Jump Start # 256

1 Samuel 4:10-11 “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. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas died.”

  This is the punishment that God promised, as we talked about in our Jump Start yesterday. Eli’s two sons, were the priests of Israel. They were immoral and indifferent to God. Through their lack of respect for God the nation was tail spinning. God had enough. To show the seriousness and severity of matters, God allowed the Philistines to strike Israel hard. Our passage identifies four massive defeats for Israel.

• 30,000 soldiers died that day. That is a larger number than American forces killed at D- Day. It is more than were killed at Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

• Every man fled to his tent. This indicates fear and abandoning the battle lines.

• The priests were killed. Eli’s sons, wicked as they were, served as the link between God and Israel. That link was broken.

• The ark of God, or the ark of the covenant was stolen. This was God’s and Israel’s most sacred item. It contained the tablets of stone, the 10 commandments; Aaron’s staff and a bowl of manna, which God had fed Israel during the wilderness journey. All of these had huge historical and spiritual significance for Israel. Joshua marched the ark around Jericho for seven days as God directed, then the walls came tumbling down. Now the ark was gone.

  This is one of the darkest days in the history of Israel. The significance and meaning behind these things is as important as the loss of life. It is as if God was giving up on Israel and saying, “You don’t want me, you don’t want to follow me, I’ll remove myself from you.” And He did.

  God does not tolerate disobedience. Israel still worshipped God, but God was not the centerpiece any more. God was discarded and taken advantage of. The patience of God had run out, so God left Israel to themselves. It must have broken God’s heart to see what was happening to His people. But a lesson had to be learned.

  I’ve wondered what life would be like if God did that to us? In many ways, it wouldn’t surprise me if He did, we so deserve it. Our culture has mocked God, rejected God and ignored God. We flaunt self, worship self and our stuck on self. Our churches have become places of entertainment and the worship of happiness.

  What would it be like if God did to us like He did to Israel? What would it be like if God turned His back to our prayers? What if the Bible, all Bibles, every Bible—printed, electronic disappeared? What if we were totally on our own? No one to Thank. No one to bless us. No one to reach out to. No one. Just us. Do you know what that would be like? Israel got a taste of what Hell is like. That is the very essence of Hell—the absence of God.

  The worst thing Israel faced was not the death of soldiers, but a future without God. Fear and panic took over. Desperation fills the heart. On your own totally without God. No hope. No future. No help. That is Hell. That is what Israel experienced.

  One final thought, what we are describing is the way many live today, by choice. By their own choice, they do not pray to God, open His word and read, embrace His ways, or devote their lives to Him. Without realizing it, by their choice, many are living a life of Hell right now. It’s not poverty…it’s not hard life…it’s not dysfunctional relationships…it’s the life without God. No God at all in their life.

  These thoughts ought to make us cling even tighter to the hand of God. It reminds us of a song we sing, “I need Thee every hour.” I need Thee this hour.

  Life without God—why would anyone choose to live that way? Are you?

Roger