I Samuel 4
Israelites fighting Philistinesverses 1-2
And the word of Samuel
came to all Israel
Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle
and pitched beside Eben-ezer
and the Philistines pitched in Aphek
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel
and when they joined battle
Israel was smitten before the Philistines
and they slew of the army in the field about
four thousand men
Ark of the Covenant taken to the battleverses 3-5
And when the people were come into 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
to us – that – when it come among us
it may save us out of the hand of our enemies
So the people sent to Shiloh – that they might bring from thence the
ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts
which dwell between the cherubim
And the two sons of Eli Hophni – Phinehas
were there with the ark of the covenant of God
And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp
all Israel shouted with a great shout – so that the earth rang again
Philistines concerned about Ark being in campverses 6-9
And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout
they said
What means the noise of this great shout
in the camp of the Hebrews?
And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp
and the Philistines were afraid – for they said
God is come into the camp
And they said
Woe unto us! for there has not been such a thing heretofore
Woe unto us!
who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods?
these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with
all the plagues in the wilderness
Be strong – and quit yourselves like men – O you Philistines
that you be not servants to the Hebrews
as they have been to you
quit yourselves like men and fight
Philistines capture Arkverses 10-11
And the Philistines fought – and Israel was smitten
and they fled every man into his tent
and there was a very great slaughter
for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen
And the ark of God was taken
and the two sons of Eli – Hophni – Phinehas – were slain
Man brings news of battle to Shilohverses 12-13
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army
and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent
and with earth upon his head
And when he came – lo – Eli sat on a seat by the wayside watching
for his heart trembled for the ark of God
And when the man came into the city and told it – all the city cried out
Eli hears news of battle and diesverses 14-18
And when Eli heard the noise of the crying
he said
What mean the noise of this tumult?
and the man came in hastily – and told Eli
Now Eli was ninety and eight years old
and his eyes were dim – that he could not see
And the man said to Eli
I am he that came out of the army
and I fled today out of the army
And he said
What is there done – my son?
And the messenger answered and said
Israel is fled before the Philistines
and there hath been also a great slaughter
among the people
and your two sons also Hophni – Phinehas are dead
and the ark of God is taken
And it came to pass – when he made mention of the ark of God
that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate
and his neck brake – and he died
for he was an old man and heavy
And he had judged Israel forty years
Eli’s daughter-in-law dies in children birthverses 19-20
And his daughter-in-law – Phinehas’ wife was with child
near to be delivered
And when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken
and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead
she bowed herself and travailed
for her pains came on her
And about the time of her death the women that stood by her
said unto her
Fear not – for you have born a son
but she answered not – neither did she regard it
Child named Ichabodverses 21-22
And she named the child Ichabod
saying
The glory is departed from Israel
BECAUSE the ark of God was taken
BECAUSE of her father-in-law and her husband
And she said
The glory is departed from Israel
for the ark of the God is taken
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 8 Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. (4347 “plagues” [makkah] means slaughter, defeat, conquest, wound, beating, or affliction)
DEVOTION: The Philistines knew the history of Israel. They knew about their wilderness wanderings as they left Egypt. They knew about how they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and how the Egyptian army was killed when the waters returned while they were in the middle of the sea.
History gives them insight into the God of the Hebrews. They knew that HE had power. They knew that HE had helped them defeat many nations on their way to the Promised Land. They knew that HE gave them power to defeat their nation at time through their judges. They had a history with the God of the Hebrews.
The problem was that they just considered HIM another God among many. They had many false gods who helped them win battles too. So when they heard about the Ark of the Covenant coming into the camp they took notice.
They didn’t understand how the God of the Hebrews worked. HE only helped those who trusted in HIM. These individuals were trusting in a symbol of HIS presence.
Too often this is true in the churches today here. There are many who trust in their perfect attendance in Sunday School. There are many who trust in their baptism. There are many who trust in their good works. None of these things will cause individuals to go to heaven.
