WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:20.539 What's in a name? 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:28.859 That's the question that Juliet asks Romeo in the famous balcony scene in Shakespeare's 00:00:28.859 --> 00:00:29.600 Romeo and Juliet. 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:37.299 She knows that Romeo is a Montague and her family are the Capulets and those families 00:00:37.299 --> 00:00:37.920 hate each other. 00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:40.859 They would never agree to them being married. 00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:45.659 So Juliet asks the question, what's in a name? 00:00:46.939 --> 00:00:50.700 That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:56.679 So Romeo would, were not he Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owes without 00:00:56.679 --> 00:01:04.120 that title, Romeo, doff thy name and for that name which is no part of thee take all myself. 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:07.599 Get rid of your name, Romeo. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:07.739 Romeo. 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:07.819 Romeo. 00:01:08.339 --> 00:01:11.159 That's the only thing that keeps us apart. 00:01:12.099 --> 00:01:16.179 What matters is who you are, not what your name is. 00:01:16.180 --> 00:01:21.820 Now that's an idea that probably most of us would agree with. 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:25.520 In fact, in our culture names are pretty unimportant things. 00:01:25.660 --> 00:01:29.220 We choose names for our kids because we like how they sound. 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:34.400 Or because a beloved celebrity named their own child that. 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:39.760 Maybe we'll look up the meaning of a name in a baby book to figure out what it means, but 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:40.400 maybe not. 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:42.340 It doesn't really matter that much. 00:01:42.340 --> 00:01:48.439 But in the cultures of the Bible, names often meant something a little bit more. 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:52.520 That's why the Bible often tells us what specific names mean. 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.540 So for instance, God renames Abram, Abraham. 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:59.120 That means father of many nations. 00:01:59.620 --> 00:02:01.980 God is reinforcing his promises to Abraham. 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:06.900 The name is meant to reinforce some truth about God or about his plan. 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:10.840 Other times, names are ways of remembering. 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:15.960 So Sarah names her son Isaac, which means he laughs. 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:22.640 His mother, Isaac's mother Sarah, remembered her own sarcastic, unbelieving laughter when 00:02:22.640 --> 00:02:25.180 told that she would have a child at an advanced age. 00:02:25.819 --> 00:02:30.480 And she also remembers her joyful laughter when she actually became a mother of a son. 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:37.480 Just by calling Isaac to come in for dinner, she would be reminding herself of God's kindness 00:02:37.480 --> 00:02:39.699 in the face of her disbelief. 00:02:40.840 --> 00:02:46.680 Well, on Sunday evenings, we've been working our way through the book of 1 Samuel. 00:02:46.780 --> 00:02:51.039 And the opening chapters of 1 Samuel actually give us the meanings of two names. 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:53.219 And both are of the reminding sort. 00:02:54.219 --> 00:02:59.800 Hannah, a faithful woman who, like Sarah, desperately wanted a son, names her baby boy Samuel, which 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:01.300 means asked of God. 00:03:01.300 --> 00:03:07.300 It's a reminder of God's ability and, in fact, willingness to answer prayers and to bless 00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:07.840 his people. 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:15.360 And then we come to 1 Samuel 4, a text in which a dying woman names her newborn son Ichabod, 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:21.120 which means there is no glory, for God's glory had departed from Israel. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:23.780 It's a tragic story. 00:03:24.379 --> 00:03:27.340 And not only because a little boy had to go through life named Ichabod. 00:03:27.340 --> 00:03:34.480 This, in fact, is one of the lowest moments in the history of God's people, a history full 00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:35.259 of low moments. 00:03:35.900 --> 00:03:36.920 And we're going to read it together. 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:42.520 You'll find 1 Samuel 4 on page 228 of the Bibles provided for you if you're following 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:42.939 along. 00:03:43.740 --> 00:03:47.400 If you're new to the Bible, the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers, the small 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:48.460 numbers are the verse numbers. 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.219 We'll read 1 Samuel 4 in its entirety. 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:53.860 Listen to me as I read 1 Samuel 4. 00:03:53.860 --> 00:03:59.660 Now the word of God, and the word of God, pardon me, and the word of Samuel came to all 00:03:59.660 --> 00:04:00.000 Israel. 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:03.760 Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. 00:04:04.180 --> 00:04:07.220 They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:12.180 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated 00:04:12.180 --> 00:04:16.040 by the Philistines, who killed about 4,000 men on the field of battle. 