So All Israel

The book of 1 Samuel chapter 7. We started this chapter last week a little bit and there's a couple of verses in here that I would like to spend some time on and most of our time is going to be spent over the book of Exodus as a result of it. It's interesting to me that we find here in verse three about Samuel. Samuel was a prophet of God. Samuel was a judge of God. Samuel had a very special birth. Samuel is just a special person that God brought down to this earth to bless his people by. And we find so many types of Christ in this man. over his lifetime, the things that he does, the appointments that he makes. And he is very in tune with what God has to say to him. And he delivers what God has to say to him very faithfully.

In fact, it is interesting that one verse which says, not one word of Samuel's dropped to the ground. It wasn't a wasted word with people. And here in this passage of scripture, we have Samuel using a term about Israel. Israel is kind of the subject of this. It has been in the past, but we have noticed here in the book of Samuel that there's been much time that Israel was following other gods. And even though God encouraged some other people to speak to them, they continuously went back to that. And we have just seen that in chapter six. when the children of Israel brought out the Ark of the Covenant and it was taken from them and all of the things that took place as a result of that.

And then here we find in 1 Samuel 7, verse 3, and Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel. Now, I don't know whether everybody that was in what we know as Canaan or in the land of Israel was there or not, Just the same as we find that the Lord Jesus spoke to all the house of Israel. He did not have every member of Israel in that connotation. For our benefit, we have Samuel speaking to all the house of Israel.

And the Lord Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. And if we follow the context here, we find that what Samuel had to say These people seem to have performed, at least from an outward observance, and it's recorded in the Bible that way. It says, it came to pass, well, excuse me, verse three, 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 Ashtoreth 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. Then the children of Israel did put away Balaam and Ashtaroth and served the Lord.

What a type we have here of the church that Samuel called together all the house of Israel and all of Israel put away their idols. Now, last week we read a passage of scripture over there in 1 Thessalonians 1 about that's one of the ways that God blesses us when he saves us is he is capable, able, willing, and powerful enough to put away our gods.

Now we may think we're going to hang on to Him, but He puts them away and He makes Christ our only object of worship. He makes Him. And I like what Brother Henry was told one time, someone accused him of making Jesus into an idol, and he just simply said, an idol, object of worship. Okay, very kind compliment, thank you. That's what Jesus Christ is to the church, their object of worship. We worship the King, the Lord Jesus. Brother Paul. writes some very encouraging words as a secretary, as the Holy Spirit impressed upon him.

And that's found over in the book of Romans chapter 11. Would you join me over there for just a bit? In the book of Romans chapter 11, we find these encouraging words about Israel. What a blessing it is to find out that all that God purposed to save in the covenant of grace, all the names written down in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world, Every one of those that God gave to his son and his son died for on the cross shall be saved. Not one will be lost. And Paul was used of the spirit to speak of this great act that God will perform. And it tells us here in the book of Romans chapter 11, verse 25.

For I would not brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery. lest you should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, the full number. And so all Israel." Now it's a wonderful thing as we've been looking there at Cornelius and those that were saved of his household and those that were saved of his friends that came in to hear Peter. They're just as much Israel as Peter or Paul or any other Jew was. They are Israel. And here we find, so all Israel shall be saved. As it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer. and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."

So as we follow Samuel over here in 1 Samuel chapter 7, we find that he is instrumental in pointing all Israel away from idolatry and to the true and the living God and speaks of the blessings that God will give to the church when God does that very thing.

Go back with me, if you would, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 59, and here we have that quote that Paul brings up there in the book of Romans, chapter 11. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 59, there in verse 20, Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 20, I don't know about you, but I'm thankful for the folks that put chapters and verses in the Bible. I'd hate to have to say, okay, roll your scroll, 24 and a half rolls. Here we get to just say simply that.

All right, here in the book of Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 20, and the Redeemer shall come to Zion and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. So the prophecy is made here. Paul is led by the Holy Spirit to this prophetic statement and brings it up and says, all Israel shall be saved. All Israel shall be saved. Everyone that God ever purposed to save in the covenant of grace, everyone that Jesus Christ died for.

And we can go to the 17th chapter of the book of John and find five or six times that Jesus said, all that you gave me, all that you gave me. All right, now going back to the book of 1 Samuel 7. In 1 Samuel 7, I want to notice four verses of scripture here, and then we're going to go over to the book of Exodus. In the book of 1 Samuel 7, verse 3, we've read this, but we want to read it again. And it tells us here in 1 Samuel chapter seven and verse three, and Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel.

