March 19, 2011 Learn Well

Learn Well
Read 1 Samuel 4-7

1 Sam 7:4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the LORD only.

WAR is the theme of these chapters. And it is not only conflict between the Philistines and the Israelites. God is also choosing sides. At one point, God favored the Philistines. Israel’s leaders and priests had committed sacrificial and sexual sin against God’s law.
Eventually Samuel, the righteous Judge (leader) of Israel brought his people back to worship God. When Scripture says they “put away their Baals and Ashtoreths” it means they stopped following idols. Baal was a male figure, and Ashtoreth was female. To “worship” them meant sacrificing children into fire and heinous sexual immorality.
The Bible is always about putting away the false gods and worshiping our Living God. Are there false gods in your life? What’s most important? Where do you spend your time? Are you always looking for God to approve your ways even when you know they’re wrong? That’s what the Israelites were doing.
They learned a horrible lesson—God would leave them. They would be destroyed if they didn’t change their ways.
I hope you learn from their experiences. Follow God’s ways, or you will be separated from him. Trust God desires the best for you.


Pause and Consider: an idol in your life holding you back from knowing God better.