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:21.520 And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the Lord defeated 00:04:21.520 --> 00:04:23.139 us today before the Philistines? 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:27.759 Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:29.919 us and save us from the power of our enemies. 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:35.120 So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.399 hosts, who was enthroned on the cherubim. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:42.360 And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:48.240 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:50.279 shout, so that the earth resounded. 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:54.419 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, What does this great 00:04:54.419 --> 00:04:56.639 shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean? 00:04:57.539 --> 00:05:00.799 And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines 00:05:00.799 --> 00:05:01.500 were afraid. 00:05:01.859 --> 00:05:03.759 For they said, A god has come into the camp. 00:05:04.059 --> 00:05:07.039 And they said, Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before. 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:11.059 Woe to us, who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods. 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:14.939 These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:20.180 Take courage and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have 00:05:20.180 --> 00:05:20.740 been to you. 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:22.300 Be men and fight. 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:25.500 So the Philistines fought. 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:28.819 And Israel was defeated, and they fled every man to his home. 00:05:29.100 --> 00:05:33.040 And there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:35.180 And the ark of God was captured. 00:05:35.699 --> 00:05:38.579 And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 00:05:38.579 --> 00:05:44.120 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the next day with his clothes 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:45.899 torn and with dirt on his head. 00:05:46.500 --> 00:05:50.879 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:51.819 for the ark of God. 00:05:52.379 --> 00:05:56.000 And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. 00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:00.180 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, What is this uproar? 00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:02.659 Then the man hurried and came and told Eli. 00:06:03.479 --> 00:06:07.319 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see. 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:10.620 And the man said to Eli, I am he who has come from the battle. 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:12.040 I fled from the battle today. 00:06:12.719 --> 00:06:14.259 And he said, How did it go, my son? 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:20.000 He who brought the news answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:21.839 there has been a great defeat among the people. 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:27.159 Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured. 00:06:28.459 --> 00:06:32.560 As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:36.259 of the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy. 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:38.439 He had judged Israel forty years. 00:06:39.719 --> 00:06:43.019 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:46.879 And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:50.699 and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for the pains came upon her. 00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:55.879 And about the time of her death, the woman attending her said to her, Do not be afraid, 00:06:55.980 --> 00:06:56.879 for you have borne a son. 00:06:57.319 --> 00:06:59.300 But she did not answer or pay attention. 00:06:59.300 --> 00:07:04.960 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory has departed from Israel, because the 00:07:04.960 --> 00:07:08.620 ark of God has been captured, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:14.259 And she said, The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured. 00:07:14.259 --> 00:07:21.639 Now if you've been coming regularly to these Sunday evening sermons, you've heard sermons 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:24.079 on the first three chapters of the book of 1 Samuel. 00:07:24.420 --> 00:07:26.579 Let's very quickly review what happens. 00:07:26.659 --> 00:07:32.180 At the beginning of 1 Samuel, we meet Hannah, a weeping woman, praying to God to have a child. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:36.379 And God hears her prayers, and Hannah has a son named Samuel. 00:07:37.219 --> 00:07:41.180 Hannah devotes him to the Lord, takes him to be raised in the tabernacle, the place where 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:47.340 God's people came to worship, and Samuel grows up there under the supervision of Eli, the 00:07:47.340 --> 00:07:50.040 priest we've just met in 1 Samuel 4. 00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:56.699 We learn that God has chosen Samuel to be a prophet, to lead the people and teach them 00:07:56.699 --> 00:07:57.920 how to follow God. 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:00.139 And the people need the help. 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:02.319 All of Israel is in a chaos. 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:04.840 Their leaders are ineffective and corrupt. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:09.960 Even the priests in the temple, the sons of Eli, are abusing their power and abusing the 00:08:09.960 --> 00:08:10.920 people under their care. