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Samuel chapter 4 is filled with defeat, emptiness and despair. The
nation of Israel had fallen away from God to the point where He had
become little more than an impersonal object. To me, it is
symbolic of a life lived without God. The chapter begins, “Now
the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines (Most
likely Israel was not the aggressor here)… Israel
was defeated by the Philistines who killed about four thousand of
them“.
In the past, every time Israel was defeated, they turned back to God
and humbly repented knowing they had, in their pride, turned away
from Him. Now, they are so spiritually bankrupt, they do not
even consider the personal God; they only know of the relics of His
presence. “Let’s
bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that it might
go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies“.
There is no thought of the God that is able to restore and heal and
defend His people. They do not know of His personal warning: “When
you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord
who brought you out of Egypt and out of slavery…the Lord your God,
who is among you, is a jealous God”
(Deut 6:10-15).
“So
they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty… and
Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark“.
Remember from chapter 2, “Eli’s
sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord“.
Perhaps they heard this procedure of using God’s “good luck
charm” had worked before in Jericho. Even the Philistines knew the
power of the God of Israel. “When
they learned that the ark of the Lord has come into the camp, the
Philistines were afraid“.
Israel went into battle fully trusting their magic box would work
again. But that was not the case, “The
Philistines fought and the Israelites were defeated and every man
fled… the slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand…
the ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons died“.
Israel suffered a complete defeat.
Sadly,
this is the way many “religious” people live today, with a gold
relic on a chain, or a wall hanging or figurine as symbols of an
earlier faith in the God of Salvation. They have only trinkets in
place of a relationship. And like Israel, they feel alone and easily
defeated. The chapter ends with Eli anxiously waiting for word of
the battle, “because
his heart feared for the ark of God“.
The messenger reluctantly reported all that had happened, “Eli
fell over backwards off his chair, his neck was broken and he died…
he had led Israel for forty years“.
At the same time, Eli’s daughter-in-law was giving birth after
hearing the news. With her dying breath she named the boy Ichabod,
saying, “The
glory has departed from Israel“.
The story would be over if faithfulness was left only to man, but
God is faithful! His promises are forever because He is not limited
by space or time. Peter
explained to the hopeless, “Repent
and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who
are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself”
(Acts 2:38-39).
Are
you ready for battle?