Ichabod I Samuel 4:18-22

The Setting-1 Israel had gone to battle against the Philistines- v. 1 The Philistines defeated them killing about 4,000 of their soldiers The soldiers asked, Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?”- v. 3 Though God never authorized it, they sent for the ark of the covenant thinking it would surely give them victory

The Setting-2 When Hophni and Phineas brought the ark, the soldiers were encouraged and shouted loudly- v. 5 Their shout alerted their enemy But the Philistines defeated them again killing 30,000 soldiers The priests who carried the ark, Hophni and Phineas, died and the ark was taken by Philistines The news about the ark caused the High priest, Eli to fall, break his neck and die- v. 18

Ichabod An unusual name It means no glory or the glory is departed The name given by Phineas’ wife to the son who was born just after Israel’s defeat at the hands of the Philistines It indicates her sorrow and her evaluation of the events that had just occurred Let us examine her words further in our study

The Glory that Departed-1 Phineas’ wife was correct in that the glory had departed from Israel The glory was not her father-in-law, Eli, nor her husband nor even the ark of the covenant The glory of Israel was its God David later wrote, “In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge is in God.”- Psa. 62:7

The Glory that Departed-2 God is the glory of every Christian and every Church today Many years later, the prophet Ezekiel saw the glory of God departing from the temple- Ezek. 10 This indicated His rejection of Judah Which resulted in their being taken captive by the Babylonians God’s withdrawal here was not a rejection of his people But He temporarily withheld His support and help which allowed their enemies to overcome them

Why the Glory Departed-1 1. Because of the sins of the priests, Hophni and Phineas They profaned the sacrifices offered to the Lord and committed sexual immorality with the women who gathered at the tabernacle- I Sam. 2:12-17 & I Sam. 2:22 God warned Eli twice- I Sam. 2:27-36 & I Sam. 3: But Eli did not restrain them 3. The people also had turned away from God and were worshipping idols- I Sam. 7:3

Why the Glory Departed-2 God only withdraws from those who withdraw from Him- Isa. 59:1-2 He used this bitter defeat to cleanse His priesthood, to fulfill His prophesy against Eli And to discipline His people and to bring them to repentance Jesus, through John, rebuked the church at Thyatira for tolerating a false prophetess called Jezebel who seduced some of them to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols- Rev. 2:20

Why the Glory Departed-3 God is perfectly holy He expects His people to be holy- I Pet. 1:15 God will not be a partner with a Christian who lives in sin, nor a church that is corrupted by false teaching or sinful practices The Lord disciplines His wayward children to make them holy- Heb. 12:10 When Israel repented, their Glory returned and they defeated their enemies- I Sam. 7:4-11 They set up a stone called “Ebenezer” to acknowledge God’s help

Other Lessons from Ichabod-1 1.There is no substitute for obedience Israel’s priesthood was corrupt and the people were worshipping idols The ark was not a substitute for the obedience that God required from His priests and His people Worship and good intentions are no substitute for it today 2. God’s word is sure to come to pass- Num. 23:19 Whether it contains a blessing or a curse

Other Lessons from Ichabod-2 God told Eli that both his sons would die on the same day And it happened when they brought the ark into battle God will punish sin today just as He has in the past- Gal 6:7-8 And He will also keep every promise- Titus 1:2 3.God will return to those who repent Just as He returned to Israel when they repented and put away their idols We need God on our side every hour of every day Do you need to return to the Lord this afternoon?