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:15.920 God will eventually use Samuel to show the people a new way, but we're not there yet 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:17.379 in 1 Samuel 4. 00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:22.699 In fact, 1 Samuel 4 is the time when the people of God hit absolute rock bottom. 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:26.519 The glory of the Lord departs from Israel. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:33.419 Now, I wonder if any of you have ever had that experience of hitting rock bottom. 00:08:33.419 --> 00:08:40.419 Probably most of us can think of times when we've had our greatest hopes stripped away, when 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:42.579 we've been stuck and not seen a way out. 00:08:43.719 --> 00:08:48.379 Times when we've had to take a hard look at ourselves and not liked what we've seen. 00:08:49.579 --> 00:08:52.099 Times when we've felt all alone in this world. 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:58.860 In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul describes this as being without hope and without God in 00:08:58.860 --> 00:08:59.320 the world. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.019 What did you do in that situation? 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:05.180 Maybe you're there right now. 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:07.039 What are you doing? 00:09:08.479 --> 00:09:09.919 Did you turn to God? 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:12.779 If so, what did that look like? 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:19.839 Well, I think perhaps as we look at 1 Samuel 4, we can come up with some ideas about how 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:27.060 Christians, people who have known their God in Christ, can act when they reach rock bottom. 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:29.899 Our story in 1 Samuel 4 begins with a crisis. 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:33.620 The people of Israel are at war with the Philistines. 00:09:34.040 --> 00:09:38.379 And in 1 Samuel, it seems like the people of Israel are always at war with the Philistines. 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:42.240 The Philistines were basically the Klingons of the Old Testament. 00:09:42.560 --> 00:09:47.920 They were a warlike, technologically advanced people who lived very near the Israelites and 00:09:47.920 --> 00:09:49.040 were always fighting. 00:09:50.500 --> 00:09:56.560 And 1 Samuel 4 opens with the Israelites and Philistine armies drawn up for battle, 00:09:56.980 --> 00:09:57.759 facing each other. 00:09:59.060 --> 00:10:01.160 And the first battle does not go well at all. 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:04.540 4,000 men die in the Israeli army. 00:10:05.060 --> 00:10:07.700 And there's no reason to think that the second one will go any better. 00:10:07.920 --> 00:10:08.920 The future looks bleak. 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:10.180 This is a crisis. 00:10:10.180 --> 00:10:11.440 What is Israel to do? 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:16.420 Well, not surprisingly, they turn their minds to God. 00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:22.259 God had given them great military victories before when they were hopelessly outmatched. 00:10:22.339 --> 00:10:24.059 Perhaps he would do the same again. 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:25.179 Look at verse 3. 00:10:25.179 --> 00:10:46.139 These leaders, we don't know much about them, but they seem to have understood that God was in control. 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:50.580 They say actually that it was not the Philistines who defeated them in that first battle, but it was God. 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:55.000 If they want a victory in the next one, the Lord is going to have to do it. 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:57.419 So they come up with a plan. 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:03.840 They'll bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord into the camp, and that surely will guarantee them a victory. 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:09.639 Now, the Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box covered in gold. 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:13.700 And inside it held the Ten Commandments that Moses received from God. 00:11:14.660 --> 00:11:18.940 And on the top, it had two golden angels or cherubim with outstretched wings. 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:22.680 It was the place in which God was enthroned. 00:11:23.300 --> 00:11:25.040 It was a symbol of God's presence. 00:11:25.160 --> 00:11:29.019 And normally, it always stayed in the tent where God's people would come to worship. 00:11:30.340 --> 00:11:32.139 It functions something like God's throne. 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:34.299 Now, the people knew that God was a spirit. 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:37.679 He didn't have a body or a specific location. 00:11:38.319 --> 00:11:42.720 But he had chosen to make himself known in the people in that particular place. 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:47.480 The Ark of the Covenant was the sign of God's presence among his people. 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:51.679 And these elders, these leaders thought that maybe if you brought the Ark into the camp, 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:53.819 you would bring the power of God with it. 00:11:54.980 --> 00:11:57.279 The soldiers of Israel seemed to think the same thing. 00:11:57.379 --> 00:12:01.120 They cheered so loud that the earth shook when the Ark arrived. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.419 Surely now, victory was at hand. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:05.419 Even the Philistines thought this. 00:12:05.980 --> 00:12:07.600 They trembled when they heard the news. 