When God moves, Satan becomes active. A spiritual revival arouses his intense hostility. Nothing is so distasteful to him as to see the people getting right with their God and placing themselves in a position in which He can bless them. Invariably in practice he first endeavors to destroy the work of God, then when it becomes apparent that the thing cannot be done, he seeks to corrupt it. In the history of the church both methods have been employed.
“When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel” (1 Sam. 7:77And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 7:7)). Here we have the marshaling of the hosts of the enemy, urged on by Satan, who understood better than they the significance of the happenings in Israel's camp. “And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.” This is also a happy change from 1 Sam. 4:11And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. (1 Samuel 4:1), when, in utter insensibility to their evil condition, they presumptuously provoked conflict with the foe. More happy still is their language in the presence of danger. After their first defeat in Eli's day, they said, “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” Now they appeal to Samuel, “Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.” There is a gulf of difference between “it” and “He.” Moreover, they now say “The Lord our God.” The sense of relationship with Him has at last been recovered.