“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 Ashtaroth 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” (1 Sam. 7:3). 

Samuel is exhorting the defeated nation who “lamented after the Lord” (1 Kings 7:2) to do several things if they would be right with God.  Preparation is a vital quality of success as the Bible teaches.  Men sometimes pray before the preaching that God would give him a “ready recollection of the things he has prepared to say.”  What if the song leader is not prepared in the leading of the singing?  What if no one made preparation for the taking of the Lord’s Supper?  Expectations are high when it comes to those who lead, but what about the preparing of the hearts of the worshippers to worship and live out their devotion to the Lord every day?  Consider some thoughts about this great exhortation of Samuel and other passages that stress preparing the heart.

1.  Focus in Preparing.  Samuel made two great points about returning to the Lord “with all your hearts” (1 Sam. 7:3).  First, there is the essentiality of putting away any and all forms of religion that are the opposite of the will of God.  The very first commandment of the commandments written on tables of stone was “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:2-3).  The Lord God explicitly forbade bowing down and serving any image or form of a god, saying, “for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” (Ex. 20:5).  Thus, one does not love God who would turn his heart to something outside of God.  Second, the nation was to prepare their hearts unto the Lord and “serve him only” (1 Sam. 7:3).  God is exclusively to be worshipped and served.  Jesus said this as much to Satan (cf. Matt. 4:10) when citing the statement in Deuteronomy 6:13.  Hence, a single-minded heart is required to approach God.

2.  Failure of Not Preparing.  There are examples of dire consequences when people did not prepare their hearts.  It is said of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord” (2 Chron. 12:14).  It is said of the people in Jehoshaphat’s day, “Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers” (2 Chron. 20:33).  Whenever leadership and followers do not focus on the Lord, problems arise.

3.  Fruits of Preparing.  There are several examples of great leaders who helped their people by being spiritually-minded.  It is stated of Jehoshaphat, “Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God” (2 Chron. 19:3).  It is stated of Jotham, “So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God” (2 Chron. 27:6).  The nation of Judah was greatly blessed by the influence of Ezra.  It is stated of him, “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10).  Just as bad things happen when preparation is lacking, good things come in preparation.   

Jimmy Clark

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). 

Another translation states of this passage, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18, ESV).  The original Greek word translated “hold” or “suppress” means “to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of)” (Thayer, p. 339).  Here is an explicit statement to the effect that it is possible to hinder truth from making progress in the lives of people because of unrighteous attitudes and activities.  Consider three such things that hold back or hinder progress.

1.  Presuppositions.  There are several passages that show the danger of supposing something to be the case when it is not.  Luke wrote, “Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day” (Acts 2:13-15).  Again, “And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled” (Acts 16:27).  “Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)” (Acts 21:28-29).  Thinking something to be true without investigating the facts is a hindering and misleading thing.

2.  Prejudice.  Men can and do hold certain things to be true in their minds regardless of what the evidence shows.  This problem of prejudice or prejudging is similar to the suppositions of the first point yet more dangerous.  Prejudice blinds the mind into believing that the facts are already established and that one’s viewpoint is reality.  Jesus faced such with the scribes and Pharisees, where he stated, “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth” (John 9:41).  Nathanael said, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see” (John 1:46).  When Nathanael came to investigate, Jesus said of him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47).  There was no prejudice with Nathanael in investigating though Nazareth likely had a bad reputation.  Solomon wrote, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him” (Prov. 18:13).

3.  Pride.  The attitude that hinders the most is self-confident, self-centered pride.  Isaiah wrote, “Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” (Isa. 28:1).  Before the fall of Sodom there was pride (cf. Eze. 16:49).  Pride brought painful results to the Edomites (cf. Obadiah 3).  Pride often is the root to prejudice and presuppositions.  Some will not obey the gospel because of it.  Some will not be restored due to it.  Some will not forgive because of it.  Pride truly destroys (Prov. 16:18).

Jimmy Clark

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). 

If there was ever a man who looked for answers to the hard questions of life it was Job.  The first two chapters of the book of Job show that this “perfect and upright” man (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3) was tested by Satan in major ways.  The Lord knew the character of Job and “will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13).  Knowing such a verse and knowing the answer to a specific trial are two different things.  Job did not understand, yet he did know the importance of searching.  Consider three lessons on searching for answers.

1.  Answers are Not in Materialism.  The world clamors for material gain trusting that such a lifestyle equals success.  Paul warned Timothy about such a philosophy.  “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:5-6).  Jesus himself was no man of great means yet there is none who could give answers like him (cf. Luke 2:47; John 7:46).  He gave a stern warning about materialism, where he said, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).  Job had riches at one time in his life, but his life was foremost about God (Job 1:1, 8, 21-22; 2:3, 10).  Serving God is not about fearing God “for nought” (Job 1:9).  It is said of Moses “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Heb. 11:25-26).  Money, mansions, mutual funds, etc. are had by people only to be left behind (cf. 1 Tim. 6:7) and ultimately burned up (cf. 2 Peter 3:10-12).

2.  Answers are Not in Men.  Job’s three friends were truly “miserable comforters” (Job 16:1).  The general points that they all made were countered with Job saying, “What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you” (Job 13:2).  If answers are found in experience, history and sound reasoning alone, the answers would have been present.  Job knew that man is helpless to find the answers to the deepest of questions apart from the word from God.  Jeremiah admitted, “O Lord, I know that the way of man in not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23).  Solomon wrote, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14:12).

3.  Answers are Necessitated in the Master.  The book of Job clearly points out that the Maker and Master of the universe is the source of all truth and wisdom.  It is in Job 28:28 that the summary of that chapter on searching states from the mouth of God, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).  Such a knowledge as seen by Job at the end of the book (cf. Job 40:4-5; 42:2-6) shows that the Sovereign One of all takes care and does right.  One need only heed the Master’s word and will and be blessed whether life be easy or difficult.  Faith leans on the strength from God and rejoices in it (cf. Neh. 8:10).  Therefore, the Bible is one of the greatest treasures given by the Master. 

Jimmy Clark