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:12.639 How could they possibly defeat a mighty God who had already defeated the Egyptians, 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:14.399 the superpower of the ancient world? 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:15.700 Woe to us! 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:18.580 Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:22.320 These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:25.940 They're a little bit fuzzy on the details of the Exodus. 00:12:26.540 --> 00:12:27.840 But they've heard rumors about it. 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:34.300 And they think that the only thing they can do is fight desperately and hope for victory. 00:12:36.260 --> 00:12:39.920 Well, what's so wrong with the perspective of Israel here? 00:12:41.060 --> 00:12:43.680 I mean, clearly we're not meant to approve of these actions. 00:12:44.460 --> 00:12:47.140 The Israelites suffer a terrible defeat. 00:12:47.139 --> 00:12:50.059 But this doesn't sound all bad. 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:55.139 I mean, the people of Israel are recognizing that they can't win this victory on their own. 00:12:55.379 --> 00:12:56.879 That sounds pretty humble. 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:00.500 They know that they need God's help. 00:13:01.379 --> 00:13:03.059 That sounds pretty admirable. 00:13:04.100 --> 00:13:05.740 What's so bad about this? 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:13.100 Well, the people of Israel, God's own people, have put God in a box. 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:18.500 In this case, a literal box made of wood and overlaid in it with gold. 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:21.600 The Philistines are ignorant. 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:23.560 They don't know anything but rumors about God. 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:25.519 They think that the ark itself is a god. 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:26.340 That's not true. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:30.820 It's just a box and a symbol of God's promises and his presence. 00:13:31.560 --> 00:13:33.259 The ark was never meant to be a god. 00:13:34.659 --> 00:13:37.519 But God's people have roughly the same attitude. 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:41.420 If we move the ark, we move God too. 00:13:41.419 --> 00:13:46.179 We can get God to do what we want if we just bring along his ark. 00:13:46.959 --> 00:13:50.860 This golden box is the key to getting what we want. 00:13:51.539 --> 00:13:54.240 They don't actually turn to God and ask for help at all. 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:56.759 They say the ark will save us. 00:13:57.979 --> 00:13:59.459 But the ark can't save anyone. 00:14:01.839 --> 00:14:06.719 Now, I imagine that most of you have seen the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. 00:14:07.860 --> 00:14:11.039 Oddly enough, it's the same plot as 1 Samuel 4. 00:14:11.979 --> 00:14:15.019 In that movie, the Nazis find the ark and they have the same idea. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:22.399 They think that if they can take the ark and march with it in front of their armies, they will be impossible to defeat. 00:14:22.659 --> 00:14:23.539 Victory will be theirs. 00:14:23.659 --> 00:14:24.439 They'll be invincible. 00:14:25.579 --> 00:14:27.500 Now, it doesn't work out that way for them either. 00:14:28.500 --> 00:14:30.179 It doesn't work out that way for the Nazis. 00:14:30.719 --> 00:14:31.959 In the movies, it never does. 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:34.879 It doesn't work out that way for the people of Israel. 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:39.740 Even if you read on later, you'll find that the Philistines learn the same lesson the hard way. 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:43.259 They think that they can master God by controlling the ark. 00:14:43.300 --> 00:14:44.560 And that's just not the case. 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:51.319 What are you really trusting when you're in crisis? 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:55.540 Are you looking for a God that you can control? 00:14:56.540 --> 00:14:58.320 A God you can manipulate? 00:15:00.420 --> 00:15:04.820 Powers that you can deploy at will to serve your agenda? 00:15:04.820 --> 00:15:04.900 Yeah. 00:15:06.160 --> 00:15:08.040 It's a very human thing to do. 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:10.939 I study history. 00:15:11.959 --> 00:15:25.959 I remember a year or two ago reading about villagers in medieval Spain who, when worried about an oncoming plague or perhaps locusts or a bad harvest, would make a contract with their local saints. 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:29.599 They would go to the statues of the saints with a notary. 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:39.620 They would write out a contract saying that if you save us from this plague or if you help us to bring in a good harvest, saint, we will perform these acts of honor and homage. 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:43.639 Sometimes it worked out and they would do that. 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:46.060 They would go before the statue afterwards and give offerings. 00:15:46.920 --> 00:15:55.120 Sometimes the saints didn't come through and the people would actually take the statues into the town square and whip them to punish the saints for not fulfilling their end of the bargain. 00:15:57.019 --> 00:15:58.060 Now that seems ridiculous. 00:15:58.059 --> 00:16:00.459 But you can see the attraction. 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:05.219 Those were supernatural forces that you could control. 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:08.219 A world that you could control. 00:16:09.979 --> 00:16:14.059 It's actually pretty easy for all of us to trust in things related to God. 