Only a proper relationship with Jesus Christ will help any individual to expect to spend eternity in heaven. This proper relationship involves obedience to the LORD. HE expects HIS people to obey HIS commands throughout their life. HE understands that even after salvation each individual will sin but HE will deal with them if they are trying to say they are HIS children and yet living in sin.
The children of Israel were living in sin and counting on a symbol of God rather than God HIMSELF.
CHALLENGE: Study history to understand how and when God works among HIS people. Then count on HIM alone.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O you Philistines, that you be not servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. (1961 “quit” [hayah] means to exist, become, continue, or last)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel seemed to think that the ark of the covenant of the LORD was a “lucky charm” for them. They were losing a battle with the Philistines. Someone suggested that if they brought the Ark of the Covenant into the camp, the LORD would give them victory.
The Philistines has heard the noise in the camp of the children of Israel and were afraid. The children of Israel had learned to trust in the ark of the LORD, rather than, in the LORD HIMSELF. They were counting on the wrong belief.
The Philistines kept fighting and won because they were fighting against a false belief and not against God. The Philistines did not want to be servants of the Hebrews. Their leaders told them to fight against the Hebrews. They did and won.
The ark of the LORD was taken. The sons of Eli were killed. Eli died when he heard what had happened to the ark.
Israel and its spiritual leader were more concerned about the ark then obeying the LORD. The LORD had warned Eli to discipline his sons but he did not do it. So the LORD informed Samuel that the family of Eli would die soon.
The daughter-in-law heard the news of the battle. She heard that her husband and father-in-law were dead. She heard that the Ark of the Covenant was taken. Her only comment was that “the glory of the LORD had departed from Israel. Therefore, she named her son “Ichabod.”
God wants us to trust in HIM alone, not in the church or pastor or religion or even worship the Bible. Some people today worship leaders rather than God. Some people worship a translation of the Bible, rather than the God of the Bible.
The Bible leads us to HIM, we are not to worship the Bible or the teacher of the Bible but God alone. Otherwise, we could be naming our children “Ichabod” because the glory of the LORD has departed from our nation. Remember to keep looking up to HIM for guidance. We have a real enemy but the LORD gives us strength to help us win the victory.
Remember that there is no magical formula for victory in our battles. Each battle is different and the answer is from the LORD. We need to understand the WHOLE counsel of God. We need wisdom from above for each battle. That wisdom is found in our relationship with the LORD and HIS Word. Christ knew what the Bible said and quoted it when HE faced the enemy, our enemy, the devil.
CHALLENGE: Have a system of memorizing the Word of God. Put verses on three by five cards and review them. Our answers come from the Word of God.
: 13 And when he came – lo – Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it – all the city cried out. (6822 “watching” [tsaphah] means to spy, look, scan, examine, to look attentively, keep watch, to view, keep guard, or observe attentively)
DEVOTION: Eli knew better than any other Israelite that the Ark of the Covenant was not the LORD. He knew that they were counting on the wrong thing. He knew that they should have turned to the LORD and repented of their lack of trust in HIM.
He was worried that the Ark of the Covenant would be taken because they were not acting according to the commands of the LORD. So he was back in the city not refusing to allow them to take the Ark. He was back in the city knowing what he thought would happen because of their sinful trust in a symbol of God instead of God HIMSELF.
His heart was trembling because he knew the effect of the Ark being taken on his family and the nation. He heard the news of the taking of the Ark and it caused him to fall backwards and die. He was ninety eight years old.
He didn’t discipline his children properly. He didn’t teach the people to count on the LORD rather than a symbol of the LORD. He seemed to take advantage of the offerings because he was heavy when he died.
Yet the LORD allowed him to judge Israel for forty years. He was the last judge. We need to realize that the LORD understands our sin and wants us to deal with it in relationship to HIM. Eli knew who the LORD was and seemed to try to be the High Priest he should have been but allowed his family to not follow the LORD. The training starts at a young age and it is during those years that he might have been too busy caring for the nation of Israel and forgot his home.
