When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. – 1 Samuel 7:17

Today's Scripture Reading (May 17, 2025): 1 Samuel 7

In March 2020, my church stopped holding services because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not everyone agreed with the decision. Some would rather have flouted the local health regulations and taken the consequences, or maybe more precisely, would rather have had me take the consequences, but most seemed to understand that drastic measures were needed. It was an unprecedented time. Nothing in our living memory had ever had to deal with anything resembling it. Regardless of our opinions, in hindsight, we were all unsure what we should be doing.

When we shut down, the decision was made midweek, so there was no time to say goodbye and stay safe. It reminded me of a story about Dwight Moody and the Great Chicago Fire. According to the story, Moody was in the middle of his Sunday evening service when the fire alarms started to ring. Moody ended the service early and sent the people to discover what was happening. What Moody didn't know was that by the time the flames were put out, many of the people who had gathered in the church on that night would be killed by the fire. And it was with great regret that Moody realized he hadn't taken the time to ensure the people were ready for death. It was something he lamented for the rest of his life. 

I felt the same way as we shut the church down. By the time the health regulations were relaxed and we reopened the church, I had lost six friends, although none of them had died as a direct result of the pandemic. There are still other faces missing from the congregation, and I can't tell you how much I miss every one of them. 

Israel gathered at Mizpah, at the instructions of Samuel, for a moment of national repentance. If Israel wanted to be delivered out of the hands of their enemies, it was repentance that would be the first step to that kind of deliverance.

The Philistines heard about the gathering and probably believed that Israel was gathering for war. So, they decided to strike first. They were confident that since they had been able to best Israel before, they could do it again. And if they caught word that Israel was in a moment of national repentance, they might have even equated that as a time of national weakness. Now might be the time to take care of the Israelite problem forever.

Some argue that Israel should have reacted with more confidence, knowing that their God was on their side and that they would win the battle. However, Israel was very confident during the earlier conflict (1 Samuel 4) and lost the battle. Israel recognized that it would be another loss if the struggle were left up to them. Only if God stepped up did they have a chance at winning. On this day, Israel would learn an important principle that Paul would write about later. "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 8