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:18.079 Things we think have something to do with God without ever actually trusting in God. 00:16:19.179 --> 00:16:22.079 Maybe we trust in clean living and a strict moral code. 00:16:22.699 --> 00:16:24.379 Well those are godly things, right? 00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:28.039 I can, by living a certain way, I can control my circumstances. 00:16:28.059 --> 00:16:32.679 Or maybe we trust in our church membership or our good deeds. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:35.279 These are all good things. 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:42.199 But not if they become ways that we try to control God and manipulate him into doing the things we want. 00:16:43.199 --> 00:16:44.479 God calls for obedience. 00:16:44.699 --> 00:16:46.679 He calls for us to trust him. 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:48.839 Not to try to manipulate him. 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:54.500 These opening chapters of 1 Samuel introduce a contrast. 00:16:55.060 --> 00:16:58.120 On the one, there are the corrupt and selfish leaders of Israel. 00:16:58.220 --> 00:16:59.940 The worst are Eli's sons. 00:17:00.660 --> 00:17:02.460 They abuse their positions for profit. 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:05.220 They abuse the people under their authority. 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:08.799 They use God for their own personal agenda. 00:17:09.220 --> 00:17:10.220 For their own purposes. 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:13.200 And on the other hand, we have Hannah and Samuel. 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:17.160 Faithful, humble Hannah who trusts God to provide for her. 00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:19.460 And trusts him to keep his promises. 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:24.480 An obedient Samuel who follows instructions and does whatever God commands. 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:29.720 Now, both of these parties are men and women. 00:17:30.539 --> 00:17:33.539 But the key difference is how they think about God. 00:17:34.579 --> 00:17:38.620 Is God a source of profit? 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:41.680 Or a power to be manipulated? 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:45.560 Or is God the king whom we trust and obey? 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:50.820 And 1 Samuel 4 ultimately presents us with that question. 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:53.400 How do you think about God? 00:17:58.900 --> 00:18:00.660 Well, this was a dark day for Israel. 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:03.860 It was a terrific military defeat. 00:18:04.840 --> 00:18:06.299 God's priests were dead. 00:18:07.060 --> 00:18:11.279 And worst of all, the ark was captured and taken away into a foreign land. 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:14.420 Look again at 1 Samuel 4, 19. 00:18:16.120 --> 00:18:18.460 Now his, that's Eli the high priest's. 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:22.039 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and about to give birth. 00:18:22.900 --> 00:18:25.220 When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured. 00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:27.640 And that her father-in-law and her husband were dead. 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:28.840 She bowed and gave birth. 00:18:29.180 --> 00:18:30.580 For her pains came upon her. 00:18:31.100 --> 00:18:33.820 And about the time of her death, the women attending her said to her, 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:35.560 Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son. 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:38.039 But she did not answer or pay attention. 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:40.860 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:43.019 The glory has departed from Israel. 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:45.399 Because the ark of God had been captured. 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:47.919 And because of her father-in-law and her husband. 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:49.179 And she said, 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:50.799 The glory has departed from Israel. 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:53.119 For the ark of God has been captured. 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:58.979 Eli's daughter-in-law gives birth to a son and calls him Ichabod. 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:00.639 Meaning, where is the glory? 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:03.899 For the glory of God had departed from Israel. 00:19:05.219 --> 00:19:06.979 This is an amazing response. 00:19:07.659 --> 00:19:09.639 We don't know much about her other than this. 00:19:10.199 --> 00:19:11.979 But we know that her husband had just been killed. 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:13.679 Along with her father-in-law. 00:19:13.899 --> 00:19:15.159 And thousands of her countrymen. 00:19:15.859 --> 00:19:17.099 We know that she's in labor. 00:19:17.719 --> 00:19:18.819 And is about to die. 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:22.399 And she doesn't seem to be thinking about any of these things. 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:24.099 Ichabod. 00:19:24.980 --> 00:19:27.460 The glory has departed from Israel. 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:33.139 That's just another way of saying that God himself has departed from Israel. 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:37.259 That's what she thinks about in this desperate hour. 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:39.420 That the God who had chosen his people. 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:41.560 And brought them out of slavery in Egypt. 00:19:41.940 --> 00:19:44.380 The God who had led them safely through desert lands. 00:19:44.540 --> 00:19:46.880 Into a new home flowing with milk and honey. 