CHALLENGE: We need to remember to start with our home and then work out our other responsibilities to the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. (3513 “heavy” [kabed] means weighty, unresponsive, thick, of comparatively great physical weight or density, be insensible, be dull, stubborn, difficult, or large)
DEVOTION: Here was a man who judged Israel for forty years. However, he was one who didn’t discipline his sons and ate of the sacrifices of the LORD without regard for what was supposed to be done with them.
His sons took the best part of the meat of the sacrifices before they were even offered to the LORD. They were sinning in the holy place without disciple of their father. He had grown soft on sin especially in his own household.
Now the LORD was judging Israel for their sins and the people were defeated in battle. The Ark of the Covenant was taken from them because they used it as a magic symbol instead of a place to worship the LORD in fear and trembling. The Ark was taken by the Philistines and their hope was gone because they trusted in a symbol of God instead of God.
God had used him for forty years to help Israel but now the LORD had sent Samuel into the place of service to help the people return to the LORD in spirit and in truth. They were not to trust in a symbol of God but in God HIMSELF>
We are to do the same today. We don’t worship the church building or the other symbols of worship. We are to trust in the God of the Bible. We are to listen to the Holy Spirit as HE leads us to service of HIM.
Our worship needs to be genuine. It is not to be just a practice we do on Sunday but one that we do seven days a week. Our worship has to be one that is faithful to the LORD. Our worship needs to be from the heart.
If we depend on a place rather than the person of Jesus Christ, we have changed what the LORD expects of us as true followers of HIM.
CHALLENGE: What is our worship like today? Are we worshiping a place or a person? God wants us to worship HIM in spirit and in truth.
: 21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father- in- law and her husband”.
DEVOTION: All of the family of Eli was affected by his allowing his sons to do as they please. Now they are dead. Eli and his two sons are dead. What the LORD told Samuel in a vision came true.
Now we have the daughter-in-law of Eli going to have a baby. The baby was a boy but the mother didn’t seem to care because the Ark of the Covenant was taken and her father-in-law and husband were dead. Having a baby at that time didn’t give her any pleasure.
In fact, she named the baby boy Ichabod which means no glory. She knew that the glory of the LORD was gone from Israel. She was very discouraged because all the circumstances seemed to be against Israel.
We know that the LORD had not given up completely on Israel. Samuel was in the office of priest and prophet. The old guard was dead. It was a new day for Israel.
God wasn’t going to let the Ark stay in the land of the Philistines. HE was still in control of what was happening even if Ichabod’s mother had given up on life. We need to understand that our life in Christ is going to have high and low points. We have to understand that the nation of Israel was typical of nations that trust in the LORD.
Staying true to the LORD is not easy and it seems like after a time of great victories we tend to think we have won them instead of the LORD and our guard goes down and we allow Satan to tempt us into believing we don’t know the LORD as much.
HE is always going to receive the glory and HIS glory never leaves the earth. It might leave HIS people for a time but even they come back and give HIM glory.
CHALLENGE: We are going to see a day when the LORD returns and we will give HIM glory.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Ark of the Covenantverses 3-6
Ark of the Covenant of God
Ark of the Covenant of the LORD of hosts
Ark of the Covenant of the LORD
Ark of the LORD
Ark of Godverses 11, 13, 17-19, 22
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 3-6,
Ark of the covenant of the LORDverses 3, 5
LORD of hostsverse 4
Ark of the covenant of the LORD of hostsverse 4
God – Elohim (Creator)verses 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 17-19, 21, 22
Ark of the covenant of Godverse 4
Ark of the LORDverse 6
Hand of these mighty Godsverse 8
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Cherubimsverse 4
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Philistinesverses 1-3, 6-10, 17
Slew Israel: 4,000 men
Afraid
Be strong
Quit yourselves like men
Fight
Killed 30,000 Israelites
Took Ark of God
Killed Hophni and Phinehas
Egyptiansverse 8
Plagues in the wilderness
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Depending on ark of the covenant for salvationverse 3
Philistine believe in mighty godsverse 8
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Samuelverse 1
Israelverses 1, 5
Two thousand men killedverse 2
Elders of Israelverse 3
Ark of the covenantverse 3
Shilohverses 3, 4, 12
Two sons of Eli: Hophni & Phinehasverse 4
Camp of the Hebrewsverses 6, 9
Thirty thousand footmen killedverse 10
Hophni and Phinehas killedverse 11
Man of Benjamin gives report of battleverse 12
Eli – 98 years oldverses 13-18
Eli died, judged Israel 40 years
Ark of God takenverses 17, 21, 22
Phinehas wife died in child birthverses 19, 20
Child named Ichabod
Ichabod – glory is departed from Israelverse 21
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
The Israelite elders (who make their next appearance at the beginning of the following literary unit; see 8:4) were puzzled by the debacle on the battlefield (v.3). Their solution was to bring the ark of the covenant into the camp to guarantee the Lord’s presence with his people. Clearly the ark is a significant thematic element in this section; of the sixty-one occurrences of the word “ark” in the books of Samuel, all but twenty-five appear in 1 Samuel 4:1b–7:2.