And then he gave him those instructions. In verse four, and the children of Israel did put away Balaam and Ashtaroth and serve the Lord. In verse six of this, and we're not gonna read it all right now, but we will in time. It says, they gathered together in Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord. And this is so symbolic. It takes us right down to when the Lord Jesus was there in the temple, outside the temple, and said, if any man thirsts, let him drink of the water of life freely. So he's making a picture here. 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 at Mizpah. Who said we have sinned? That's the message the church delivers. We have sinned.

And then in verse 11 of that same chapter, and it says, and the men of Israel went out to Mizpah and pursued the Philistines. So here is victory that God gives Israel. Here is deliverance God gives Israel. Here's instructions that God gives Israel. So all Israel came at Samuel's request and Samuel instructed them and it gives us what happened as a result of that.

Well that just led me to some thoughts that are found over in the book of Exodus and I'd like to read several verses over here. We're going to read in all of this is really before they got out into the there at Mount Sinai. There's many verses of scripture in this section that tell us about God's particular care of Israel, that he made difference between Israel and Egypt.

And he signified that several ways. And this is truly how God makes a difference between the world and the church even today. He has made a deference. there is a big difference between the church and the world. God has purpose to save one and not to save the others.

So if you would turn with me to the book of Exodus chapter three. In the book of Exodus chapter three, we have this beginning words that God gives to us as Moses was led by the spirit to write And in Exodus chapter three, as we look at the subject of all Israel being saved, here we have some of the things that God did in a physical form, in a reality form, in a real form that applies spiritually to what he does for his people. Here in the book of Exodus chapter three, verse nine, we read these words, the Lord left us.

Now therefore behold the cry of the children of Israel. You know, when I read that, it struck me that that's the only cry that God has ever heard of all the cries that have ever gone up. Of how many people have said, in a bad sort, I'm having trouble. On and on it goes. Here we have that the only ones that God ever listened to was Israel. And the only ones that he'll ever listen to is the cries of the church. Now we don't know we're crying before we're born again. We don't know what we're doing.

But God has his eye on us just like he has had his eye on us from eternity. So the things that he puts us through before we're saved, the things that he brings into our life before we're saved, He says, I hear this. It's something that, well, he said there, now therefore behold the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me, and I've also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppressed them. The Lord sees the condition that his church is in before he saves them. He sees the sin that they're in. He sees the results of the fall, and he's the only one that understands the completeness of that fall that we are in. But it's God that can see that, and he's the one that's concerned about that, and he's the one that's going to deliver his people out of that. So now in verse, he noticed that the Egyptians oppressed him. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh. that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. I'm going to bring my people out of Israel. Israel! I'm going to bring them out of Egypt. They are there. They're there by divine appointment.

If there was ever a place in the scripture that shares with us that God was privy to what was going on in the Garden of Eden, and in fact he purposed it so that the Savior could save his people from sin and our sin, We find it right here in the book of Exodus when God is dealing with the children of Israel there.

He told Abraham they will be in servitude 400 years. Now he knows the exact day when they went in and he knows the exact day when he'll take them out. And that's the same about the church. He knows the exact day when we fell. We fell on Adam. And he knows the exact day when he's going to lift us out of that pit. He's going to deliver us. There wasn't a vote in 400 years by Israel. We should get an army together and we should get a captain together and we should get out of here. It's not in our ability to go into that from a spiritual standpoint.

So they followed the gods of Egypt many times. They carried some of them with them out of Egypt. But here it says, come, verse 10, come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

And Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? Who am I to do that? Well, we're gonna find out that Moses was just an instrument in the hand of God, and God's gonna do all the work. Well, just a little further in there, verse 13, notice verse 13. 13, and Moses said unto God, behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers has sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, what is his name? What shall I say to them?

You know, this name that he mentions here in verse 14, he only reveals that name to the church. He did that in the New Testament when Jesus says, I am. When those guys came after him to arrest him, he just said, I am, that he's been supplied. I am the door. I am the good shepherd. All of those things only apply to the church. The church is the only group, the only assembly that can ever hear those words.

And here we have, God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, thou shall say unto the children of Israel, They're the only ones that will hear it. I am has sent me unto you. So here we have God's description of himself, and this is the description by which he will reveal himself unto Israel. In chapter four, would you turn with me to chapter four of this great book of Exodus? In chapter four, verse 22, we talk about Israel again. Chapter four, verse 22, and thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, This is the instructions to Moses.

Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. Now he never gives that kind of term to anyone else but the church. Israel is my son. Now that's how much protective care he's going to give to Israel, is father to son. He is my son. Now, he's gonna let his son go through a lot, but he knows exactly when they went into servitude. He knows exactly when he will bring them out of servitude. And they're in servitude, because of God and because of sin.

All right, go on to verse 31 of this chapter, verse 31. And the people believed when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that he had looked upon their affliction. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped Now we're going to find out this is a little hard on us for a little bit later, but this is really the activity of the church before God. He said they believed and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, God is dealing with them.

