Sovereign Lord,
Again, we are confronted with the evil of Israel and our own hearts. In the final years of the judges, the spiritual leadership of Israel had fallen into blatant acts of rebellion and sexual promiscuity. They continued going their own way. They resisted You, Your Law, and the warnings You sent to them.
Yet, You, in Your power, gave conception to a barren woman. You raised up her son, Samuel, as a stark contrast to the corruption of Hophni and Phineas. You took the humble barren woman, Hannah, and her humble son and lifted them up. You promised to bring down the rebellious leadership, and You kept Your promise.
May You warn us in these chapters that You do not tolerate evil. May You encourage us that You bring down the proud and rebellious, but You raise up the humble. Humble us under Your mighty hand, today and everyday. Remind us that You have placed Your King in Zion. May we pay homage to Him.
Guard us from idolizing Samuel or Hannah or any of Your servants. Instead, may the failures of the priests and successes of Your servants cause us to look to Jesus, the eternal High Priest, who gave Himself for us and forever intercedes for us.
May our church leaders be men who lead us to stand against evil. May they be men who are clearly confirmed by You, speaking Your words without compromise. May they be confirmed by You, facing the evil of this world with the Good News of Jesus, Your exalted King. Protect our leaders, and all the church, from the Evil One and his schemes.
May we all continually find refuge in Christ and in Him find blessing.
Amen (1 Samuel 1-3; Psalm 2; 1 Peter 5:5-6; Hebrews 2:14-18, 6:19-20, Hebrews 7:25)
Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Living Blog 