and cry out to the Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

In 1 Samuel 7:5-7, Israel is threatened by a Philistine invasion.

“Then Samuel said, ‘Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.’ So they gathered at 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.’ And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.”

As the Philistines threatened to invade, the people of Israel acknowledged their sin.

This was a major step in healing the breach between God and his people. They were begging God to intervene.

Samuel stands in the gap as he intercedes for the people of Israel.

Are you holding on to sin and need to say, “I have sinned against the Lord?”

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Wisdom Prayer

Put Away False Gods!

Put Away False Gods!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who put away false gods. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Samuel grew up under the tutelage of Eli, the priest. Hannah, Samuel’s mother, who was childless, prayed fervently for a child. She conceived, and dedicated him to the Lord.

When Samuel grew up, the Philistines had invaded Israel, took the Ark of the Covenant, gave the ark back, and then threatened to invade Israel again.

1 Samuel 7:3-4 (ESV) tells us Samuel told the people of Israel how to avoid another defeat by the Philistines.

“And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ‘If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.”

Faith in God turned the tide.

Will you put away foreign gods, and serve the Lord only?

Say “Yes,” and put away the foreign gods.

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Wisdom Prayer

The Lessons Scripture Holds!

The Lessons Scripture Holds!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who study scripture to learn the lessons it holds. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1 Samuel, chapters 5 and 6, tell the story of the Ark of the Covenant. It destroyed the Philistines’ idols, afflicted people with tumors, and left the Philistines wondering what to do. Finally, they sent the ark back to Israel on a wagon led by two cows. The Philistines paid a guilt offering of gold tumors and gold mice to reflect the afflictions caused by the ark.

When the ark first arrived in Israel, it afflicted some people who surrounded it.

1 Samuel 7:1-2 tells of Eleazar and what happened to the ark of the Lord.

“And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.”

Twenty years pass. The ark is safe in Israel, and the story picks up again with Samuel.

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Wisdom Prayer

The Power of God!

The Power of God!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom to know the power of the God of Israel to subdue foreign gods and more. In Jesus name, amen.

When the Philistines were victorious over Israel, as described in 1 Samuel 4, they brought the Ark of the Covenant to various cities. In the city of Ashdod, the ark was placed next to the Philistines’ god Dagon. The first night, the statue of Dagon fell face down on the ground before the ark. After being put up the next day, Dagon’s statue fell the next night, and the head and hands were cut off.

When the ark was taken to other cities, the people developed tumors.

1 Samuel 5:11-12 (ESV) tells us the Philistines in the City of Ekron was in a panic when the ark was brought into the city.

“So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, ‘They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.’ They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, ‘Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.’ For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.”

Scripture records how scared the Philistines were of the ark and the God of Israel.

They had to decide what to do with the ark.

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