Sat.’s Devo - The Glory Returns

Read: 1 Sam. 4:12-chapter 8
God brought judgement on the household of Eli because of the blatant disrespect his sons, Hophni and Phinehas had for the Lord. The priests were suppose to be the spiritual leaders of the time, but instead, they were gluttons and womanizers. Some of the signs a nation is in sin are lack, war, and the absence of the tangible presence of God. Israel was experiencing all three. They could blame the first two on “circumstances” but when the ark was stolen, it was a wake up call.
Eli fell over backwards and broke his neck when he heard the news. His daughter-in-law went into labor and died but before she died she named her newborn son, Icabod meaning “where is the glory”.
The Philistines quickly learned that the Lord would not share his glory with them. Each of the five cities the ark touched brought plague and curses. Their sorcerers appealed to God and asked him how they could repent and return the ark. He instructed them to make give gold tumors and five gold rats to represent the plague of tumors and the rats that had ravaged them. They were to take two cows that had just had calves and hitch them to the cart holding the ark. If you know anything about mother cows you will know how miraculous this was. Mother cows will knock down a fence to protect their calves; they don’t let them out of their sight. But these cows not only allowed the separation but they carried the ark without a prod or a shepherd leading the way. They took the ark to the field of Joshua and stopped beside a rock. Joshua means “god is our savior” and the rock stands for Jesus. They told the people of Israel to come and get it. They were so ready to be free of something that was so powerfully evil to them. But, what is so powerfully evil to God’s enemies is such a powerful blessing to God’s people.
Samuel called the nation back to the Lord and they positively responded. They enjoyed rest from the Philistines while Samuel was their judge. He had two sons who, like Eli’s sons, were not righteous. They stole from God, so the people asked Samuel for a king instead of his sons to rule them. This made Samuel sad and he told them all the reasons they didn’t want a king, but the people refused to change their mind.
Lord, we are stubborn people who never seem to learn. Thank you for your forgiveness and your patience.