Good morning, we have reached another turning point in our study of 1 Samuel. Today we will read chapters 4-7.
Discipline
I say the turning point because we read in these chapters that the Lord has turned against His people, Israel.
He never forsakes Israel and continues to preserve a remnant. His word is true and faithful.
When we sin and refuse to repent, He will chastise us, and this is a prime example.
It should serve as a warning to us about our own behavior. We should also learn from it the importance of discipline in parenting our children.
God loves His people, but when they are walking on the path of perdition, He will cause them to stumble.
We had been reading of how Eli’s sons had been taking the best for themselves, and carrying on with the women. This was not pleasing to the Lord.
Therefore, He delivered thousands of them into the hands of the Philistines and allowed the Ark of the Covenant of God to be captured.
Their enemies had more fear of God than the people of Israel and when they heard the shout of joy in verse 4:5, they trembled.
God was still not ready to redeem His people. Another thirty thousand, including Eli’s sons, perished in the battle.
In a tragic, yet comical scene, Eli falls over backward and breaks his neck, and dies. He was ninety-eight and very heavy; according to the Bible.
Weight
This was always my mental image of a man of God.
From Saturday morning cartoons, and the story of Robin Hood, I pictured them all to be Friar Tuck. Round, drunk and not involved in the action very much.
Later, I met a minister one summer when I was launching fishing boats in the Northern California village of Trinidad.
He was big and heavy and cussed like a sailor. This guy had a beautiful boat, but was one of the meanest customers we had all summer.
When I learned of his profession, it cemented my image of the pastorate.
Now I know how hard a pastor works. It is a tireless and unending job to care for even a medium-sized congregation.
A recent study on the health of pastors in Africa found 90% to be obese. (1)
In America, I would trace this to always being on the go. Needing to eat at restaurants every day, either in meetings with members or while travelling to see others. Restaurants like to provide more food than is healthy to eat, this leads to poor health conditions. (2).
Please pray for your pastor and encourage them to remain fit.
Repentance
The Glory had departed from Israel. Even a false, handmade idol, like the half man, half fish – Dagon, could not stand before the Ark of the Covenant of God. It fell down. They stood it up. It fell again and broke.
We must realize God is sending trials into our lives and allow ourselves to be humbled. If we don’t humble ourselves, trials will defeat us. Verse 5:6 says God’s hand fell heavily on the people.
I had to be broken before I came to repent. Similar to the Philistines, I resisted.
They sent the ark to one city after another, each time, disaster followed.
Then they sacrificed to the Lord and gave their worship to Him. They did not use the correct form of sacrifice.
He kept His weight on them for a couple of decades, but the people of Israel all repented in verse 7:2. They confessed their sins before the Lord in 7:6 and Samuel offered the proper sacrifice for them.
He is faithful to receive us when we do this. Our nation needs to continue on a path back to God. This involves each of us making a personal recommitment to the Lord.
Are you ready to humble yourself and pray?
(1). NIH Report on Pastors Health.
(2) NIH Study on Restaurant Servings.
