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Esther Griggs

Bible reflectionOur Great Deliverer

Ebenezer

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

Ebenezer is a strange word that we encounter in the hymn Come thou fount of every Blessing. Here is the story behind it. The Ark of the Covenant now rested at the house of Abinadab on the hill. Eleazar was consecrated to care for it. During this time, Samuel exhorted the people to return to the Lord, put away their foreign gods and prepare their hearts. Samuel then gathered the people at Mizpah to pray for them. In 1 Samuel 7, we read of the Israelites turning to God, an encounter with their enemy, and God’s intervention on their behalf.

Repentance

When Samuel spoke to the people, they put away their false idols and served only the true God. They came at Samuel’s call to Mizpah where they fasted and confessed their sin.

Encounter with the Enemy

While at Mizpah the enemy came. How often does a test come to prove the work of God in the heart of His people? Gathered there, the lords of the Philistines came against them. Their fear, instead of turning back to the old ways, caused them to call on Samuel to intercede for them.

God’s Intervention

God intervened. When Samuel made an offering there and cried out to God. The Lord answered. He sent a loud thunder which confused the enemy, and the Israelites overcame them. Samuel then built an altar and called it Ebenezer, stating, “Thus far, the Lord has helped us.” Because they returned to God, when the enemy came, God’s power was there to deliver them. Because of Jesus, when our hearts are turned toward God, we call on Abba Father in our fear. Even though our faith may be as small as a grain of mustard seed, He will deliver us as He did the Israelites from the Philistines. These times should be memorialized, to give us something to encourage our feeble memories. In 1 Samuel 7, we read of the Israelites turning to God, an encounter with their enemy, and God’s intervention on their behalf.

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Alive in Christthe Glory of JesusThe Resurrection

Alive

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared in His earthly body to His disciples, alive. The gospels of John and Luke tell the stories. Mary Magdalene thought He was the gardener until he uttered her name. Thomas couldn’t believe until Jesus encouraged him to reach and touch His wounds. The two walking on the Emmaus Road didn’t recognize Him until their eyes were opened as He broke bread with them. Jesus showed up, alive, let them touch Him, and ate with them. He was not a ghost. These witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus tell of His power over death, His continued presence among the living, and His power toward those who believe.

His Power Over Death

The disciples witnessed His resurrection. The apostle Paul referred to Jesus as the first fruits of those who had fallen asleep. He writes of Adam by whom death came, and of Christ Jesus, through whom came the resurrection of the dead. Now, we bear the dust of the first man; in Christ, the Second Man, the heavenly. “Death is swallowed up in victory.” We need no longer fear death.

His Continued Presence

Not a moment goes by in the life of a believer without His continued presence. The apostle John records Jesus telling the disciples He had to go prepare a place for them, and would return, but, in the meantime, His Spirit would come as a comforter, teacher, and guide. Matthew writes when Jesus ascended into heaven, He said, “I am with you always.”

The Power to Live for Him

The same Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead is alive in the believer. Paul writes to the Ephesians and to us, “That you may know  … what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.” These witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus tell of His power over death, His continued presence among the living, and His power toward those who believe.

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Cross of ChristEaster

A Willing Sacrifice

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

The Old Testament scriptures point to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, a willing sacrifice. Among them is the beautifully written passage of the suffering servant found in Isaiah 53 where we read of the Man, His mission, and God’s seal of approval.

The Man

God will watch the Man grow up. There will be no physical attributes to make Him desirable. Men will hate and reject Him. He will be well acquainted with sorrow and grief. It will be difficult to look on Him, this despised Man, nor give Him true worth. When oppressed, He will keep silent. He will be cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgressions of His people. He will experience prison and judgement. His grave will be with the wicked and He will be with the rich at His death. No violence will be found in Him, nor any deceit.

His Mission

What was His mission? He was to bear our grief and carry our sorrows. We will see Him as afflicted by God when He was wounded for our sins, bruised for our iniquities, chastised for our peace, and whipped for our healing. In our going astray, each in our own ways, God, the Lord laid on Him our iniquity.