The elders doubtless remembered the account of Joshua’s victory over Jericho, in which the ark was a highly visible symbol of divine help and strength (Josh 6:2–20; cf. also Num 10:35). It would accompany Israel’s army on at least one other occasion in the future as well (2 Sam 11:11). What the elders failed to understand, however, was that the ark was neither an infallible talisman nor a military palladium that would insure victory. If God willed defeat for his people, a thousand arks would not bring success. Marten H. Woudstra has well stated concerning attempts to manipulate the ark: “The offenses against the ark as pledge of Yahweh’s presence appear to be mainly of two kinds: (1) a misplaced reliance on the ark, and (2) an irreverent disregard for the ark” (The Ark of the Covenant from Conquest to Kingship [Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1965], p. 55). The elders understood clearly that if God was not “with” them, defeat was inevitable (Num 14:42; Deut 1:42). They mistakenly assumed, however, that wherever the ark was, the Lord was. (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 595). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
4:1–11. When Samuel was yet a youth, Israel was attacked by the Philistines at Aphek, a site about 25 miles west of Shiloh. When it was clear that the Philistines would win, the Israelites sent men to Shiloh to bring the ark of the covenant to the battlefield, superstitiously supposing that its presence, like a good-luck charm, would turn the tide. The ark did represent the presence of the Lord in battle (Num. 10:35; Josh. 6:6) but only when the people carried it in faith and by divine leading. Even the Philistines were terrified when they knew the ark was in the camp of Israel, for they had heard about its association with Israel’s mighty gods who had brought that people out of Egypt more than 300 years before (1 Sam. 4:6–8). Nonetheless, summoning their courage, they fought on and defeated Israel. In the process the ark … was captured and the sons of Eli, its keepers, were slain (v. 11). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 436). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
When Hophni and Phinehas appeared in the camp carrying the Ark of God, the soldiers and elders shouted enthusiastically, but their carnal self-confidence was just the prelude to another defeat. The Ark may have been with them in the camp, but the Lord was against them. Their joyful shout may have bolstered their spirits, but it was no guarantee of victory. All it did was motivate the Philistine army to determine to fight harder and win the battle, which they did, killing 30,000 Jewish soldiers. God will not be “used” just to make sinful people achieve their own selfish purposes. God’s promise is, “Them who honor me I will honor” (2:30). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). Be successful (pp. 32–33). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications.)
