The beginning of the exodus from the Philistines
1 Samuel 17:1~11 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. (10~11)
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #289 What a Wonderful Change (#208 in previous version)
1 Samuel 17 shows us the time when the Israelites were under the rule of the Philistines and were suffering from oppression. There was no one in Israel who could fight and win against the Philistines, a powerful nation at that time. However, David, who was aware of God’s plan, fought and defeated Goliath of the Philistines and led the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines. It was possible because David saw in advance the answers that God had hidden behind the event and problems. What is God’s plan that we must discover today through the history of the exodus from the Philistines?
1. The Israelites suffered from the invasion of the Philistines.
When the Israelites were suffering from the invasion of the Philistines, Samson, a Nazirite, was born through his parents’ prayer. Nazirite means a man of God, and God desired to save the Israelites from the Philistines through Samson. However, with the passage of time, the Israelites lost hold of the covenant of God, endured great suffering at the hands of the Philistines, and even had the Ark of the Covenant snatched away from them. This was relayed to David through Samuel.
2. Samuel defended Israel against the invasion of the Philistines by prayer.
As time progressed, the flow of the covenant within the Israelites was cut off and the Philistines continued to persecute the Israelites. On top of all this, the Israelites lost the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines and both the Israelites and the Philistines were thrown into disasters. Realizing that God desired the Israelites to restore the Gospel, Samuel led the Mizpah movement within the whole Israel and gathered people of prayer. When the people who have the Gospel gathered together, restored the covenant and began 24-hour prayer, the wars in Israel came to an end.
3. David triumphed over the Philistines with the power that God gave to him.
Ever since he was young, David had the covenant that he received from Samuel. The first was to save the Israelites from the Philistines and the second was to build the temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. Holding to this covenant, David knew of the power of prayer of communicating with God, meditated on the Word of God and prepared his skills. In the end David defeated Goliath, a general from the Philistines, through the skills that he had prepared and led the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines.
- Samuel and David knew what God desired and communicated with Him through prayer. Let us find God’s plan for us today through prayer. Core Training Message / 2012.1.14