I invite your attention to the passage that's found in the Old
Testament. In first Samuel chapter 4 and we
want to begin reading there in verse 1 and read just a few
verses to introduce our remarks this morning, first Samuel
chapter four and beginning there in verse 1, And the word of
Samuel came to all Israel. Now, Israel went out against the
Philistines to battle and pitched beside Ebenezer and the
Philistines pitched in aphek and the Philistines put themself in
Array against Israel. And when they joined the battle,
Israel was smitten before the Philistines and they slew all
the Army in the field about 4,000 men.
And when the people were coming to the camp, the Elders of
Israel said, wherefore hath? The Lord smitten us today before
the Philistines. Let us fetch the Ark of the
Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us.
And when it cometh Among Us, it may save us out of the hand of
our enemies. You know, the people of God, a
long, long time ago in going against their bitter Foe and
that being the Philistines in battle.
They thought after one Slaughter had been had gone against them
and 4,000 men were slain, they had an idea, we need some
protection. And so all we have to do is
we've got to go back to Shiloh. And if we can get the Ark of God
and we can bring it into the camp and we can keep it among
us. Then we're going to have the
protection of God if we can just do that.
But, you know, they misunderstood the service of God
and they misunderstood and misrepresented, the article that
we're talking about and that being the ark, you know, the
Philistines looked upon that too.
And they thought, you know what, we've got a problem because if
the children of Israel take this Arc and put it among them and
keep it with them, then they're going to have the power to
overtake us. And so they came and took the
ark from the people of God. You know, I've been studying
with you the Old Testament, Bible characters, and we were
studying the character of the judge called Samuel.
And as you remember a couple weeks ago on Sunday evening, I
began our study by talking about Samuel from birth all the way up
until he knew that God was with him and that he was going to be
anointed of God in that regard. He would to be a judge of God.
But you know, there are three chapters or four chapters that
go after that fact, that deal with the history ra of the of
the time, concerning the Ark of God before, the people of God,
still don't get it and they rise up in chapter 8 and they said,
give us a king. And therefore the very first
king was given and that was King Saul, that's next time.
But for a little while, I want to talk to you about the things
that happened from the period that we left off.
Off with a couple weeks ago and cover those chapters about the
moving of the Ark of God and all the problems that happen because
of it. In the days of Eli, the
Israelites attempted to put an end to Philistine incursions
into the land when these enemies camped.
In effect, the Israelites formed their ranks nearby.
Ebenezer about two miles east of effect in the ensuing battle.
Some 4,000 Israelites were slain in the field, but the last words
as found in Verses 1 and 2 of chapter 4 suggest that the
Israelites had held their ground in spite of, Losses in the camp
that night the Israelites concluded that the Lord had
delivered them into the hands of the Philistines because the
sacred Ark had been left at Shiloh.
So they set the Shiloh for the ark hophni and phinehas
accompanied the ark, back to the Israelite, encampment verses 3
and 4 of chapter 4. But I want to talk to you about
some things concerning the things, or the events, prior to,
what we're going to talk about today In moving the Ark of God,
very briefly. Now, for those that were not
here couple weeks ago on a Sunday evening when we talked
about the character of Samuel, we begin in first Samuel chapter
1 and these are characters that are introduced to us.
First of all, there's a man and no doubt a Godly Man by the name
of elkanah and elkanah had two wives.
He had one by the name of Hannah and the other by the name of
Pnina. And the Bible says that the Lord
Lord had closed the womb of Hannah.
So she was buried. And you know, when he had this
other wife, the Bible says, and it doesn't say exactly how many
but Pnina gave elkanah by his seed Sons and Daughters plural.
But Hannah was Barren, and she was heartsick about it.
Well, you know, every year, when they come together to give such
feasts and celebrations and Shiloh, the place of Tabernacle
worship and Tabernacle service, they would come with all these
Thanksgiving offerings and so on and so forth.
And it was required that the men were the ones that would go to
Shiloh and accomplish that very service and accomplished those
offerings, and all of that. But the women who were not
necessarily required to go, they were certainly allowed to go.
And when we, they were get there and they start talking about all
the things they were thankful for, Hannah would be reminded
over and over and over again that the Lord had shut up her
womb and she could not have children and she was Barren.
