Israel Was Defeated (1 Samuel 4:1-10)

4/22/2010 8:31 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Israel was defeated

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  1 Samuel 4:1-10

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek. 2  The Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3  When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies." 4  So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5  As the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. 6  When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the noise 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. 7  The Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8  "Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9  "Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight."

    “10 ¶  So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.”

            This SD is the beginning of chapter two in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on 1 Samuel, “Be Successful.”  He entitles this chapter “Israel’s Defeat—God’s Victory and the first section is entitled “The faithful Word of God.”  God’s Word is faithful, however one has to study it and study it with the right attitude and with the help of the Holy Spirit, and of course be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, or in the case of these OT people from Israel, a true believer in God.

            The events that happened in the next three chapter of 1 Samuel were not accident, but were in the sovereign will of God, and for His plan for the nation of Israel.  They were done to chasten the nation of Israel, those who had sinned against the Lord and to eventually bring about a king in Israel who would be in the line of the Messiah that God would send them, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            A bit about the Philistines is necessary to understand 1 Samuel, for they were Israel’s biggest enemy.  They are mentioned as early as Genesis 21:32 and even in Genesis 10: “14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines) and Caphtorim.”  The Philistines were originally a seagoing people from the Aegean region who invaded the territory along the Mediterranean coast (Phoenicia) and sought to control all of the land that is known as Palestine.  (The name “Palestine” is a form of the word “Philistine.”

            The section for today’s SD tells about the defeat of Israel, however one has to know the Scriptures and read between the line in order to understand why Israel was defeated, for after all why should Israel, God’s people, be defeated by their enemies with all of the promises that He had given to His chosen people? 

            The city of Ebenezer (“stone of help) is mentioned and it is also mentioned in 1 Samuel 7:12, but it is not certain that this is the same city. 

            Israel and the Philistines lined up for battle and Israel was defeated loosing 4000 men, which of course was very distressing to them and so the elders of Israel decided to send for the Ark of God in order to ensure victory over the idol worshipping heathens.  They decided this all on their own not consulting the Lord.  I realize that Psalm 3:5-6 were not written then but they surely new the principles that were in it, “5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  The first thing they should have done was confess their sin for there was sin in Israel, and then they should have consulted as to what the Lord would have them do.  Neither of these things was done.  Israel was not walking by faith at this time in their history as seen by the sin in Eli and his sons. 

            After Israel sends for the Ark of God, which was carried by Hophni and Phinehas they got all excited and actually brought fear into the hearts of the Philistines, for the Philistines knew the reputation of the God of Israel, but did not know Him as the one true God.  The next day the Philistines defeated Israel killing 30,000 from Israel and then the rest ran home. 

            “God will not be ‘used’ just to make sinful people achieve their own selfish purposes.  God’s promise is ‘Them who honor me I will honor’ (1 Samuel 2:20).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There are a couple of things that are going on in my life at this time that I surely need to seek God to find out His answer for.  Both of these things seem to me like they would be in the will of the Lord, but I can’t afford to just say yes to them without consulting the Lord to see if they are His will for my life.  I desire to do His will, “Ps 40:8  ‘I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.’”

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. In order to seek the Lord’s will on the two issues that face me I want to take time to confess my sins, to pray about these situations or opportunities, and to seek the Lord’s will in both of them.

 

4/22/2010 9:24 AM