00:19:47.560 --> 00:19:52.340 That God has now at long last left his people. 00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:55.840 With the ark in the hands of the Philistines. 00:19:56.460 --> 00:19:59.960 The people of God could no longer say that God dwelt with them. 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:04.660 Now it's important that we put this story in context. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:08.039 In later chapters we learn that God doesn't stay away very long. 00:20:08.140 --> 00:20:10.420 The Philistines think that they have embarrassed Israel. 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:11.380 And Israel's God. 00:20:11.660 --> 00:20:12.860 So they'll take the ark. 00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:14.799 And they'll put it in the temple of their God Dagon. 00:20:15.340 --> 00:20:17.120 To demonstrate the victory. 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:19.220 But God won't be mocked. 00:20:19.579 --> 00:20:21.340 He humiliates this false God Dagon. 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:25.079 He sends a plague through the Philistine cities. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:28.140 And pretty soon they're doing whatever they can possibly think of. 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:29.340 To get rid of this ark. 00:20:29.339 --> 00:20:30.720 They just want him gone. 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:33.179 And the ark comes back to Israel. 00:20:34.439 --> 00:20:37.119 In fact God never stops caring for his people. 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:38.279 He never abandons them. 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:42.039 Even though they had been more interested in using him than in knowing him. 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:43.399 He remained faithful. 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:45.019 He was always at work. 00:20:46.059 --> 00:20:49.419 The book of 1 Samuel repeatedly demonstrates God's goodness. 00:20:49.859 --> 00:20:51.779 In the face of the people's faithlessness. 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:55.859 But even if this removal is temporary. 00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:57.000 It's serious. 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:02.779 In the Bible the most terrible thing that can happen to you isn't the loss of a loved one. 00:21:03.099 --> 00:21:05.460 It's not war or famine or disease. 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.240 It's to be alienated from God. 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:10.240 To be separate from him. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:19.099 The worst thing that could possibly happen to you is for his presence to leave you because of your sin. 00:21:20.339 --> 00:21:24.759 I wonder if that's the way that you and I think about God's presence. 00:21:24.759 --> 00:21:28.960 Is that the thing that we crave the most? 00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:32.180 The thing we'll work the hardest to keep? 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:37.000 What would it be like for you to fall under this judgment? 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:40.500 The glory of the Lord has departed. 00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:45.420 We don't want to minimize what happens here to the people of Israel. 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:53.720 I mean this text for Samuel 4 is a vivid picture of what happens when sin creates distance between God and man. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:55.799 And this happens all throughout the Bible. 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:58.059 It starts with Adam and Eve when they're expelled from the garden. 00:21:59.019 --> 00:22:01.519 Expelled from God's presence because of their sin. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:05.319 Israel is sent repeatedly into exile because of sin. 00:22:05.319 --> 00:22:08.259 For all of us, this is our story. 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:11.220 Sin drives us into personal exile. 00:22:11.639 --> 00:22:12.980 Away from God's presence. 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:15.740 We feel distant and estranged. 00:22:16.579 --> 00:22:20.740 Even worse, we worry that we might be separated from his mercy. 00:22:21.539 --> 00:22:25.460 We worry that we might be without God and without hope in the world. 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:30.220 Well, 1 Samuel is actually a book all about kings. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:33.339 God will eventually send kings to lead his people. 00:22:33.339 --> 00:22:36.099 Those kings will fail again and again. 00:22:36.859 --> 00:22:39.059 But they'll point their way to a king that doesn't fail. 00:22:40.179 --> 00:22:43.059 But today we're far removed from the events of 1 Samuel. 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:44.899 What does this mean for us? 00:22:46.679 --> 00:22:49.839 What should you do when you feel distant from God? 00:22:52.199 --> 00:22:54.480 Well, we know that we can't master him. 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:56.899 We can't force him to dwell with us. 00:22:57.559 --> 00:22:58.819 He must come to us. 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:01.039 And he does. 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:02.779 He has. 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:07.339 Nick mentioned that today is the first Sunday of Advent. 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:14.039 It's the Sunday when we traditionally, Christians, have begun thinking about the incarnation of Christ. 00:23:14.139 --> 00:23:15.059 The coming of God. 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:20.279 It's also the time when the Christmas shopping season starts. 00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:22.740 So if you haven't started, you're already behind. 