4:11 The loss of the ark, symbolic of God’s presence among His people, was a great tragedy for Israel—even worse than the loss of life (v. 10). The ark probably never returned to Shiloh. The Lord destroyed Shiloh because of the wickedness of His people (Jer. 7:12), and archaeological excavations indicate that the city was destroyed around 1050 b.c., perhaps by the Philistines. The deaths of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, mark the first step in God’s judgment on the house of Eli (2:34). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (1 Sa 4:11). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 3. And when the people came into the camp, &c.] At Eben-ezer, where they pitched their tents, and from whence they went out to battle, and whither they returned after their defeat: the elders of Israel said, wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines? they were right in ascribing it to the Lord, who had suffered them to be defeated by their enemies, but it is strange they should be so insensible of the cause of it; there was a reason ready at hand, their sins and iniquities were the cause of it, the corruption of manners among them, their neglect of bringing their offerings to the Lord, and the idolatry that many of them were guilty of, at least secretly, ch. 2:24 and 7:3. to punish them for which, they were brought into this war, and smitten in it; and yet they wonder at it, that so it should be, that they the people of God should be smitten before Heathens and uncircumcised Philistines; and the rather, since they went to battle with them according to the word of the Lord by Samuel; not considering that they went into this war without humiliation for their sins, and without praying to God for success, and that it was intended as a correction of them for their offences against God: let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us; in which the law was, sometimes called the covenant between God and them; and which was a symbol of the divine Presence, for want of which they supposed they had not the presence of God with them, and so had not success; and the rather they were encouraged to take this step and method, because that formerly Israel had success against their enemies when the ark was with them, Numb. 31:6. Josh. 6:6. though no doubt in this there was an overruling providence of God, by which they were led to take such a step as this, in order to bring the two sons of Eli into the camp, that they might be slain in one day, according to the divine prediction: that when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies; foolishly placing their confidence in an external symbol, and not in the Lord himself; ascribing salvation to that, which only belongs to him, whether of a temporal or spiritual kind: and such folly and vanity are men guilty of when they seek to, make use of, and trust in anything short of Christ for salvation; as in carnal descent; in the rituals of the law; in the ordinances of the Gospel; in any religious exercises, private or public; or in any works of righteousness done by them: in Christ alone is salvation from spiritual enemies; and indeed from the Lord only is salvation and deliverance from temporal enemies. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 434). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
Israel then renewed the conflict with the Philistines and suffered defeat. It seems that they acted in self-confidence, and when the battle was lost they readily acknowledged the hand of the Lord in the disaster: “Wherefore has the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines?” But there was no self-judgment, no repentance, no crying unto the Lord. The ark of the covenant of the Lord is brought out of Shiloh. They trust in the ark instead of Jehovah; they expect salvation from the ark of gold and wood: “it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” Alas! “the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.” (Verse 4.) They forgot Jehovah whom they had offended and insulted. How could He bless and deliver His people when such sons of Belial were associated with the sanctuary? A worse defeat followed. Thirty thousand Israelites fell, among them the sons of Eli. The Philistines first terrified by the presence of the ark gain a great victory and capture the ark. (Gaebelein, A. C. (2009). The annotated Bible: Joshua to Second Chronicles (Vol. 2, p. 142). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
BELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. John 20:31
What do we believe about Christ? What is the teaching about Him? Why do you think the four Gospels were ever written? Surely there can be no hesitation about answering this question. They were written–God caused men to write them and guided them through the Spirit as they did so–in order that the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ might be known exactly. All sorts of false stories were current in the first century. They were apocryphal gospels, and in them things were being ascribed to Him and He was reported to have done and said things that had never happened. So the Gospels were written in order to define the truth, in order to exclude certain falsehoods and give the facts plainly and clearly.
Luke, in the introduction to his Gospel, says: “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed” (1:1-4). You will find that John, at the end of his Gospel, virtually says the same thing: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31).
But not only do the Gospels tell us that–there are also several sections in other parts of the New Testament that specifically make the same point. Take the first epistle of John, for example. Why was it written” To counteract the false teaching that was current, the teaching that denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, that docetism, that false doctrine.
A Thought to Ponder
The Gospels were written in order that the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ might be known exactly. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 246-247 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Exodus 14
The Lord parts the Red Sea for the children of Israel.
INSIGHT
When we are obedient to God, nothing can touch us that does not come from God Himself. The armies of Egypt, symbolic of the armies of Satan, are no match for a God jealous to care for His beloved people. Resting in God’s full protection in spiritual warfare, we may put on His full armor and stand firm, knowing that we will triumph in Him. (Quiet Walk)
Trust the Light
Believe in the light . . . so that you may become children of light.