God’s Seal

God’s seal is on these things. Isaiah writes, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.” How can this be? We struggle to comprehend the actions of a loving Father. Then we read, “When You make His soul an offering for sin.” And further on, “My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.” Then comes the reward! “I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong.” God didn’t do it to Jesus. This Jesus, as best described in Hebrews 10:5, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. And in Hebrews 10:7. “Behold I have come–In the volume of the book it is written of Me-to do Your will, O God,” was a willing sacrifice.

In this beautifully written passage of the suffering servant found in Isaiah 53, we read of the Man, His mission and God’s seal of approval. Rejoice and be glad!!

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EasterJesus, King of Kings Lord of LordspraiseProphecy

The King Arrives

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

“Rejoice greatly! Shout O daughter of Jerusalem!” The words of the prophet Zechariah ring through the ages. To a nation suffering the ups and downs of a tormented history, waiting the arrival of the long promised Messiah, he admonishes them to rejoice. The Holy Spirit of God moved Zechariah to proclaim these words, brought them to fruition, and leaves us with an eternal truth.

The Holy Spirit

The Spirit moved mighty men of God to speak His truth. We don’t know how much Zechariah understood, but we know he didn’t see the fulfillment of the words. He knew however, that in the fulfillment of the words, his prophetic voice would be validated.

Word Bears Fruit

Both Matthew and Luke begin the story of the triumphal entry by crediting Zechariah with the prophesy of this event. Though he lived in the days of Darius and was murdered between the temple and the altar, the words he spoke were of the Spirit and as such, produced fruit. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s foal, the people erupted in praise. The Son of God had been moving throughout their towns, healing, teaching, delivering. The time to rejoice had come.

An Eternal Truth

It is an eternal truth. The eternal God is worthy of praise. His Son Jesus is the King of all Kings and Lord of Lords. When He is in attendance, there must be praise. When the religious leaders told Jesus to quiet his followers Jesus said, “I will tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

God speaks forth His word, it accomplishes what it was meant to do, and His praise goes forth! It is time to sing the high praises of our God!

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The ark of the covenant

The Ark in the Enemy’s Camp

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

The ark of the covenant represented God to the Israelites. They believed it would bring them victory over their Philistine oppressors, but, it was captured by them. The ark was not to be trifled with and it wreaked havoc in the enemy’s camp. Its presence humiliated the Philistine god Dagon and brought its people to destruction, demanding a solution.

Dagon Humiliated

Dagon represented the big daddy of the Philistine gods. The large man like statue had its own house. The Philistines set the ark in Dagon’s house beside him. The first morning after, Dagon had fallen on his face toward the ark. They repositioned the statue. The following morning, it again had fallen on its face. This time however, the head and the palms were broken off and lay in the threshold. The ark of God’s presence proved too powerful for the Philistine god.

Destruction

Dagon was affected, but there was also widespread destruction. The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the city of Ashdod and surrounding territory. The land was ravaged by rats and tumours grew on the people. They begged the Philistine Lords to send it away. to Gath. The results were the same so it was sent on to Ekron where the devastation was either death or, tumours. The land and its people were devastated by its nearness for seven months.

Demanding A Solution

The great outcry of the people demanded a solution. They called on their priests and diviners. What could they do to get it back to its proper place? They didn’t want to send it back empty so they made golden images of the rats and the tumours as a trespass offering. They remembered how the Egyptians hardened their hearts toward the Israelites. They decided to build a new cart to transport the ark with the golden articles and they found two milk cows to take it to Beth – Shemesh. If the cows found their way, it would verify it had been acts of God. The cows did not vere from the path indicating God almighty had been in their midst. The people of Beth-Shemesh rejoiced to see it return.

The presence of the ark in the area of the Philistines humiliated their god Dagon and brought its people to destruction, demanding a solution.