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:28.779 I'm not sure how I feel about that aspect of Christmas taking over more and more of the year. 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:35.519 But it's certainly worth remembering the moment in time when God came to dwell with his people forever. 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:43.599 In Isaiah 7, there's a prophecy that the virgin would conceive and she would have a son and call him Emmanuel. 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:47.759 And in Matthew 1, we're told what that name means. 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:50.399 It means God with us. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:55.480 That's a name that Jesus Christ will never give up. 00:23:55.940 --> 00:24:00.040 God himself took on our humanity and lived with us. 00:24:00.040 --> 00:24:02.700 God himself died for our sins. 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:09.400 So that by simply trusting in him and turning away from our selfishness, we might always dwell with him. 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:11.400 We might always have him with us. 00:24:12.259 --> 00:24:13.400 The message of Christmas. 00:24:14.120 --> 00:24:15.140 The message of Christ. 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:16.840 The message of the whole Bible. 00:24:16.839 --> 00:24:22.079 Is that we actually never need be alone or distant from God. 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:26.899 So if you feel distant from God and you feel alone. 00:24:27.779 --> 00:24:30.079 Don't fill your mind with distractions. 00:24:31.939 --> 00:24:34.439 Don't gorge on television or food. 00:24:36.139 --> 00:24:37.179 Be quiet. 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:39.059 Reflect. 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:43.059 Learn the lesson that God has for you. 00:24:43.059 --> 00:24:46.919 God does at times withdraw from us. 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:49.960 In order to remind us of our need for him. 00:24:51.179 --> 00:24:52.200 If you're a Christian. 00:24:53.399 --> 00:24:56.539 Remember what your life was like before you knew Christ. 00:24:57.059 --> 00:24:58.440 When you were without God. 00:24:58.759 --> 00:24:59.859 And without hope in the world. 00:25:01.139 --> 00:25:02.299 If you're not a Christian. 00:25:02.399 --> 00:25:03.440 Or maybe you're just not sure. 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:06.059 Take an honest account. 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:07.720 Of your own needs. 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:09.319 And your own shortcomings. 00:25:10.899 --> 00:25:12.700 We all of us have greater enemies. 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:13.980 Than Philistines to fight. 00:25:15.019 --> 00:25:17.059 We have our own sin and selfishness. 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:18.680 We have the world. 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:19.620 The flesh and the devil. 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:22.000 And apart from Christ. 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:22.840 On our own. 00:25:22.920 --> 00:25:24.299 Our defeat will be more terrible. 00:25:24.539 --> 00:25:26.039 Than anything Israel ever faced. 00:25:27.180 --> 00:25:28.819 But we don't have to fall. 00:25:28.940 --> 00:25:29.640 Under this judgment. 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:32.299 We can know God forever. 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:32.940 In Christ. 00:25:33.500 --> 00:25:33.940 Emmanuel. 00:25:34.940 --> 00:25:35.980 God with us. 00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:39.180 So let's learn this lesson. 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:40.180 As quickly as we can. 00:25:40.180 --> 00:25:44.860 Let's remember that God is not ours to manipulate or control. 00:25:45.600 --> 00:25:46.759 He is the Lord of history. 00:25:47.820 --> 00:25:49.259 We are at his mercy. 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:51.560 But he is merciful. 00:25:53.060 --> 00:25:55.000 He will not abandon us or forsake us. 00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:56.400 Certainly not forever. 00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:00.180 And then when you've reminded yourself of your need for God. 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:01.039 Look to Christ. 00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:04.680 Remember that God has already made his will towards you known. 00:26:04.680 --> 00:26:08.320 By sending his son to dwell with you forever. 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:10.799 God with us. 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:12.360 With us now. 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:13.180 And with us always. 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:14.080 If we'll trust in him. 00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:15.759 Let's pray. 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:25.819 God we recognize what a terrible thing it is. 00:26:25.819 --> 00:26:27.379 To dwell apart from you. 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:30.000 To be estranged from your presence. 00:26:30.619 --> 00:26:31.700 To not know you. 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:33.900 To be alone in this world. 00:26:34.579 --> 00:26:37.420 To be helpless in the face of our own sin. 00:26:37.420 --> 00:26:42.120 Lord we thank you that you have sent us Christ. 00:26:42.860 --> 00:26:44.120 To dwell with us. 00:26:44.840 --> 00:26:46.900 To be a man like us. 00:26:47.400 --> 00:26:48.640 That we might know you. 00:26:49.300 --> 00:26:51.259 And we might be delivered from our enemies. 00:26:52.560 --> 00:26:54.800 Lord we pray that you would give us great faith. 00:26:55.060 --> 00:26:55.880 To trust in him. 00:26:56.600 --> 00:26:57.779 And it's in his name that we pray. 00:26:58.019 --> 00:26:58.240 Amen. 00:26:58.240 --> 00:26:58.380 Amen. 00:26:58.380 --> 00:27:07.620 Let's sing this song.