Now, a couple weeks ago, I made a point and I don't know if I
actually made the point that I was trying to make, I'll try to
make it again. When Hannah was bearing, there's
a couple things about that. First of all, when we compare it
to someone that's not able to have children.
Today it's a little bit different.
In fact it's a lot different custom Eric Lee.
I'm told from a historical standpoint and from a societal
thing, it was a disgraceful thing in the days that she lived
in to not be able to have children now.
That's bad enough. But today, can you imagine
someone not able to have children and people make fun of
her? And people use the fact that
they can have children and hold it over their head and say such
awful things, awful hurt, hurtful things, we can't even
fathom. Such a concept today.
We feel for those that want to have children dearly but cannot
but this woman, this other wife was different and the reason for
that the Bible It says, is when they get when they receive the
portions of the sacrificial meal.
That was given by elkanah the husband.
He had a great feeling for Hannah.
He had a soft spot in his heart and he felt for her.
So what he did is he would give them.
He would give Hannah more than he would give to the others.
And I'll tell you something when you show partiality to one
person over another when you're trying to Vie for the affections
of the same person, it causes all manner of feelings.
Inside of us. Does it not you remember the
story of Joseph? You remember what the older
brother said? The older brothers looked upon
this boy as it were the shepherd boy, the one that was the
Pampered son of a partial. Father, the one wearing the coat
of many colors, the one that was considered by his Brothers as
the dreamer. And finally they were going to
cast him into a pit and all and we all know the story.
Instead, due to said, no, let's sell him and we know how the
story ends it ends on an up note, we're grateful for that
some 23 years later. But partiality, shown to one
person over another, when both people want the affection of
that other person, also, it causes all manner of feelings in
the heart and feelings like that.
That burn in the heart will cause us to sin.
You remember King Saul King, Saul was fine with David.
In fact, David was the boy that everybody wanted to have.
He was a beautiful man. In fact he was one of the four
men that are characterized in the Olympian in the Old
Testament. As being handsome and built.
Well, this was a good-lookin man.
This was a handsome man. This was a man that had great
character and David was looked upon in the eyes of King Saul
kind of like we would look at some a younger man coming up the
ranks as the Golden Boy. The fair-haired boy.
That's the next good preacher on the way and so on and they were
fine with that. Until what The women started
singing and the women sang songs, and when they sung it
about saw, they said Saul has killed his thousands.
But David his ten thousands and that's all they needed to hear
that Saul Saul needed to hear and the Bible says, and it began
to burn his heart. The jealous rage, that was about
him. And pretty soon he's setting out
to killing, he's even throwing Spears in his direction, to kill
him and take his life. Life.
That's kind of the heart of this woman here.
She deeply resented Hannah for receiving partial treatment with
the portions, given by the husband elkanah.
So, one day when they were there, she got off to herself
and she's somewhere around the Tabernacle and she begins to
pray, but the Bible says that she is speaking.
And she's praying though in her heart.
You know, I'm going to tell you something, if this is not a
perfect picture of what to do when you are so heartsick and
you are so sad and you are so troubled that you're moved to it
with great emotion and tears are flowing and you don't know which
way to turn you know what she did, she didn't go around
bad-mouthing this other woman. She didn't go around criticizing
The Other Woman. In fact, she didn't even go and
try to seek out the sympathy of someone else.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that.
I'm just saying what she did. What Hannah do the Bible says
she goes off to herself and she prays, but the prayer she prayed
was a prayer in her heart and she had no sound coming out of
her mouth now. Eli was the high priest, Eli was
in the vicinity and Eli looks at her, and he thinks well how hot
is that? Here's this woman and she's off
to herself. And she's not making any sounds.
But her lips are moving. Eli, says, she's drunk.
And Eli says, when are you going to put up the wine and stop
drinking wine? And she says, oh, I'm not a
daughter of Belial. Oh, no, you know, Belial is also
a term used as a noun, describing the devil here.
It's talking about a useless one.
She said, oh no, I'm not useless.
I'm not useless in the eyes of God.
