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“The Story Of Shiloh” • 3.1.15 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- We noted last week that judgment was coming to the family of Eli
because they had kicked aside God's offerings in contempt. Eli had honored his
own sons over the living God.
- After announcing their judgment, the Holy
Spirit shows us that in faithful love, God had raised up Samuel to be the next
Priest and the first Prophet.
• I Samuel 4:1 : "And the word of Samuel came to all
Israel." : Samuel
was identified by all Israel as the carrier of God's Word. It will be invested
into him.
- This is important as we now turn our eyes to
the final days of Eli and the place that God's Tabernacle had come to rest in.
Today, we learn of the tragic story of Shiloh.
Intro.
• I Samuel 4:2-4 : "Now Israel went out to battle
against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines
encamped in Aphek. Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against
Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. And when the people had come into
the camp, the elders of Israel said, 'Why has the Lord defeated us today before the
Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it
comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.' So the people sent to Shiloh, that
they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who dwells between the
cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark
of the covenant of God." :
The Philistines are a seafaring people who most scholars believe were
originally from Greece through the Isle of Crete.
- They immigated to the Mediteranean coast as
early as Abraham's time and were originally a docile people group, but
eventually began to assert themselves upon the local population.
- They have become a force to reckon with,
especially given the apostasy that marked the people of Israel. Philistia was
an enemy that God imported in order to correct His people!
- The source of this contention is unknown,
though their very presence was offensive enough. Their pagan ways came into
direct conflict with Israel and thus the batte before us.
- This first volley was incredibly one sided,
as Israel was routed by the Philistines to the tune of 4,000 men! One thing
that we'll learn about the Philistines is that they were technologically
superior.
- They were experts in metallurgy and the
crafting of weaponry, along with chariots, making them highly mobile. Israel
was no match for them, especially in their current spiritual state.
- Notice how clueless they are about it. When
the surviving force retreated, they wondered aloud why the Lord had defeated
them? The elders pose this question! Israel was truly lost!
- Could they have been so blind as to ignore
their own sin? Could it be that men did that which was right in their own eyes
and forsook the God that brought them into Canaan?
- They forsook their own blessing that was
theirs in the Lord. "You mean, you can't just ignore Godly principles and
expect Him to come through as if you hadn't?"
- How many make the same mistake today? They
ignore what God has clearly said, they follow their own path for years and then
marvel that things haven't turned out right!
- God promised that if they disobeyed His
covenant, their enemies would have victory over them. The power was in their
willingness to repent and seek the Lord for the sake of His presence!
- Instead of repenting, they reasoned that
their defeat came as a result of not bringing the ark of the covenant into the
battle, something that had never been done and was not commanded here!
- Look at their rationale: "Bring out the
ark and when "It" comes, "it" will rescue us from our
enemies!" They have turned the symbol of God's throne into a giant good
luck charm!
- They are substituting the image for that which
the image represents! Instead of seeking God Himself, they satisfied themselves
with some token. They literally put God in the box!
- They sent a delegation to gather the ark and
Hophni and Phinehas were there with the ark.
- Can you think of two people that you would
least like to see with the ark!?
• I Samuel 4:5-9 : "And when the ark of the covenant of
the Lord came into the camp, all Israel
shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they
said, 'What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?'
Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, 'God has come
into the camp!' And they said, 'Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened
before. Woe to
us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods
who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and conduct yourselves
like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as
they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!'" : When the ark of the covenant came
into view it was a first!
- This was the only piece of furniture in the
Holy Of Holies, which was only seen by one man on one day of each year!
- Can you imagine the scene as the ark was
carried out from Shiloh into the military's camp? What a majestic sight and an
obvious boost emotionally.
- There is something very interesting to
consider at this point. When in the actual presence of God, the people of God
responded with great silence and reverence.
- Exodus 20:18 describes people who
trembled at His presence! What a stark difference here. They shouted loud
enough for the earth to shake, literally for the earth to ring out again!
- That output was tremendous emotionally, but
that was all that was going on. God was not present with them. Note: When His
presence is not available, make a lot of noise to cover it up!
- The Philistines didn't know that though. They
feared that sound's implication!
- To the heathen horde, loud roucous sound
meant a religious frenzy. "God has come into the camp!" That would
mean that they would be brought down, just as God had done upon the Egyptians!
- Most of their theology is bad, as God is
singular, not plural. He had struck the Egyptians with plagues before the ark
was constructed. They knew if God was with them that they were ruined!
- All that they can do is resolve themselves to
fight like men and go to their fate! Ironically, this is what catalyzes their
efforts against Israel. Look at verse 4.
• I Samuel 4:10-18 : "So the Philistines fought, and
Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great
slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured;
and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died." : Wait, but Israel had an emotional
experience! The Philistines were intimidated and feared their own demise!
Israel had their "God In the Box!?
- How did the Philistines win!? God was not
with Israel! They had no inherant favor for being God's people or for having
brought the symbol of God's throne.
- The ark of God, was an ark of the covenant
that Israel had refused to keep! But God was faithful in allowing them to fall,
as that was His part of the covenant!
- How could you say God was faithful? He allowed
them to come to the end of their trust in that which was less than Him!
- Whatever you deem more worthy than Him,
whatever you put on His level as a substitute, understand that that thing,
idea, position, or person will eventually fail you. It must be the case!
- It is not only the nature of every thing in
life, it is a gracious goodness of God to put it down!
- The ark without God's presence is just
another gold plated box in the collection of spoil! Additionally, 30,000 men
fell at the hands of the Philistines, among them Hophni and Phinehas.
