“And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ‘If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’ So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.” (1 Sa 7:3-4)
As the ark, representing God’s holy Word and His presence, was returning back to Israel, Samuel brought repentance to the people of Israel turning them back to God. He did so in preparation for the coming crowning of David as king over Israel, David being a picture of Messiah.
Samuel was a Nazirite and a prophet. He was an Elijah figure preparing the way for the Lord, just as John the Baptist. Both of them were born of mothers who were barren, but conceived by God’s grace alone.
The angel spoke about John the Baptist before his birth:
“…he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Lk 1:13-17)
Samuel as well as Elijah and John the Baptist appeared at spiritual low points in Israel’s history and restored the people back to God. The Scriptures say that before the Messiah comes again, this same ministry will once again return to prepare the way for the Lord.
“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Mal 4:4-6)
We are now once again living in a time of great spiritual darkness and lawlessness. Yeshua promised His disciples: “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.” (Mt 17:11) The ministry of Elijah will restore a people who are willing to repent to be ready for Messiah.
Repentance, turning from sin to serve God only by obeying His Word, is the key if you want to be ready. “So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only.” (1 Sa 7:4) They forsook the Baals, the gods of materialism, and the Ashtaroth, the gods of sensuality and sexual immorality, and started to serve God only.
“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’” (1 Ki 18:21)
“[John] said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.’” (Lk 3:7-8)
May Elijah come quickly in our days with Messiah Son of David!
