The Great Intercession In Our Warfare


The Ark came back to Israel but all was not well. Twenty years pass and Israel has no way out of their predicament with the Philistines. Eventually, Samuel calls the people back to God commanding them to put away their foreign Gods and direct their heart to the Lord. The people listen to him.

 1 Samuel 7:5–6 (ESV) Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 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.

 Now in verse 5, they are gathered together seeking the Lord. They fast, and Samuel takes the lead of God's people. "Mizpah" means "watchtower" which would have been some sort of military station. The Philistines hear they are gathering at a military location and decide to intimidate them with a military advance against of their own. The people turn to Samuel:

1 Samuel 7:8–9 (ESV) 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.” 9 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.

This is a very different posture for Israel than their previous encounter with their enemies. Earlier in haste and arrogance, they took the Ark into battle and like Samson, they assumed God would simply come through for them even though their hearts were far from Him. On this day they look to the man God has raised up to judge them and have not asked for military guidance but for the Lord's intervention.

1 Samuel 7:10–11 (ESV) 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. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

There are hints at what is to come when David kills Goliath. The victory Samuel's intercession secures emboldens the people against their enemies.

 What is all this saying to us today? It is asking us to see our true Samuel, Jesus Christ who offered the perfect sacrifice for our sins and intercedes for us before the Father. We are victorious because of Christ's intercession.

Hebrews 7:25 (NLT) He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

It is also showing that our greatest weapon is prayer. Let us not fall complacent in our religious rituals as Israel did. They had the form of godliness through the priestly system but no power. Strategy, systems, and policy will not save the day. We are the Lord's people and He must be our trust. Notice Samuel's actions. A lamb is offered and HE cries out to the Lord. The Lord answers his prayer for the people who are looking to him. 

When you pray, you pray a flawed prayer filled with motives marred by your flesh. But our Lord's prayers are perfect and always heard by the Father. So our hope is never in what we pray but WHO we pray to. He hears us and He prays in accordance with God's will for us. 

Romans 8:27 (NLT) And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

This eliminates any fear of failing Him in prayer. We have confidence that the Lord is able to see our condition, hear our supplication and then offer to the Father a perfected request. This is why some of our prayers are answered in ways we don't realize but are far better than what we had expected. So call out to Him trusting that He hears you and offers to God a more perfect request than you realize.



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