I've Fallen And I Can't Get Up

TITLE: I’VE FALLEN AND I CAN’T GET UP

SCRIPTURE: I SAMUEL 5:1-7

I’ve Fallen and I Can’t get Up this was a catchphrase of the late 1980s and early 1990s popular culture based upon a line from an infamous television commercial. This line was spoken in a television commercial for a medical alarm and protection company called Lifecall, starting in 1989, up to 1990, when they went out of business. The motivation behind the systems is that subscribers, mostly senior citizens, would receive a pendant which, when activated, would allow the user to call out (verbally with their voice) to an audio receiving device and talk directly with a dispatch service, without the need to reach a telephone. The service was designed to appeal particularly to seniors who lived alone and who might experience a medical emergency, such as a fall, which would leave them alert but immobile and unable to reach a phone.

When I was lead to this exciting text for examination my mind could not help but to recall that commercial from some twenty (20) years ago. The Bible is such an honest book. That is why I enjoy spending time in the Word of God, it does not try to hide anything from us. Isn’t it good to know?:

• Sometimes God’s people behave badly

• It’s not just you and me

• Isn’t it good to know that God does not give up on us, even when we behave badly

In an effort to understand the history and background of this text, it is important that we understand the ark of the Lord or covenant.

• The ark was a wooden chest overlaid with gold about four feet long, two feet wide and two feet high

• Its cover was made of pure gold with two cherubim hammered out of gold on top

• The ark contained the gold jar of manna

• Aaron’s staff that had budded

• The stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments

• But the ark was more than just a chest

• The ark was the visible symbol of God’s presence among the Israelites

The Ark of the Covenant resided in the Holy of the Holies, the innermost room of the Tabernacle. Access was only permitted once per year, on the Day of Atonement. Access was restricted to one person only, the high priest. He had to come into the Holy of Holies with the blood of a goat, on behalf of his own and the people of Israel’s sins. Most people associate the Ark of the Covenant with judgment and wrath, rightly so. The day is soon coming when God will judge the secrets of people's hearts and cast judgment upon mankind. The day is coming my brothers and sisters, where every THOUGHT – WORD – DEED – will be called into judgment by our God.

In the previous chapter of that which has been read in our hearing - we find that the Philistines are in battle with Israel. We would think in the book of I SAMUEL that the Israelites would quickly defeat their enemy because God was on their side. There are some behind the scene dynamics that have taken place that have caused a great separation between God and His people.

• Recall with me that Samuel was still young in the Lord

• He would later become Prophet – Judge – Priest

• But for now Old Man Eli the Prophet was still in Charge

• He was now an Old man with failing Eye sight

• His two sons were in charge as their Father’s health began to fail

• Hopni and Phinehas were wicked in the sight of God

• These sons of the Prophet Eli did wicked in God’s sight

• They were Corrupt – Wicked - Unrepentant

• The real tragedy is the fact that the Prophet Eli knew it and did nothing about it

• Have to be careful when we can correct everyone else children and can’t correct our own

• Identify what’s lacking in your home – while own home is falling apart

In this Fourth Chapter we find that the Philistines begin to defeat Israel in a small-scale battle. During the initial stages of the battle 4,000 Israelites are recorded to have been killed. This is a warning sent by God to his people. This is a bad scene, but it can be turned around quickly at the hand of God. God always sends a warning before destruction. Most of the time, we don’t care to listen when God tries to warn us. We continue to say things really are not that bad until we wake up one morning and find that we have finally hit rock bottom. We fail to heed the warnings of God until we have nothing left. Then some of us try to blame and fault God after we have ignored all of his Warnings directed in our life.