Perfect Love Drives out Fear

Although I am spending most of my daily study time in preparation for my 8th teaching on 1 John this Sunday (1 John 4:7-21), I am continuing to read through the Bible in my personal devotion times. I am now in 1 Samuel and was captived by 1 Samuel 7. What a great OT illustration of 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..."

1 Samuel 7:3 records, "Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, 'If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.'"

Wow! This took courage and boldness for Samuel to directly confront Israel with such love and conviction. He had no fear because he was in communion with God and was God's chosen judge over Israel. But, the call is not enough to have this kind of courage and boldness because his predecessor Eli did not completely rebuke his own 2 sons with their abusive behavior toward the people. Eli was judged for his lack of courage (1 Samuel 3:12-14), though he had tremendous faith in God and he was clearly called.

The difference between Eli and Samuel was not in their call from God as the judge of Israel as both men held the highest of positions in this time in Israel's history. The difference between Eli and Samuel was their intimacy with God and God's intimacy with them. In 1 Samuel 3:1 the text states, "And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent." This set the context for God's first conversation with Samuel as a young boy under Eli's mentorship. In 1 Samuel 3:19 we read, "Thus Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail." wow! What a clear contrast!!!

Samuel was in a divine love affair with God who had direct communion with Samuel, the last Judge of Israel and the Prophet-Priest who was to anoint the first and second kings of Israel (Saul and David). God's love for Samuel and Samuel's personal relationship with God gave him the courage, boldness, and directness to confront the generational sin that had brought the curses of the covenant onto the nation of Israel. This love that drove out fear led to a call for unity followed by a call to confession and repentance which led the people to submit to his leadership and to God's.

But, we see once again another contrast...Samuel's courage grounded in love is contrasted by Israel's fear of the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:7). The people called on Samuel to intercede and when he did God answered Samuel. The Philistines were defeated and Samuel gave God all the glory.

In fact, Samuel raised up an Ebeenezer which is the 'stone of help' saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us" (1 Samuel 7:12). God honored this tribute and verse 13 states, "And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel."

I praise God for Samuel's example of intimacy with God and courage in his call. This is a man set apart for God who did not rest in his call, but in His call rested in God. This is a man who grew in intimacy with God and found his security to perform his function as judge, priest, and prophet to the nation of Israel in the character and nature of God.

In 1 John 4:8, 16 we read this triumphant theological statement, "God is love." Also in 1 John, we read that God is light and God is spirit. In the truth that "God is love" we read more than a metaphysical statement about God (God is Spirit) and more than an ethical statement about God (God is light), moreso we read an ontological statement of God's being--His nature and character and all that has been revealed about God is that He is love. We see this most clearly in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1 John 4:15) and Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). We see this in that "God sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

More so than the sons of Israel looked to Samuel to intercede to God on their behalf, we now have Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the propitiation for our sins, who sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf (Hebrews 7:24-26). Jesus is more than our high priest, yet He is the high priest. Jesus is more than a prophet, yet He most clearly revealed God as the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the second person of the triune God, the only begotten son of the Father, preexistant and preeminent. Jesus is God!

And He lives today to intercede for you at the right hand of the Father! What a great assurance we have and what great confidence we can pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ knowing that He will stand for us and be our conquering King. It is the perfecting love of Jesus Christ that drives out fear because in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ there is no condemnation, there is no fear of punishment because the judgment has been determined on the Cross of Calvary. We are found righteous in the eyes of God because we are covered in the blood of Jesus Christ--righteous not because we are righteous, but because we were bought with a price! Righteous, not because of our good works, but because Jesus Christ died on the Cross as our perfect passover lamb!

Rest in the LORD, put your trust in God, and call out to the LORD Jesus Christ. And pray according to Romans 8:26-28. May the Holy Spirit who lives in all followers of Jesus Christ pray through you as you seek to know and be intimate with God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength!