Group Check-in

1. What was the best part of your week?
2. What was the most difficult part of your week?

What’s 1 Samuel 7 About?

1 Samuel 7 is a beautiful picture of revival and repentance. After the Ark is returned to Israel, the people begin to mourn and long for the Lord. Samuel calls them to genuine change—not just emotion, but action. He tells them to rid themselves of foreign gods, commit fully to the Lord, and gather for prayer and fasting. Israel obeys. And in the middle of this spiritual renewal, the Philistines attack again.

But this time, the battle is different. Israel doesn’t rely on strength or strategy. Instead, Samuel prays, offers a sacrifice, and God thunders from heaven, routing the enemy. The victory belongs not to Israel’s army—but to their repentance and to God’s mercy.

Afterward, Samuel sets up a stone called Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” It becomes a visual reminder of God’s faithfulness and a spiritual milestone that marks their return to Him.

This chapter reminds us that spiritual renewal starts with the heart. God responds to sincere repentance. And when we turn back to Him, He not only forgives—He fights for us. Revival doesn’t start with a crowd—it starts with a conviction. A return to worship. A refusal to follow lesser gods.

Ebenezers are still being built today—not stones, but moments in our lives when we can say, ‘God helped me here.’ When we remember what He’s done, it strengthens us to trust Him for what’s next.

Key Verse

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up… He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” — 1 Samuel 7:12

SOAP for the Week

Passage: 1 Samuel 7:2–13

Ice-Breakers

1. If you could have a statue or landmark to mark a major moment in your life, what would it commemorate?
2. What’s one food you’ve tried to give up but keep going back to?
3. Have you ever had an ‘Ebenezer’ moment—a time you knew God had helped you?

Group Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the people began to seek the Lord after so long?
2. What does real repentance look like—and how is it different from regret?
3. Why was prayer and worship the right response when the Philistines attacked?
4. What are some modern-day ‘foreign gods’ we might need to remove from our lives?
5. How can we create ‘Ebenezer moments’ in our own spiritual journeys?
6. What’s one area of your life where you need to return to God with renewed devotion?

Practical Takeaway

Revival starts with repentance. When we turn from distractions and turn toward God, He meets us with mercy, strength, and peace.

Prayer

God, thank You for Your mercy and patience with us. Help us to turn away from anything that pulls our hearts from You. Restore us, revive us, and remind us that You are our help. May we build lives that point to Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.