I wouldn't partake of wine or I wouldn't partake of strong
drink. I am not the daughter of Belial,
don't look at me as one that fits that description in that
category. She says I am heartsick as I
paraphrase. I'm sure.
And I'm praying to God, and she starts telling him what she's
praying for, you know what she was praying for.
She wanted a son and she prayed for the son.
You know, as we mentioned how fitting it was on Mother's Day.
You know, you have a child. You love that child.
Can you imagine being a mother and customarily back then, as I
mentioned a couple of weeks ago, it was customary to nurse the
baby for as much as three years. Do you think for even a minute
that she was not attached to the baby Samuel when she had him and
nursed him for a period of time as much as quite possibly.
So as much as three years time, Oh, there was an attachment.
There was there not She prays this.
She prays to the great God of heaven and she says, he'll give
me a son. This is beautiful to me.
I can't fathom this. She says, if you give me a son,
I'll give him back to you. And he will serve you all the
days of his life and it will be bound and signed and sealed with
a vowel and the Val was the Nazarite vow.
And you remember that a Nazarite vow had a time period.
Sometimes it could be for a particular duration, but in this
case it could be also as much as life.
And that's exactly what what Hannah had agreed to do that.
This man, Samuel would keep this Nazarite vow all the Days of his
life. And no razor would come to his
head and cut his hair, he would keep that Nazarite vow, all the
days of his life. Eli tells the woman.
You're going to have a son. She's blessed with a sunburn.
And his name is Samuel but, you know, Eli was the high priest?
No doubt, Eli be. It was a good man and he'll I
wanted to do the things that were right.
But, you know, he had two sons and these two sons were not only
his sons, but they held the position of a common priest as
well. But the Bible says that these
Sons were Wicked, they were vile.
It was living in such a way that people look to their service and
even look to the service of God as the detestable thing because
of their example because of what they had done, remember the
point that we made we need to be very careful as Christians
Darryl and I were driving back from Turlock this morning we're
talking about the world's view of a Christian and the world has
a view of the Christian that's very important for us.
To take heed and think about because the world understands
even though Christian sometimes don't understand that we have a
higher standard and we need to live by the higher standard as
we are governed by that standard and led by our Lord.
Sometimes we forget what the standard is.
So we lower the standard and become more like the people in
the world. Well, I'm going to tell you
something. If you're in the world and you
don't wear the name of Christ, that's all fine and good.
Great, they'll accept you, they'll throw their arms around
you, and I'll tell you, you'll have all the friends in the
world. But you tell them you're a
Christian. And they see that you've lowered
the standard in your life. they make the service of God, it
looks to them that the service of God is even detestable Oh,
what an awful thing. But, you know, Eli has a
conversation with the sons. You remember, when I said, That
the difference between Hannah and Eli was that Hannah chose
the Lord over her boy over her son.
But Eli chose his sons over the Lord.
Now, that mean he condone their action, certainly not.
The question, is this, what is our responsibility?
What is, what is required of us? And what is our responsibility?
If Wicked sinful things. Go around us and we really have
the ability to do something about it.
What is required of us? Well, I'll tell you this, I'll
tell you what was required of each.
Eli first, let's look what he did do going back a couple of
chapters now. All of a sudden he's going to
speak to his sons. He's going to speak to his sons
in such a way, that he's telling them what you're doing is
absolutely awful. It is sinful that every way, but
the question was, this was that enough beginning in verse 22 of
chapter 2, listen to these words.
Eli was very old and heard all that his sons had did under the
Israel and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door
of the Tabernacle of the congregation and he said unto
them. Why do you say such things for?
I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
He first asks him, why are you doing this?
I hear about all the evil things that you have done and are Ewing
to do notice what he says. In verse 24 name, my son's for
it is no good report that I hear you make the Lord's people to
transgress. If one man sin against another,
the judge shall judge him. But if a man sinned against the
Lord who shall entreat for hand notwithstanding, they hearkened
not unto his voice, the voice of their father, because the Lord
would slay them. And the child, Samuel grew on,
and was in favor, both with the Lord.
And also, With man Eli says, no, I'm not condoning.
What you're doing? What you're doing is detestable
and he says it like this, it is so bad.