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Prophecy

Fulfilled

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

The first message God delivered to Samuel was of events that would tingle the ears of all who had heard. He was a boy, frightened by what he had heard and only when Eli pressured him to, did he reveal it. It wasn’t a new message. A man of God delivered the dire message to Eli previously. The prophet Amos wrote God doesn’t do anything without revealing His secrets to the prophets, His servants. In these first few chapters of 2 Samuel, God gave a message of judgement, later confirmed and in His time, fulfilled it.

Judgement

God hates wickedness, and He will judge it. The apostle Peter states that it begins with God’s house. Eli’s son’s, God’s representatives to His people, profaned the offering, and dishonoured the people of God. Eli knew of it and did nothing to restrain them. God said he would remove his house from their place in the the priesthood.

Confirmed

The message to Eli, through the unnamed prophet, was also confirmed when God spoke it to Samuel. No prophecy, according to Peter, comes from one’s own personal interpretation. It isn’t an act of man’s will. Rather it is people moved by the Holy Spirit. God confirmed the message by also giving it to Samuel.

Fulfilled

God fulfilled the prophecy, as He always does, in His own time. During a battle with the Philistines, rather than looking to God, the people of Israel looked to the Ark of the covenant for their help. When it came into the camp, the people made such a noise that the Philistines, fearing for their lives, attacked them. The Ark of the covenant was taken and Eli’s sons died. Eli, upon hearing the news, fell over backwards and died. His daughter-in-law gave birth and named her child Ichabod, which means the glory of the Lord has departed. This was a sad ending to their highly esteemed positions in the priesthood. In these first few chapters of 1 Samuel, God gave a message of judgement, later confirmed and in His time fulfilled it.

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ProphecyThe word

Credibility

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

When surfing social media, the gift of discernment is crucial. Credibility is often lacking in the written word as well as the images displayed. Before the days of social media, when a prophet spoke, it had to be credible. They spoke the words of God. Samuel, as a child, began his journey of credibility under God’s tutelage. It was a time when God’s word was rare, God needed a vessel, and His word was established.

God’s Word: Rare

In 1 Samuel 3 verse 1, we read that at this time the word of God was rare. There was no widespread revelation. We know that Hannah was desperate for God to speak into her situation. She honoured Him when His answer was the gift of her son, by lending him to the Lord. I wonder if her experience made her family and neighbours hungry for the word of God.

Needed: A Vessel

God needed a vessel, someone whose word could be trusted. He spoke to the child Samuel. The Lord was with him as he grew and did not allow his words to fail. It became known throughout Israel, God spoke through Samuel. God established him as a trustworthy spokesman.

God’s Word: Established

In Isaiah 46, God states, “I am God.” There is no other like Him who declares the end from the beginning, who from ancient times declares things not yet done. His counsel stands, the words He has spoken will come to pass, the things He has purposed, He will do! Further in Isaiah 55, we read that like rain or snow which come from heaven to water the earth causing seed to come for the sower and the bud for bread, His word goes forth, from His mouth, and it will not return to Him without fruit. God established Samuel in his day for this purpose.

It was a time when God’s word was rare, God needed a vessel, and His word was established. “Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh.”

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Children

Building A Prophet

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

King solomon wrote, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he won’t depart from it.” But what goes into building a prophet? It is an awesome gift to raise a child! Can we learn from Samuel’s early life to understand the man he became? First of all, Hannah recognized the great gift he was from God, secondly, he was familiar with the things of God, and thirdly, he learned to hear and respond to God.

A Great Gift

Each child is a great gift. Hannah responded to the birth of her child with joy. He was the answer to her prayers. Her heart rejoiced and she sang praises to God. In the years he was within their home, she knew he was a gift and she prepared to lend him to the LORD. Then yearly, when she went to worship, she took him a little robe.