How blessed it is that God would deal with Israel. Every member of Israel all of Israel that he would do this and this is results of his visit with them They bowed their heads and worshipped. This is what God does to his people This is how God blesses his people even in the servitude that they have Only Israel can worship God No other nation can Only Israel God has a concern for, no other nation does he. Only Israel God will reveal himself as the I Am, not to any other nation on the earth. Only Israel, all of Israel. In chapter five of this, verses one and two, we have this, and just remember, Samuel called all Israel. And it appeared, all Israel came. And he said those words, and all Israel worshiped God.

All right? Verse 1 of chapter 5. And afterwards Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. Let my people go. people go. It's the only group of people God ever says, they're my people. And Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?

I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. You know, no truer statement could be said about the world. No truer statement could be said about those who are on the left-hand side. I don't know the Lord. I don't know Jehovah. I have no concept of this. And, you know, preachers today are trying to get people to do something that's impossible to do, and that is to trust Christ that they don't even have any concept of. It's God that reveals Christ to us. It is God that gives us the belief to believe Him.

And so this is Pharaoh's statement about that, but God's statement about it is He's my son, and let my people go. In chapter 7, would you turn there with me? in Exodus chapter seven. We read this about Israel, Exodus chapter seven. And there in verse one, Exodus chapter seven, verse one. And the Lord said unto Moses, see, I have made thee a God to Pharaoh. and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

Thou shall speak all that I command thee, and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, and he shall send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my armies and my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among you."

I'm taking all Israel out of Egypt. And it is going to appear as if Egypt is going to be successful in reclaiming them, but I've purposed this, and I will take care of every one of them. You know, it's only Israel that has all their enemies taken care of. All Israel. Their sin is put away. Every enemy they ever had is put away. Jesus Christ took care of that at the cross. So here we have Israel could not take one, many ounce of credit for their deliverance. Every bit of it, the credit is going to be in the hands of God.

And Moses knows this, and the children of Israel, who truly were the children of Israel, also know this. Moving ahead just a little bit into Exodus chapter nine. Would you travel with me to Exodus chapter nine? In Exodus chapter nine, verse four, We have this statement made about the Lord with regard to Israel.

He is going to make people know that he has a difference. They are a different group from beginning to end, eternity to eternity. They are a different group. They are called many things throughout the scriptures. They are called my people, my children, my son. They are called The church, they're called my sheep, they're called many things throughout the scriptures. But we find that there is one group that God has from the very beginning, from eternity, has had his eye on, and that he will promise to take care of them. And nothing shall get in their way that they will not be saved by his grace.

Here it tells us that God is going to share with us, the Lord, Jehovah, is going to share with us some of the ways that he's going to reveal this with the children of Israel, natural children of Israel in Egypt. I'm going to show Egypt and I'm going to show Israel that there's a difference here.

You are different folk. You don't have a mother that's a Hittite and a mother that's a Hivite. All right, verse four, the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt. What's that mean? He'll make a difference. In just the cattle of Egypt and the cattle of Israel. And there shall nothing die of all that is the children of Israel.

What a statement God makes here. Who's to say that there hadn't been some intermingling here? And I don't read that they were using brands back there or earmarks. But I read right here, God knows the difference. This one belongs to Egypt, it's gonna die. This one belongs to Israel, it will survive. All right, let's follow this a little further into verse 26 of the same chapter. is God makes a difference. He continuously shares with us there is a difference. Now, before we're saved, we can't tell the difference. My goodness.

We live like everybody else, acted like everybody else. Not a bit of difference from the outward, but God had always had a mark on his people. And He's always had their names written down. He's always had an investment in them. He's always had a purpose with them. All right, here in chapter 9 and verse 26, it says, only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no ale?

Now every once in a while we hear of a freak storm. When Nancy and I were down in North Carolina this last week, or two weeks, three weeks ago, three weeks now, we have a friend down there who is quite involved in the legion, American legion. And she goes over Saturday and sells hot dogs at the legion meeting. Well, this last year, one building in all of Jacksonville, North Carolina was hit by a tornado, not a hurricane, a tornado, and destroyed the American Legion Hall, except for the kitchen. It was still standing with all the appliances.

Now, I'm just using that as an example. how different God works here, it is not going to hail on any of my people. Now over there in Egypt, it's gonna hail terribly. There's not gonna be anything left of vegetation after this hail. It is a very special hail that God sent there. But he said, it's not going to happen.

