1 Samuel 4-8

1 Samuel 4 – Ark Captured

Israel went to fight the Philistines, but the Philistines defeated Israel and killed about 4,000.  Israel didn’t understand why this happened.  They decided take the Ark with them at the next battle in hopes by having it there they would win the battle.   Eli’s sons went with the Ark.  When the Ark arrived in the Israelite camp the people shouted and the ground shook.  The Philistines heard their shout, which made them afraid.  This motivated them to be strong and to fight harder.  The Philistines and Israel fought, but Israel was defeated.  Israel lost 30,000 soldiers.  The Ark was captured and Eli’s 2 sons died as God had promised.

When Eli who was now 98 years old heard all this, he fell over backwards, broke his neck and died.  His daughter-in-law who was pregnant heard the news, went into labor and died.  She had a son and named him Ishabad and said “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured.” – 1 Sam. 4:22

Philistines are people who worshiped the gods of Baal, Astarte, and Dagon.  They were hostile people and often fought with Israelites.  Philistine comes from the Philistines and includes modern-day Israel, Gaze, Lebanon and Syria.  This is known as the Gaza Strip where there is still conflict today.

The Ark was a wooden box that held God’s laws, the Ten Commandments.  It was a symbol of the presence of God.  The lid of the Ark was a mercy seat where sacrifices were made.  God gave it to Israel because He chose them to be His people.  The Israelites thought if they brought it with them in battle, they would defeat the enemy.  Israel didn’t turn to God for help, but wanted to fix it themselves so they brought the Ark as if it were a type of mascot or good luck charm.  They found out that they could not manipulate God to get what they wanted.

How do you try to manipulate God?

Do you manipulate Him by giving money, but not surrendering to Him?

Principle:  God is in control and you cannot manipulate Him into doing what you want.

1 Samuel 5-6 – Ark Returned

The Philistines took the Ark of God to Ashdod, then to the temple of Dagon and set the Ark beside Dagon.  Dagon was a god worshipped by the Philistines.  The next morning they found that Dagon had fallen on his face before the Ark of the Lord.  They put Dagon back in his place and the next morning they found that Dagon had fallen on his face and his head and hands had broken off.  This was a clear that lifeless idols are powerless and the Lord is a Living God.   

The Lord brought devastation upon the people and afflicted them with tumors.  He could have destroyed them, but He wanted them to recognize His judgment and power.  They decided that Ark could not stay here so they took it to Gath.  After they moved it, the Lord afflicted the people of Gath with tumors.  They sent the Ark away again.  This time it was sent to Ekron, but the people of Ekron cried out that the Ark could not stay there.  They decided to send the Ark back to its own place in Israel.

The Ark had been with the Philistines for 7 months.  For 7 months the Philistines were punished with the presence of the Ark of God.  They looked at the Ark as a prize of battle and didn’t give honor to God.  They worshipped other gods and were not willing to serve the real God.  They should have sent it home sooner.  Egypt’s plagues would have been fewer if Pharaoh had let the people go sooner.  Sinners lengthen out their own miseries by refusing to repent of their sins. 

They saw the power of Israel’s God and now must be humble and give honor to Him.  They felt guilty so they sent a guilt offering of 5 gold tumors and 5 gold rats along with the Ark.  God didn’t need gold.   He needed their hearts.  They placed the Ark on a cart along with the offerings and hitched cows to it.  The Philistines followed the cart.  They watched to see which way it went.  If it went straight toward its own territory and didn’t turn right or left, then they would know that it was the Lord who brought disaster on them.  If it did not, then they would know that it was just happened by chance.

We do the same kind of things today.  We put stipulations and meanings on things and events.  God wants Christians to be different and doesn’t want us to live our lives according to norms and attitudes of society.  He wants us to live according to His Word.  Society puts lots of pressures of all people including Christians.  We can overcome these pressures by focusing on God and stay in His Word.

It was harvest by tin Israel and as the people were working, they saw the Ark coming down the road.  They shouted and rejoiced.  God had not forgotten His people and the Ark was the evidence.  The Levites carried the Ark to a large rock.  The people offered burnt offering and sacrifices to the Lord.  The Philistines saw all this and returned to Ekron.

Christians today try to use God and His Word to get what they want.  They pick and choose parts of the Bible that suits them and their agendas.  They only go to God when they are in trouble or want something from Him.

The people received the Ark with joy, but some men opened the sacred and looked inside.  That was a very unholy thing to do.  They should have known better.  The result was that many of them died.  God holds His people accountable.  Relationship with God is on His standards and on His terms and that’s through Jesus Christ.  Finally the people understood that God is holy and they must respect Him.

Principle:  A relationship with God is based on His holy standards not ours.

1 Samuel 7 – Israel Repents

They took the Ark to Abinadab’s house and consecrated Eleazor his son to guard it.  The Ark remained there for 20 years and all the people sought after the Lord.  They went to Samuel and asked how they could serve God.   Samuel told them they must serve the real God and not their false gods.  They must trust God alone to save them from their enemies.  The people followed Samuel’s advice.  They confessed and repented.  They began to depend on God alone.

The Israel gathered at Mizpah for prayer, but when the Philistines heard they came to attack them.  The Israelites were afraid and when to Samuel and asked him to continue praying for them.  Samuel offered sacrifices and prayed on their behalf.  There was a loud thunder which was God at work.  Israel won the battle, but really it was God who won on their behalf.

Samuel wanted the people to remember what God had done for them so he made a monument using a large stone to remind them of a past event.  The monument was called Ebenezer which means stone of help.  Many churches today have chosen the name Ebenezer.

There are 3 steps to true repentance - being truly sorry, naming your sins, then turning from your sin.

Principle:  True repentance restores our fellowship with God.

1 Samuel 8 – Israel Demands King

Samuel became the leader not as a king or ruler, but as its judge.  He continued to pray for the people.  God was Israel’s true king.  Samuel was the last person who led Israel as its judge.  He tried to appoint his sons but they were dishonest.  They accepted bribes and prevented justice.  The elders of Israel were unhappy with Samuel’s sons and gathered to ask Samuel to give them a king to lead.  They wanted to be like other nations who had kings.  This displeased him because of their hearts and motives.  He wanted the people to respect God as their king.  So he prayed to the Lord as to what he should do.

The Lord told Samuel to listen to the people and that it wasn’t Samuel they were rejecting but God.   God told Samuel to warn the people.  They needed to understand how a powerful king would behave.  They need to know just how a king would use his authority and how they would suffer because of their decision in wanting a king.  It was their decision and God would permit them to have a king.

The people acted foolishly and would not listen.  They wanted a powerful king who would defeat all their enemies so they would have peace and security.  They didn’t think about the problems they would have only the benefits.  They had convinced themselves that this was an excellent idea.

When we reject God is life, we become slaves to little gods.  When we ignore God’s rule and authority, we will suffer the consequences.  We are not to be like the world.  We are to be different, because God has set us apart.  We should have different views, morals and standards.

Sensible people think carefully about any problems that may occur, but wise people learn from the words of others.  Fools refuse to listen to advice.  God gave clear instructions to Samuel.  He should appoint a king to rule Israel because that’s what the people wanted.

When have you not listened to wise advice?

What were the results?

Principle:  Rejection of God’s rule brings consequences. 

God is the one true God.  He is fully present everywhere.  He has perfect judgments.  He is holy and wants His people to be holy.  He is an all-powerful and self-sufficient God. 

Next week we will continue our study in 1 Samuel.  See you here.

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