1 Samuel 7:1

1 Samuel 7:1 says, And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.  The men of Kirjathjearim got the Ark, brought it to the house of house of Abinadab, and sanctified Eleazar Abinadab's son to keep it.  Matthew Henry said the Ark remained there for many years, never to have any more heard about it until David retrieved it, except for once in 1 Samuel 14:18.  He said the men there allowed what should have been a blessing to become a curse.  There definitely was no mention of them consulting God about anything that they did.  Still, God allowed the Ark to remain there, and they had made the effort to attend to it properly.  We likewise cannot just keep the Gospel to ourselves today, even if we attempt to keep its truth for ourselves.  Verse two adds, And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.  As stated, the Ark remained there for twenty years while the people lamented to the LORD, not really very concerned about where the Ark was, even though it was back in Israel. We don't need to sit around lamenting God's seeming lack of action in the world today, because He is here if we will only obey Him.  Verse three states, And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.  During this time, Samuel called on the people of Israel to repent, return to God, and put away their false gods.  Then, if they did, God would free them from the hand of the Philistines.  If we want God to bless us as individuals or as a nation, we must do the same thing.  Verse four adds, Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.  The people responded to Samuel's call, and put away their idols to Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.  If we have allowed idols, which is anything that comes between God and us, into our life, we need to put whatever it is away, and serve God only.  Verse five continues, And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.  Samuel called on the people of Israel to gather at Mizpeh, and he would pray for them.  We need to be willing to gather together as the church today, spiritually and physically, and all be in prayer for God's will to be done in the world.  Verse six says, And they gathered together to Mizpeh, 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 children of Israel in Mizpeh.  The people took action to show that they had repented.  Matthew Henry says the pouring of the water on the ground was symbolic of their humiliation and contrition, since the water once poured out could not be gathered again.  We cannot undo our sins by our own power, but must allow God to forgive us by putting our faith Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seven adds, And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.  When the Philistines heard that the people of Israel were gathered at Mizpeh they went up against them, and the people of Israel were afraid.  They still were not totally trusting in the LORD.  We today as followers of Christ should never live in fear of the world, because we have already won no matter what happens in this life.  Verse eight continues, And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.  The people of Israel asked Samuel to pray that God would not forget them, and that He would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines.  We as Christians today know that God will never forget us,and that He has already delivered us out of the hands of all our enemies. Verse nine concludes,  And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.  Samuel offered a sacrifice of a young lamb to God as a burnt sacrifice, cried out to God, and God heard Him.  The only acceptable sacrifice for sin has already been made for us, and that is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and all we need to do is cry out to Him by faith, and He will hear us.