The Ark Of The Covenant And Samuel Series

Topic: Never Seen Before in 2024

Thesis: We are looking to see things we have never seen before in 2024.

Summary of last week’s message:

• Samuel responds to the call of God while Eli never bothered to get out of bed.

• Samuel obeyed God!

• Samuel becomes God’s Prophet and Eli experiences a fall from grace.

• His ministry ends in failure – losing the presence of God – losing his sons and dying from falling over at the sound of his failure!

Sermon: Lessons from: The Ark of the Covenant!

Introduction:

Today we will continue our exploration of 1 Samuel looking into Chapters 4-7. We will see and learn from the failure of Eli and his sons – remember – they lost the glory of God because of sin! We will also discover the heavy price they paid and Israel paid in their failure in doing their God given jobs as Priests of God.

But - We will also discover the success of Samuel in bringing revival back to Israel and how he returned victory in battle to the Israelites in Chapter 7.

Premise: But today I believe we need to learn how all this relates to the handling of the presence of God. In our hearts and in our places of work.

The history lesson for today I desire to show is the association of losing the presence of God and the importance of caring properly for the presence of God.

Warning: We will lose the presence of God if we fail to do our God given jobs and if we fail to guard our hearts from sin.

Thesis: God’s presence comes from doing God’s work and staying away from sin – God’s blessing comes from doing our God given jobs well and maintaining a pure heart before God – failing to do our God given jobs and living in sin leads to the departure of God’s presence.

Our section of Scripture for this message today: 1 Samuel 4-7:

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 When the ark of the LORD’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. 6 Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?” When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. 9 Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated, and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty-thousand-foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Death of Eli

12 That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry. 14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?” The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?” 17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years.