That no mercy. Could possibly come your way and
he uses this example. He says, if one person sins
against another person, you have a judge that is over you that
you can plead for mercy and that judge can cast down Mercy to
you. We know that.
You can throw yourself on the mercy of the Court.
If you're guilty of a crime. And there's one that is above
you, there's one that's above the specific thing that happened
between two other men. There's one that is there to sit
and listen and cast down Mercy, if need be But he says, if you
sin against the Lord, there's no one to judge.
That's above him. You sinned against the Lord,
there's not a higher Court, there's not a higher being,
there's no one above him that you can seek.
After, that would give you mercy, and that's what you did.
Now, I'm going to tell you something.
If my father sat me down and talk to me like that, I would
think it would have some sort of great effect on me.
I would be affected by the words that my father said.
But the Bible says not. So with these two sons, these
two sons said no we're not going to listen in essence and they
didn't stop what they were doing.
And the Bible says that a man of God came and incidentally, a man
of God a prophet sometimes was considered a man of God first
Kings. 13 is a story about a name was prophet referred to as
a man of God that comes to reveal what was going to happen.
And because of the sin of jeroboam But the point is this,
the man of God said because in Prophecy because they have done
what they have done. These two boys are going to die
the very same day and he'll I knew it from that point forward.
But there was something else to do.
You remember what happened one day?
Samuel is getting a little older and Samuel and Eli go to bed and
they're sleeping in the night, and Samuel is awakened by a
voice and the boys cross calls out, his name Samuel, Samuel has
no idea who that is. Samuel gives up Samuel goes to
Eli. He says, oh he says, here I am,
you called me and Eli says I didn't call you go back to bed.
And so he does a second time, a were the voice comes and says
Samuel, Samuel comes to Eli. What do you say, Eli?
Did you need me here? I am.
He'll I said I didn't call you go back to bed a third time.
Exactly. That happens.
Also and Samuel Rises up and he goes to Eli.
And he says, behold here. I am for thou Hast called me Eli
said no, I didn't. But then all of a sudden it hits
him. He says it's the Lord.
And Eli says, the next time you hear that you say, Lord behold I
am here, speak off. And it does happen, just like
that. And the word of the Lord comes
to Samuel and tells him that the sacrifice and all of those
things would be removed and Devastation is coming to the
house of Eli. I want you to listen to this.
Now, he already spoke to him and that's enough just speak to the
boys. Notice what happened?
3:13 Versa, 13. For I am told him that I will
judge his house forever in the iniquity, which he knoweth
because his sons get this made themselves vile and he
restrained them. Not Did he repeat them?
He certainly did. Didn't he stand before them and
say you're wrong? Yes, he did.
Didn't he plead for God's case to these boys?
Absolutely It wasn't enough. And Devastation and Punishment
was coming because he restrained them.
God, he could have taken these men and removed them from active
duty and service to the Lord. He could have done and he did in
essence by his action. He chose his sons, rather than
the local And so we begin chapter 4.
And we have the story of the word of Samuel comes to Israel.
And the Philistine people had come to the people of Israel on
a number of occasions and back in the days of we can read back
prior to this time, the days of Samson and so long in the days
of the judges, and there's an overlap here of the judges and
the Kings Eli was a high priest. He was also a judge and Samuel
was also a judge as well, the last one and we're going to get
into what happened after that next time.
But the Philistines had caused the people of God.
So much trouble. And all of a sudden there's a
battle and on the battlefield the children of Israel were
fighting and they were trying to, they were trying to be
courageous in the battle, but the Bible says that they were
slain and 4,000 men were killed. Haven't you found that?
Every time we look to our own wisdom to help God, we get
ourselves in trouble. Hasn't, man, always gotten
himself in trouble when he tries to help God.
I got a better way for example. Some people say, even though the
Bible commands us to sing we'll just help God in our service a
little bit and we'll have an instrument of music and it's
just going to help our singing. It's going to sound better
helping God. Oh, there are many cases and
many things where God's people are challenged with the
temptation of helping God. And so, what do they do?
They take an article of worship and article of service and they
think, you know what, we need to get our hands on that.
Like, it's a protection shield, like, it's an aisle.