Familiar With the Things of God

Samuel was familiar with the things of God. Hannah cared for him until he was weaned. Women in Hannah’s culture, weaned their babies later than in our own. Samuel could have been between 3- 5 when he was presented to the priest. These are the years most profound for the child’s growth. I imagine Hannah singing the Song of Deborah or Miriam, or Moses, as she rocked her son or telling him the great stories of Moses and Aaron, of Joshua and Caleb, of their slavery and God’s deliverance. When Hannah presented him as a child to Eli the priest, he ministered before the LORD, as a child wearing the ephod, the clothing of the high priest.

Learning to Hear

Despite the love and care Hannah gave to the child, he still had to learn to hear God’s voice. Samuel, upon hearing the voice of God the first few times, assumed it was Eli. After three times, Eli realized that it was the LORD calling him. He gave him wise instruction. If you hear the voice again this is what you must say. “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.” There was no widespread revelation in these years but God found a boy whose guardian, taught him to hear His voice.

Receiving the gift of a child is an awesome responsibility. Jesus loved the children and encouraged the disciples to let them come to Him. What can we learn from Samuel’s childhood about building a prophet or at least, a child who can hear the voice of God? First of all, his mother recognized the great gift he was from God, secondly, he was familiar with the things of God, and thirdly he learned to hear and respond to God’s voice.

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praiseprayerSufferingWomen in Leadership

The Mother of a Prophet

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

Hannah, the young woman whose infertility sent her to God, became the mother of a prophet. Her son became the voice of God to the nation of Israel. In 1 Samuel 2 we read her song, a song given birth through suffering. Within it, we discover what Hannah learned about God, what He did for her, and His ways among men.

Learned of God

The truths Hannah learned about God caused her to declare, “There is none holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.” She learned that He was a God of knowledge, the pillars of the earth belong to Him because He set the earth on them. In addition, He is the judge of all the earth and He guards the feet of His saints.

What He did

Hannah’s life changed by what He did for her. Now she rejoices in the LORD, her strength is exalted in the LORD. She smiles at her enemies because she can rejoice in the salvation of God. While her tormentor has become feeble, she now has seven children.

His Ways Among Men

She also learned His ways among men. The Lord lifts the needy and humbles the proud. He turns circumstances around; the bows of mighty men are broken while those who stumbled are girded with strength, those who were full become those who sell themselves for bread, while the hungry ceased to hunger. He makes poor and He makes rich. He brings down to the grave and He brings up. He raises the poor from the dust and the beggar from the ash heap to set them among princes and makes them to inherit the throne of glory. He is the God who will give strength to His king and lift up the strength of His anointed.

From Hannah’s song in I Samuel 2, we discovered what Hannah learned about God, what He did for her, and His ways among men.

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prayerSufferingWhen in trouble

Hannah’s Story

by Esther Griggs
written by Esther Griggs

Hannah’s story is found in the first two chapters of 1 Samuel. It is a story of emotional upheaval. Her barrenness, and the provocation she received from her husband’s other wife, made life unbearable. But God saw Hannah and met her need. Hannah, in her despair, was misunderstood, looked to God and before the answer came, her countenance changed.

Misunderstood

Hannah was misunderstood. Her husband could not understand the grief of her barrenness. He loved her and gave double to her but the pain remained. He thought she should be satisfied by his love for her. Then she went to the temple and cried out to God. Eli, the priest looking on, thought she was drunk and told her to put her wine away.

Looked to God

The yearly trip to the synagogue indicated their worship of the true God. After the feast she went to the temple where she petitioned the LORD for a male child. She promised to give him back to the LORD for his whole life.

A Change in Countenance

Soon after, there was a change to Hannah’s countenance. Speaking to Eli the priest, she described herself as a woman of sorrowful spirit. He said, “Go in peace and may the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” Then the scripture reads, “She went her way and ate, her countenance, no longer sad.” Hannah’s face changed. Even before the birth of Samuel it changed. She had taken her burden to the LORD and trusted it to Him.

Hannah, in her despair, was misunderstood, looked to God and before the answer came, her countenance changed.

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