Sat.’s Devo - The Ark was Taken

Read: 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 14:30-31 Eli had been aware of all the evil things his sons Hophni and Phinehas had been doing. They had not only been taking their sacrifices for themselves but also seducing the young women who worked at the Tabernacle. Eli tried to talk to them but never disciplined them for their actions. Meanwhile, Samuel was growing in righteousness. One night God called to him three times before Eli realized it was God who was calling him and told him how to respond. God did respond and he told him what was going to happen to Eli’s legacy. Because Eli didn’t discipline his sons, judgement was coming to his family and to Israel. The next morning Eli made Samuel tell him everything the Lord had said. Eli believed him. Everything that Samuel begin to say came true and everyone from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord. The Philistines were at war with Israel in Ephraim. Israel had lost 4,000 men so they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant to be with them in war. The Philistines heard the sound of Israel shouting so loud that it shook the ground and went to see what the commotion was about. When they realized that the Ark was coming into their camp, they were panicked. They knew the stories of Egypt and how God had brought Israel down. They encouraged each other to fight their hardest. The next day, the Philistines defeated Israel and killed 30,000 of them. They killed both of Eli’s sons and took the Ark. A messenger found Eli sitting on the side of the road on a seat. He was waiting to hear of the battle. The messenger told him about the defeat, his sons and the Ark. When he heard the news of the Ark, he fell backwards and died. The wife of Phinehas was pregnant and near the time to deliver. When she heard that her husband had died and that the Ark was taken she went into labor and gave birth to a son before she died. She had named him Ichabod which means “Where is the glory?” She said that the glory had left Israel. In John, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees who were questioning his authority to heal on the Sabbath. He told them to have eternal life you had to listing to what he said and believe. A day was soon coming when the dead would hear his voice and rise to eternal life God have his authority to judge to Jesus. Jesus judges as God would. John the Baptist was Jesus’ witness that what he was saying was true. Jesus rebuked them for having the scriptures yet they missed the message of the scripture. He was the message. They honored men more than God so they would never be able to see God in Jesus. Moses would be the one to accuse them before God. Moses had written all about Jesus and yet they refused to see it. It would be held against them. Lord, help us not to get so concerned with this life that we miss the most important things in life which are You and your plan.