And if we keep it in our midst, then the people of God are going
to be secure. The people of God, are going to
be safe and everything's going to be fine.
So they said, let's go to Shiloh and let's get the arc, let's get
the Ark of God and bringing into the cab.
Everything's going to be fine. You know what I thought about,
just a minute ago, right? Before prayer.
Something hit me regarding that idea.
How many times have you heard? Someone confuse service to the
Lord with protection? What do I mean by that?
How many times has someone said that?
What I decided to be a Christian.
I thought I would I'm going to have all these other problems.
I thought I wasn't going to have any kind of persecutions in my
life. I thought I was going to have an
easier life, the things were going to be better, things were
going to be easier. When know where in God's word,
is it promised that we have an easier life because of our
service? And if our service is for the
purpose of, well, I'm going to do this and I've gotta protect
me from the calamities that might come by way.
That is the wrong attitude. Service comes first, regardless
of what we go through in this life, it doesn't matter.
What comes our way. We are still commanded and it's
demanded and expected that we serve him, all the days of our
lives. But they said let's just get the
arc. The Bible says when they brought
it among them the children of Israel rejoiced they thought to
what a great idea. We're going to have now we're
going to have the presence of God because what they said is
they said if the Ark of God is in our midst, therefore the
presence of God is in our midst and we will be protected.
So with this jubilant cry and celebration all of a sudden,
there are some other people that over here.
They're celebrating and it was the Philistines and they
wondered, what are we going to do now?
They finally figured it out. You see, they misunderstood to,
they finally figured it out, all they got to do is keep that
among their presence and they're going to destroy us in.
The Bible says that the Philistines began to complain
and cry about it. But the Lords of the
Philistines, says quit, you like men, rise up, like, man, you
want to lay down for These lowly Hebrews, is that what you want
to do? Because that's what you're
doing. You're an Essence.
Saying, all All Is Lost. All we got to do now is just
submit ourselves to the Hebrews. No, they said Fight Like a Man
fight like a man, and we are not going to answer to those lowly
Hebrews. And all of a sudden, the
Philistines get an idea. Let's take the ark from And the
Bible says, have another battle happened and there this is
awful. It starts off with 4,000 men
that were killed early on and then all of a sudden, the people
of God, make a poor choice. Although, if we could just look
back on the choices we make, they made a poor choice.
All it did was didn't give him any protection.
It's spurred on the Philistines. Another battle happens and guess
what? 30,000 more were slain in that
battle. And to add insult to injury to
injury as it were, the Philistines took the ark.
Now, they've got it. You can just imagine how high on
the hog. They were acting thinking, man,
we've got, we've got it. We got the presence of their
God, and by the way, historically speaking.
I am told that, even though the Philistines didn't look to the
great God Of Heaven, as the god to serve, it was customary that
even those that served other pagan gods, they would fear
another people's God, there was a respect Factor there, they
were some Superstition, they're all of a sudden, they take this
Arc. And they bring it to Ash dog.
That was the place where day gone was an idol.
God, you know, what's interesting?
They take the Ark of God and they bring it in the presence of
Dagon and they said it, I don't know what time of day.
It was, it might have been at night, I don't know.
But they take the Ark of God and they place it next to Dagon this
Idol. And they go away in the Bible
says, in the morning, or on the morrow, they come.
And you know what they find? They find that the Ark of God is
still there, and they gone is laying down on its face almost
as if it's bowing before the Ark in obeisance to it.
You see what we're doing here. God is showing his power.
God is showing his mind. But you know, maybe they would
have thought, you know, something else might have made
it tip over. So it's all right, we'll think
nothing of it. We'll just stand up all day gone
again and will go away and they do you know what happened the
next day though? The next morning they come in
and guess what happened today? Gone, he had fallen down again
but now his head is cut off and so are his hands.
There's a symbol there that Dagon is not going to do
anything in the eyes of God, Dagon cannot plot against the
people of God and Dagon cannot do anything against the people
of God. Catch the head and the hands
were broken off. And all there was was a stone
all in the superstitions of the threshold.
As the Bible says still exists. Among idolaters today.
Interesting but you know, God wasn't finished, God had
something else that he was going to do.
