Our ‘GLORY’, ‘HONOR’ and ‘VICTORY’ rests in GOD alone!
March 21 Bible
Reading: 1 Samuel Chapters 4-6
Our ‘GLORY’, ‘HONOR’ and ‘VICTORY’ rests in GOD alone!
Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was
with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of
God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed
herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. And about the time
of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not fear, for you
have borne a son." But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. Then she
named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from
Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her
father-in-law and her husband. And she said, "The glory has departed from
Israel, for the ark of God has been captured." (1 Sam 4:19-22)
When
disaster came to Israel, it came as a whirlwind
from all directions. God had withdrawn His favor and presence from His
people due to their disobedience and wayward living. When the Philistines came
to fight against the Israelites, the initial death count was 4000 (v. 2). It
was then that the Israelites realized that God had actually defeated them
before the Philistines (v. 3a). They soon assumed that if they would carry the
Ark of the Covenant (signifying God’s presence) with them to the battlefield,
they would win the battle (vv. 3b-4).
The presence
of the Ark of the Covenant among the Israelites got them so excited that they
shouted loudly (like they did while marching around Jericho) and confidently
went into the battlefield (vv. 5-6). Sadly, little did they realize that due to
the sins of their High Priest, and his sons Hophni and Phinehas, God’s presence
and His divine favor had departed from their midst. The Israelites were soundly
defeated by the Philistines, 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers were killed, every Israelite
ran back to his tent defeated, the Ark of God was captured by the Philistines,
and the two sons of Eli (one of whom would have been the future High Priest of Israel) were killed as a result of God’s judgment
(vv. 7-11).
The problems
for the Israelites did not stop there – on hearing the news that the Ark of God
had been captured, the 98-year old heavyset Eli fell backwards on his seat,
broke his neck, and died (vv. 12-18). On hearing this sad news, Eli’s
daughter-in-law delivered a baby boy, but died shortly after, and not before
naming her son Ichabod (literally
meaning Inglorious). The root of the
name Ichabod is kavod, the Hebrew word for “glory”
to which a negative is prefixed. Shiloh
would never again be the center of the Israel’s worship!
The last
words of Phinehas’ wife were: "The
glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured"
(v. 22). With the ark in enemy hands, the glory had indeed departed, for God’s
abode among His people was represented by that symbol. The glory of God dwelt
with Israel (Exodus 40:34–35; Romans 9:4), but their sin forced God to depart
at an hour when they most needed Him (Psalms 78:56–64). Israel had neither the
ark nor the glory of God; they were vulnerable and defeated by their enemies!
Let us
remember that our glory, honor and
victory also rest on God alone! If we are living a defeated life today, we
have no one to blame but ourselves and the sin that has separated us from God. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not
shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But
your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His
face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:1-2)