- God's word came to pass, as they both died on
the very same day. What a waste of life! Because of their foolishness, Hophni
and Phinehas didn't live out even half of their days!
• I Samuel 4:12-18 : "Then a man of Benjamin ran from the
battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on
his head. Now when
he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his
heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told
it, all the city cried out. When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, 'What does the
sound of this tumult mean?' And the man came quickly and told Eli. Eli was ninety-eight years old, and
his eyes were so dim that he could not see. Then the man said to Eli, 'I am he
who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.' And he said, 'What happened, my son?' So the messenger answered and said, 'Israel has fled before
the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also
your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been
captured.' Then it happened, when he made
mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of
the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy.
And he had judged Israel forty years." : The Benjamite, a valiant warrior, came in mourning with his
clothes torn and dirt on his head. He had barely escaped with his life, but
probably wishes that he hadn't!
- He now had the worst news to deliver that one
could possibly deliver to Eli, though it's not what you think. He's not
concerned about his sons. Eli's heart trembled for the ark of God!
- It trembled in anxious fear for the state of
it's being. He's sitting there trying to interpret the sounds that he's hearing
but with impaired sight. He knew things had gone bad, but to what degree?
- The Benjamite came to Shiloh, and Eli heard
the news of the Philistine victory, his sons death and then the ark's capture!
It was then and only then when he fell over, presumably in a faint.
- His body fell ackwardly and his neck gave way
to the weight of the man and the height from which he fell. He lived to see the
day that God predicted would come!
- What isn't revealed here is that Shiloh was
thoroughly ransacked by the Philistines and became a complete ruin. Psalm
78:59-64 gives a sense of the story.
- The worst part of that story comes in verse 61,
where the Psalmist writes, "And delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into
the enemy’s hand."
- The Prophet Jeremiah, who oversaw the final
days of Judah, refers to Shiloh 5 times, calling it a desolate, accursed place.
Turn with me to Jeremiah 7.
- In his time, people couldn't fathom that they
would be judged because of the temple! "The Temple of God!" It was
impossible to think that they could be overrun because of it's presence.
- And yet Jeremiah tells them plainly that this
wasn't the first time that God had vacated the premises! This is when He brings
up Shiloh.
• Jeremiah 7:5-15 : "For if you thoroughly amend your
ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his
neighbor, if you do
not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed
innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in
this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that
cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit
adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom
you do not know, and then come and
stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are
delivered to do all these abominations?' Has
this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes?
Behold, I, even I, have seen it,' says the Lord. But go now to My place
which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it
because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And
now, because you have done all these works,' says the Lord, 'and I spoke to you,
rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you
did not answer, therefore I will do to the
house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I
gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have
cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim." : What a powerful lesson for us to
hear. Yes, the time is different in that we are under a better covenant! Our
Christianity is based on Christ's faithfulness to us.
- What cannot be ignored however, is that there
is a life that God blesses and a life that reveals His abandonment or perhaps,
a life which was never touched by Him at all!
- God calls you and I to holiness. Submission
to His voice and whole hearted, fierce loyalty to His Name above every other
thing in our life! Otherwise, we are looking for trouble!
• I Samuel 4:19-22 : "Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’s
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.'" : What a time to give birth!?
Certainly, the birth could not have happened at a worse time and her own death
was likely caused by the tremendous trauma of the day.
- One can hardly imagine what a horror it would
be to live through this day! This woman lost everything, including her own
life.
- As with most Hebrew women, the naming of her
son coincided with the event that marked the day. What else could she call him,
but that the glory had departed from Israel!
- In her mind, the symbol of God's very throne
had been captured by the enemies of God and there was no longer any hope! She
takes no joy in her son. She doesn't even recognize the moment.
- You can hear her softly name her son as a
whisper passes through her lips. "Ichabod." The glory has departed
from Israel.
- All she could see in that day were the
symbols of strenght. The Ark was gone. The High Priest Eli, her Father-in-law.
- Her final words reflected the moment and
captured the theology she died with! The box is gone, therefore God is gone!
- But God was not gone and God can never be
contained in any box, even one of His own making! His glory is right there if
the nation would repent and turn from it's sin.
- The glory of God only departs in our minds
when our eyes have turned their affections to anything that isn't Him! It
happens when we enjoy something more than we enjoy Him.
- It occurs when our value system becomes
entangled in the world around us. It happens when we trust ourselves to another
functional savior, which will always be less than Jesus.
- The lie is that His glory can depart. The
truth is, it can only obscured by our heart's gaze.
Conclusion
- Let's leave with two vital lessons gained
from this passage.
- First, God will not be mocked. Whatever a man
sows, that will be what He reaps. Sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.
Ask Hophni and Phinehas if it was worth it!
- Sin is pleasurable for a season, but it's end
is death and the cutting off of our days.
- Second, God will not be treated like an idol.
God will not be put into a box and will not simply come when you decide to pick
Him up! He will be Lord of all or not at all!
- He is not your "go to." He is not
your final recourse. He's not your greatest lucky charm! He is the center. He
is the source. He is the purpose. He is our soul's sole affection!
- Anything less is paganism and we are no
better than the Philistines, Moabites or Canaanites!
- God offers Himself to you in the person of
Jesus Christ! He makes a promise that He will never leave you or forsake you!
He promises His faithful hand.
- He wants you to have Him but that means you
can have nothing else in the same place. That's when the glory departs! That's
when you can no longer see it!
- When your joy or value or worship is in
something else, you will say, "The glory has departed!" Ichabod.
There is nothing worse than to die in life with that on your lips!
- Can you honestly look at your life and see
that your heart is completely His or are there competing interests? May He be
gracious to show you and may you be courageous to respond!
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