And the Bible says that he Afflicted, all of those people
of ashdod with great big sores, tumors is the direct rendering
bloody tumors. In fact, One account says that
God caused them to have such tumors in their secret parts.
You know, I don't know, all there is to know about that.
I've read some things about that.
I'll just leave that up to you all.
I know, is this couple things? Number one, it wasn't life.
Threatening it was punishing, it didn't take their life.
He didn't strike him dead. He just Afflicted him with an
awful thing with bleeding tumors.
One scholar said that it was as if God was casting down the
Bubonic. Plague over all of those people.
Will you know if you lived in ashdod?
And you were among those people and all of a sudden you know,
that the reason all of a sudden that these things are happening
and never, we didn't have any problem before.
They got never fell down before his head.
Never fell off his hands. Never fell off, and we didn't
have these bloody tumors before the Ark of God was taking in our
midst. I'll tell you something.
If you were a citizen there and a worshipper of day gone, if it
was, you you'd want that thing out of here?
Until they bring it to gas. The Lords of the Philistines
come together and they decide, yes, that's exactly what we're
going to do. We're going to move the Ark of
job and they moved it again. You know what God did The
Afflicted in the same way with bleeding tumors again.
Oh how awful that must have been but folks, I'll tell you
something. If if we have a lesson here, if
we have a lesson that's before us, it's at least this.
God is getting their attention. There's no other gods besides
me. There's nothing else.
That is as powerful as I am. And all other powers that are in
the world are going to bow down to my authority and my power.
And I'll tell you something else too.
That's exactly what's going to happen in the day of judgment.
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes back.
I know I've said This before. But have you ever really thought
about that? Think about all of the Heathen
nations in the world? Think about people that do
horrible things, I'll just say a name.
Why not think about Osama Bin Laden?
Think about men like that. you know what they're going to do
and that last day For all to see.
They're going to Bow before the Lord Jesus Christ.
And they're going to confess him for who he is.
They're going to confess him as little.
You know, when those fellows flew those planes into those
Twin Towers, I'll never forget, you know, the idea was is that
they felt like they were martyred for the cause of their
God. And they would Slaughter quote
unquote, Christian professing, people that it was a straight
shot into heaven, remember that? Joe isil is holding the meeting
and I was talking to him. Run that time.
He says you reckon he was surprised.
As soon as they die, they move. I'm going to tell you something,
folks, the Judgment comes later, but when you die, you know,
there's a Consciousness there and you know, and all of those
people are going to know that they're going to have to bow
before the Lord Jesus Christ and confess him for who he is and
that is as Lord on that last and final day.
Now the child of God does that too?
Here's the point, here's the question are we willing to do it
in time to do us some good it won't do them any good.
Ben It does US good. Now, when we confess him as who
he is and serve him all the days of our life, where the Lords of
the Philistines got together again.
It says, we've got to move this thing on, but you know, the
people of ekron when they found that the that the Ark of God was
coming to them, they were scared to death.
That's the last thing they wanted they had heard about what
happened and asked, Todd and GAP.
That's the last thing they wanted was the ark of God coming
in their presence. so they start thinking, we've got to figure
out a way to get it back to the people of God.
The Bible says, when they purpose to do this, That there
needed to be some kind of a guilt offering to there.
Needed to be something they had to do something that was
basically in good faith. In other words, we've messed up
now they didn't accept God, the great God Of Heaven as who he is
and they didn't, they weren't converted to him.
They just knew he was a power, powerful entity and they respect
that they respected that. So they said, we need to come up
with an offering a guilt offering.
So what they did is, They decided to take five golden
tumors. As a picture of how they were
afflicting, these five, also represented the five Chief
cities ashdod Gaza asked, along and gath and ekron, and it
represented those things and they sent that with five,
golden, my stew and they put it in a container and they put it
on a cart. And the Bible says that they got
a new cart and they put the Ark of God on the new car.
Art but you know, they thought, you know how we got to figure
out a way to pull this thing, you know, as their reasoning
together and purposing together, they're still wandering in the
back of their mind. All the things that happened to
them. Was that just some natural
disaster? Was it?
