1 Samuel 7

“Time went by until 20 years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel began to seek the Lord. Samuel told them, ‘If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashteroths that are among you, dedicate yourselves to the Lord, and worship only Him. Then He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.’ So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashteroths and only worshiped the Lord.” 1 Samuel 7:2-4 (HCSB)

Perhaps, you have been so caught up in the story that you have forgotten the man whom this book is named! Having been absent since 4:1, Samuel reappears to restore the severely judged Israel to repentance.

It is therapeutic to have tears and sorrow over sin. Repentance often begins with signs of grief and consciousness of misery. But true repentance consists of something more substantial.

Genuine repentance is tangible. It does not stop with weeping over sin but moves to concrete action: The putting away of foreign gods. The Lord teaches this pattern several times in Scripture.

“So, Jacob said to his family and all who were with Him, ‘Get rid of your foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes. We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me everywhere I have gone.’ Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem.” Genesis 35:2-4 (HCSB)

“Therefore, fear the Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River in Egypt, and worship Yahweh, choose for yourself today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.’” Joshua 24:14-15 (HCSB)

Is there something between you and the Lord which continues to cause you to fall? Get rid of it! Repentance is replacing sin-pursuance with the pursuit of righteousness. It is not simply saying, “I’m sorry,” or feeling remorse. It is harder than that! It took 20 years for Israel’s remorsefulness to become repentance. True repentance is spiritual warfare. It takes action, and God honors such actions with encouraging evidence of His presence. Consider the words of Jesus:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:15-18 (NKJV)