But there, verse 20, 26, only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. how he differentiates, how he knows the difference, how he can set one aside and deal with the other. As he can put, as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats, putting all the sheep on the right-hand side and all the goats on the left-hand side. And you know, there's a whole bunch of goats thought they were sheep. And there's a whole bunch on the right-hand side that are surprised. I didn't know you made it. All right, let's go on here. Chapter 10 of this. Chapter 10 of the book of Exodus. Now, in chapter 10, verse 22. Chapter 10, verse 22. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.

You know, there's not a word in this that there was a candle lit or that there was a lantern lit. That's not the light he's talking about. But it was total darkness there in Egypt for three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Now talk about differentiate. He put a special light. He didn't allow them to have candles and he didn't allow them to have lanterns. That's not the issue.

They had the light of God in their homes. For three days they could look out and couldn't see any light anywhere else in all of Egypt except in the house of all of Israel. They had light. What a statement he is making here with regards to spiritual light. Only the house of Israel has spiritual light, has spiritual understanding.

As we follow this through in Exodus chapter 11, in Exodus chapter 11. We read these words, Exodus chapter 11, and there in verse seven, it says, but against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue. What's that mean? When the children of Israel at the appointed time are brought out of Egypt, a dog's not even gonna bark. I'm just so impressed. No hail, didn't kill a cow, lied in Israel, took care of Israel. They're my children, my son. I'll bring them out.

Here it says, and against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against any man or beast, that ye may know how that the Lord hath put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. God had made a difference between the Egyptians and Israel, and God knew exactly who they were. Exodus chapter 12, would you join me there? Verse 40. In Exodus chapter 12, in verse 40, we read these words. Exodus chapter 12, verse 40 and verse 41.

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years. Now where'd that 30 years come from? That's the years that Joseph was on the throne. There arose a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph. And he put these guys, now we can go back to the book of Genesis and God told Abraham exactly how long they're gonna be in servitude, 400 years. Well, that's not fair. We don't get to vote on it.

God's already taken care of it. He is just telling us in those words that He knows exactly, in fact, He purposed how long it would be before He would save His people out of sin. You know what Paul said or was led to write about when he was saved? When it pleased God. that Saul of Tarsus didn't have a vote in them. When it pleased God. I've shared with you, I just got down in the dumps one time about, Lord, why didn't you save me sooner? It made life a whole lot easier. And that verse was brought to my attention. When it pleased God.

Okay, I can... Now the sojourn in verse 40 of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was 430 years. And it came to pass at the end of 430 years, even the self same day, it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 400 years of servitude to the day. I like the way God keeps his clock.

It's very exact. And then if you'll follow me over to the book of Exodus chapter 13. Exodus chapter 13 verse 18. We read this. But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. They went up prepared, dressed, they had bread, they had gold, they had silver, they were free. And then we read about the Red Sea incident.

And then the last one I want to look at is found in the book of Joshua, chapter 3. Joshua, chapter 3. In the book of Joshua, chapter 3, after all those years of traveling to the wilderness, back and forth, back and forth, until that whole generation died. They all died in unbelief. Now we have in Joshua chapter 3 verse 17 these wonderful words that God left us about all Israel.

The Apostle Paul was led to write, and all Israel shall be saved. All Israel left Egypt. All Israel was protected during those plagues. Every household in Egypt, including Israel, all Israel, there was a death on the night of the Passover. In the households of all Israel, it was the death of a substitute. In the households of all the Egyptians, it was the death of the firstborn. God made a difference. He instructed Israel about blood and about substitution. All right, here in the book of Joshua chapter three, verse 17.

And the priests that bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firm on the dry ground in the midst of Jordan. Now just remember, this is the Jordan River at flood stage, and it is opened up, much like the Red Sea was opened up, and people walked through dry shod. It was not muddy, it was pavement. They could travel through very easily. The priest that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan.

Now notice this, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. Not one of the house of Israel, not one of the children of Israel, not one of all Israel was lost. Many died over there in the wilderness, but all Israel was delivered over Jordan, as we read here in Joshua chapter 3 and verse 17.

Now many, many years, and I was going to look up, I just found out that that I don't know who does it, but I type in how far was it between the Passover and 1 Samuel chapter, and they give you an estimate. Probably about 450 years. There's been about that much time.

And this same wonderful account goes out again when Samuel said, all Israel. He spoke to all Israel. Now he's going to do that. And in the book of 1 Samuel, his ministry is relatively short. It's no wonder people wonder who wrote the book of 1 and 2 Samuel, because he's going to be gone here in just a very short order. A lot of things are going to happen.

But he is a wonderful representative as a prophet, and he is a judge of Israel, and he does that for many years, and he judges honestly. He judges as God would judge. He is a wonderful type and a shadow of our Savior, the Lord Jesus, and he has Israel at his heart. All Israel shall be saved. We'll stop there tonight, and we'll pick this Lord willing up at the next appointed time.

So All Israel

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