BIG IDEA:
WHEN SUPERSTITION AND SELF-WILL REPLACE GENUINE WORSHIP AND OBEDIENT FAITH THE GLORY OF THE LORD DEPARTS FROM HIS PEOPLE
INTRODUCTION: (:1a) THE REJECTION OF THE WORD OF THE LORD
“Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel”
Significance: People knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord; they did not seek out his counsel … or worse, they rejected his counsel and did what seemed right in their own eyes. That is why we don’t see Samuel play any role in this chapter.
Must ask the question: Why were the Israelites choosing to go out to battle without first inquiring of the Lord and making sure their spiritual condition was in the proper state of preparation?
Significance of the Glory of the Lord – symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant
– His Presence
– His Power
– His Favor
Exod. 25:10-22
I. (:1b-11) DISASTROUS DEFEAT RESULTS FROM SUPERSTITION AND SELF-WILL
A. (:1b-2) Defeat Should be No Surprise When Self Will Presumes to Fight Battles Without Dependence Upon the Spirit of God
4000 killed in first battle; wrong response and lack of repentance will lead to
30,000 being killed in the next battle – this is a huge number … don’t just gloss over it
B. (:3-9) Superstition Supplies the Wrong Answers to the Right Questions
1. (:3) Right Question: “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?”
Correct recognition of the sovereignty of God working behind the affairs of human governments and conflicts.
2. (:4) Wrong Answer: Reliance Upon Superstition or Past Successes
“the ark of the covenant of the Lord . . . will deliver us from the power of our enemies”
Confusing the symbol for the reality.
3. (:5-7) Initial Emotional Reinforcement
a. (:5) Stirred Courage in the hearts of the Israelites
“all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded”
b. (:6-7) Stirred Fear in the hearts of the Philistines
“And the Philistines were afraid”
Blaikie: “The Philistines were too wise a people to yield to panic. If the Hebrew God, that did such wonders in the wilderness, was present with their opponents, there was all the more need for their bestirring themselves and quitting them like men. The elders of Israel had not reckoned on this wise plan. It teaches us, even from a heathen point of view, never to yield to panic. Even when everything looks desperate, there may be some untried resource to fall back on.”
4. (:8-9) Battle Reduced to Strictly a Test of Manhood Rather Than of Gods
“be men and fight”
C. (:10-11) Disastrous Defeat Bursts the Bubble of Superstition and Self Will and Exposes the Harsh Reality of Spiritual Power Failure
1. Bottom Line Summary
“So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated”
2. Extent of the Devastation
“every man fled to his tent”
“and the slaughter was very great”
“for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers”
3. Crowning Blow
“And the ark of God was taken”
4. Fitting Justice
“and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died”
II. (:12-18) DISILLUSIONED SPIRITUAL LEADERS REAP THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR MINISTRY FAILURES
A. Spiritual Leaders Become Disillusioned Over Time as Their Repeated Compromises Render Their Ministry Ineffective
1. Compromise in the Area of Family Discipline
Eli was not a good father to Hophni and Phinehas
2. Compromise in the Area of Personal Discipline
Eli was “old and heavy” – ate more than his fair share
3. Compromise in the Area of Obedience to God’s Regulations allowed the ark of the covenant to be viewed and handled in the wrong way
B. Tragic Consequences of Ministry Failures Make for an Ignominious Legacy
1. National Disgrace: Israel slaughtered by the Philistines
“Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people”
2. Family Tragedy:
“your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead”
3. Spiritual Disaster:
“the ark of God has been taken”
4. Personal Demise:
“his neck was broken and he died”
5. Ministry Wipeout: “
Thus he judged Israel forty years”
III. (:19-22) THE DEPARTURE OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD PLUNGES GOD’S PEOPLE INTO HOPELESSNESS AND DESPAIR
“And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel,’ because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.”