John 12:36
The weather forecast said bomb cyclone. That’s what happens when a winter storm rapidly intensifies as the atmospheric pressure drops. By the time night fell, the blizzard conditions made the highway to the Denver airport almost impossible to see. Almost. But when it’s your daughter who’s flying home to visit, you do what you have to do. You pack extra clothes and water (just in case you get stranded on the highway), drive very slowly, pray without ceasing, and last but not least, trust your headlights. And sometimes you can achieve the almost impossible.
Jesus foretold of a storm on the horizon, one that would involve His death (John 12:31-33), and one that would challenge His followers to stay faithful and serve (v. 26). It was going to get dark and be almost impossible to see. Almost. So what did Jesus tell them to do? Believe, or trust, the Light (v. 36). That was the only way they could keep going forward and stay faithful.
Jesus would only be with them a little while longer. But believers have His Spirit as our constant guide to light the way. We too will face dark times when it’s almost impossible to see the way ahead. Almost. But by believing, or trusting in the Light, we can press on.
By John Blasé (Our Daily Bread)
THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER
…wait for the promise of the Father…. Acts 1:4
The final manifestation of the glory of the Son was that which was given on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was sent down upon the infant church gathered together at Jerusalem. That is the final proof of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the only begotten Son of God. The Scripture talks about “the promise of the Father.” The Father had promised the children of Israel in the old dispensation that He would send His Spirit. He keeps on saying that He is going to make a new covenant with them, that the day is coming when He will take out their stony heart, give them a heart of flesh, and pour out His Spirit upon them. That is the thing to which they were looking forward, and in a sense the work of the Messiah, the Deliverer, the Savior, was to send this promise of the Father. And this is the very thing that happened on the Day of Pentecost when the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit.
Now in one place the Scripture tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit, and in another place it tells us that God the Father sent the Spirit after listening to the prayer of His Son. But it is the same thing, since the Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son. What I particularly want to emphasize is that “these words” of John 17:1 refer to the words that are recorded in chapters14, 15, and 16 of John’s Gospel, which all have to do with this promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord began to speak about this in chapter 14. He found that the disciples were crestfallen because He said that He was going to leave them. So He told them that He would give them another Comforter (14:16-17). Then He proceeded to teach them about the coming of the Holy Spirit.
A Thought to Ponder: The final manifestation of the glory of the Son was given on the Day of Pentecost. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 84-85, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
A Model Church
“Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.” (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
Paul had begun the work at Thessalonica, and when forced to leave, he maintained an active interest in and contact with the Thessalonian believers. The book of 1 Thessalonians contains both encouragement and commendation for these believers. In the context of our text verse, he mentions some of their strengths, and it would behoove us to take note and apply these strengths to our churches.
Paul mentions the triad of faith, love, and hope so common in New Testament writings. The “work of faith,” that past work of salvation in the believer’s life, is amplified in verses 4-6, where we see that God has chosen to work His work of grace in them through the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit (v. 5). Their reception of the Word had been with both affliction and joy (v. 6).
Next, Paul commends their “labour of love.” They were committed to both outreach and missions, as we see in verses 7 and 8. Their testimony had not only affected the local area but was “spread abroad.” Moreover, they had entered into proper worship of God, maintaining purity of doctrine (v. 9). The “labour of love” to others will inevitably follow as a means of serving God.
Lastly, Paul commends their “patience of hope”—their expectant joyful outlook on the future, waiting for Christ’s return (v. 10).
May our own churches have this same perspective on the past, present, and future work of Christ. May our own lives give attention to the same details and have the same goals and outlook as those of the Thessalonian church. Purity in doctrine and a life of service constitute the best way to wait for our Lord’s return.
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Man’s Laws Cannot Make Moral What God has Declared Immoral. Even If a SIN is LEGALIZED, It’s still a sin in the eyes of God. (Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!)
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” —George Orwell, Author
Nothing happens by accident. God is directing each one of your steps.
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.