What We Must Lay Down and Restore 1 Samuel 8:1–7
What We Must Lay Down and Restore 1 Samuel 8:1–7 10/11/26
God raised up Samuel to lead the Mizpah Assembly and the Mizpah Movement, and from that time onward, He began restoring everything in Israel. Throughout the days of Samuel’s leadership, Israel enjoyed the greatest blessings, peace, and prosperity, just as God had promised. This was not simply the result of Samuel’s character or leadership. God had chosen him, trained him as a Nazirite, entrusted, and blessed him with His work.
- Every believer, church leader, and pastor must hold on to this covenant and live while enjoying this blessing. This was the covenant God gave to Abraham, the ancestor of Israel, from the very beginning when He chose Israel (Genesis 12:1–3). This blessing has now become ours to enjoy (Galatians 3:14). When the Israelites returned to Canaan, God restored this covenant through Moses (Deuteronomy 28:1–19). God gave the same promise even to the Israelites who had lost hold of this covenant, fallen into idolatry, become oppressed by the world, and gone into captivity (Isaiah 55:4–5).
1) Adam was the first person to receive this covenant.
① God created Adam in His own image, blessed him, and entrusted him with the entire world and everything He had created (Genesis 1:28). God also gave Adam a place where he could meet and commune with Him, enabling him to receive God’s wisdom and strength (Genesis 2:15).
② That place was Eden. Theologically, Eden represents the beginning of the church and serves as a model of heaven, the perfect Eden. Even people who have been saved are living while missing out on this blessing. That is why conflicts, problems, and suffering continue.
2) God has given His saved children authority to restore this blessing in Christ. This is the identity and authority given to those who have accepted Christ and received His life.
① Our identity is God’s children (John 1:12; Romans 8:15–17). We are God’s family that possesses His covenant (Ephesians 2:19). Even if we simply understand this blessing and enjoy it through prayer, the problems of our lives, the curses affecting our families, and the forces of darkness will be broken.
② God has also given us the authority to actually enjoy this blessing. Power comes from this authority as well. The Bible calls us ambassadors entrusted with Christ’s authority (2 Corinthians 5:20). Paul said that “we speak on Christ’s behalf.” The Bible also calls us a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Being a king means having the authority to fight and overcome our enemies and to rule over the world. Being a priest means that we can worship God and enjoy His blessings, and we can use the strength we receive to bring life to others. That is why we are also called Christ’s apostles (John 20:21–23). An apostle is “someone who is sent by Christ.” It says that when we understand this mystery, pray, and experience the power of the Holy Spirit, we can bring life even to sinners and those who have fallen.
③ We fail to enjoy this blessing because we have not yet understood it. When we understand it and begin to enjoy it, everything changes. God gives us the covenant, and “I” am the starting point for its fulfillment (Genesis 17:2, 7). The Jerusalem mentioned in Acts 1:8 also begins with “me.”
- We must stand as people who pass this covenant and blessing on to future generations. A problem arose as Samuel grew old. It was the problem of his children, who became leaders after him (verses 1–3). This was not a problem unique to Samuel’s family. The same problem occurred after Joseph, after Joshua, and after Eli.
1) The first generation of people who immigrated to America to escape persecution by the Church of England did this especially well. The first-generation Puritans were people who came to America determined to hold on to the true Gospel, live by faith alone, and to relay that blessings.
① Through this blessing, America became one of the greatest nations of faith and blessing during the 19th and 20th centuries. To save future generations, they devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the Sunday School Movement, (D. L. Moody, John Wanamaker, and Abraham Lincoln).
② Those who grew up through this movement arose and launched evangelism movements throughout America, which then sent more missionaries around the world than any other nation. Mission movements that developed from Moody’s evangelistic movement included the Student Volunteer Movement (SVM), the youth evangelism movement Youth for Christ (YFC), the campus evangelism movement Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC), and military missions movement through the Navigators. These movements helped bring spiritual renewal around the world. Many missionaries also came to Korea, creating important spiritual turning points.
2) This is why we must pass this unique and absolute covenant on to future generations and ensure that the blessing is carried forward. Hold firmly to the true covenant behind the Remnant Movement, the RUTC Movement, and the Summit Movement. (Why WRC and RCA are important).
① The remnants who emerge from these movements are the future of our families and churches. This covenant and blessing must not end with just one generation (warning).
② The remnants who emerge from these movements are the future of this age. We are raising witnesses, leaders, and spiritual commanders whom God will use (Isaiah 55:4).
③ The remnants who continue to arise are part of God’s eternal future. Even after we are gone, until Christ returns and completes the new heaven and new earth, God will continue to use people through these movements in every generation. Our future generations must be established as watchmen and bartizans who will save their own generations until that eternal day comes. God has blessed those who align themselves with His plan and desire in every age (Matthew 6:33).
- Do not be deceived by people’s reasons, excuses, logic, or public opinion. These things can cause us to lose hold of the Gospel and can develop into serious spiritual problems. Through the problem involving Samuel’s descendants, where did the people turned their attention? they looked toward the world’s standards and systems. They assumed Israel was experiencing difficulties because it did not have a system of kings, so they demanded an earthly king.
1) God said to Samuel, “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” What appeared to be a simple problem ultimately led them to reject God and oppose Him.
2) Why is this important? God Himself appoints the leaders of the church, which is God’s house. Therefore, when appointing a pastor or a church leader, our own standards, preference, or proximity should not determine the choice. Who is the person God has chosen? That is why we must pray for the people God desires and intends to use.
3) There is something even more important. The Israelites rejected God’s Kingship. Israel was a nation ruled by God.
Do you understand how important this is? When Christ came, one of the first things He emphasized and taught was the Kingdom of God and His Kingship. His first message was about the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17, 23), and is the heart of the Lord’s Prayer. This is what Christ, the Son of God who came as the King of kings, came to accomplish and wants us to experience.
① From the moment we are saved, He becomes our King and rules over us (Luke 17:21). This is the mystery that brings an end to the anxiety, worries, depression, panic attacks, quarrels, and conflicts that arise in our lives moment by moment.
② At that time, the kingdom of darkness that rules the world and the powers of darkness that deceive us are broken (Matthew 12:28). When the forces of darkness are broken, we begin to see the way forward, doors open, peace begins in our relationships, and we are able to save others (Mark 16:17–18).
③ The Kingdom of God that we will ultimately enjoy is the new heaven and new earth—the new Eden (Revelation 22:5). This was the original blessing God gave us. From the moment we are saved, it is a blessing that must be restored, beginning within us.
Conclusion – As the people requested, God permitted the establishment of a monarchy, and Saul was made king (verse 7). But his reign did not last. Lay yourself down. Hold on to the covenant and blessing God has given you (your authority and your mission). Whatever you do, keep the future God is preparing and waiting for in mind, especially the future generations who will be used in His plan. Do not hold on to your own thoughts, your own standards, or the opinions of the world, but hold on to God’s “only.”
10.11.26 What We Must Lay Down and Restore