Just some coincidence? Or was it really the hand of
God? So they said this, we're going
to put to put it to a test and they found some milk cows, they
found some kind. The Bible says, milk kind that
had calves that were not. Weaned yet, if you know anything
about cattle. A cat will not leave her calf
calf, might wander off, but it will always come back and I'll
tell you something. If you'd ever branded Calves, if
you've ever done that you take calves away from the cows.
I'm going to tell you something. The cows are bawling, the calves
are balding, and the cows are going to do it.
They'll tear a fence down to get back to their calves.
You know what they do, they have to go 10 miles, 10 miles east.
From ekron to Beth Shemesh. And so what they decided to do
is we're going to put it to the test.
They hooked up this brand new cart to these milk.
Kind they took the Cavs away, they put the cats in a pin and
lock the gate. And they said we're not kind of
steer, these cows at all. We're going to just drop the
reins as it were and we're just going to stand back and follow
it and see where it goes. This is amazing.
To me the cows. Don't go back which was their
natural. What they would have done,
naturally, it was their Instinct.
They leave their calves on their own and they go.
This 10-mile journey in the Bible says these cows, didn't go
to their left and they didn't go to their right, and they went
all the way as those Philistines followed Ten miles.
All the hand of God is getting stronger and stronger and
stronger. but, you know, these men made a mistake.
You can just imagine as they saw the Ark of God returning.
One scholar said, oh the farmers that were there and must have
looked out and saw what it was and rejoice.
Oh, what a glorious thing. The Ark of God is now coming
back into our midst and by the way, even people that had done
some horrible things. Even remember, Eli didn't stand
against his sons, you know, of all the things when he was 98
years old in the Bible says, his eyes were dim, he was blind and
he's sitting in a chair along the roadside.
He's waiting to hear about what happened with the 40,000 were
slang or the 30,000 were slaying.
Remember that we talked about that a minute ago?
You know, they came and gave a one man came and he had dust on
his hand. He looked like he'd been beat up
and he comes to Eli and he says we lost the battle.
We retreated your two sons. Have been killed, you know
there's no emotion yet. He'll I knew that was going to
happen. but when he said the Ark of God was taken, the Bible says
he fell one. Scholar said he had a stroke and
he fell and he fell so hard. He snapped his neck and he died
right there. The definitely like, I remember
this man right here, he had a wife and she was a child Brave
child when she hears about these things she inquires to.
And she is told your father-in-law, the high priest
is dead, your husband is also dead.
Again, not much emotion. But then he said the Ark of God
was taken. And it caused her to go into
labor, and she was unconscious. And she woke just long enough
when your child is born. To look at the child and name
him. Ichabod, meaning the glory has
left us and she died. All these people must have
looked to the arc coming in their Direction, as a wonderful
thing. Maybe they wanted to look and
see no, wait a minute, did the Philistines take something out
of the Ark? And you know what they do they
do what was wrong. They look inside the arc.
And God killed 50,000 and 70. You might think the wait a
minute. They were just excited.
They just want to check and make
sure that the Philistines didn't do something wrong.
No, they transgress God and they looked in the ark and they die.
We'll finally. The ark is brought to Kerr hath.
Grm Bible says it was there for 20 years.
And now they're listening to Samuel as a man of God.
And as a judge, Bible says that he judged Israel, all the days
of his life. And he looked at these people
and he said, it's time for a Revival.
It's time to wake up. It's time to make a change.
They confess their sins. They gave offerings and you
remember what else he said? He said, give up the strange
gods and they do, they give up Balaam and asteroth, which was
the male and the female version of those Heathen Idol gods.
He says give him up and they do and God had delivered them in.
The Bible says they rose up against the Philistines and they
were victorious against them and all of a sudden, all these
haters of the people of God, all of these enemies of the people
of God, no longer had a strong, hold over them.
And I want to tell you something, if it was me and if
it was you, I would imagine. We would be pretty grateful to
the Lord. We're going to find something
happens. All of a sudden after God showed
his mic after God showed his greatness and after God showed
he was with him. And chapter and that's next, the
people of God said, no, it's not good enough.
That God is our King. We want another one.
Bring up a king like the other nations that we might go into
battle and he would leave us. Be careful what you wish for
because you just might get it. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
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