Samuel & Samson: The People God Uses – Part 8

I Samuel 4-7, esp 7:2-12

Samuel & Samson: The People God Uses – Part 8

Hither By Thy Help

I. The God Who Won’t Be Used (I Samuel 4-6)
A. God is not a Good Luck Charm (I Samuel 4:3-11)
B. God is not a Member of Your Pantheon (I Samuel 5)
C. God is not Novelty Item (I Samuel 6:19-21)

II. The Things God Uses (I Samuel 7:2-12)
A. A Broken and Humbled Heart (I Samuel 7:2-4; Ps. 51; Is. 66:2)
B. Practices and Places (I Samuel 7:6,9; Gen 31; Judges 20)
C. Memorials and Reminders (I Samuel 7:12; Deut. 6:4-9, 12)

III. Our Stones of Help (I Samuel 7:12)
A. Point Backward to Point Forward (I Samuel 7:12)
B. Point to our Need (Gen. 11; 1 Samuel 7:12)
C. Point to Someone Greater (Col. 2:17; 2 Timothy 2:8)

Questions for Further Reflection:

  1. What do you make of portions of the Bible like chapters 4-6?  What/How do we learn from them?
  2. In what ways do you treat God like a good luck charm?  What experiences in your past might influence you to view God in this way?
  3. If you were to write up your own Pantheon, what gods would make the list?  Money, Comfort, Sex, Self, Power, Consumerism, Beauty, Sports?
  4. How can we find the line between a “Jesus is my Boyfriend” mentality and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”?  What does it mean for God to Love and to be Holy?
  5. What things has God used in your life to draw you closer to Him?
  6. When was the last time you had a broken heart?  What broke your heart and how did God meet your need in that time?
  7. What practices or places have a deep significance for you?  
  8. What experiences help you to look backward to see God’s faithfulness and trust in Him for the future?
  9. What experiences in your life have pointed to Jesus?  What (if any) tangible ways have your turned these experiences into Ebenezers?