This Sunday, we are continuing our series in the book of 1st Samuel, now looking at chapter 4 verses 12-22. In this passage we see God’s judgment on Israel as He has now been vacant from the heart of the people because of their choices. It is symbolized by the Philistine capture of the ark of the covenant! God is no longer with Israel; they have rejected Him in their lives. There are some terrible, tragic circumstances in the text, and indeed they are. But there is an even greater tragedy that becomes clear: it is THE ABSENCE OF GOD! In spite of the circumstantial tragedies of the passage; the worst is the presence of God, (symbolized by the ark), is gone! The biggest tragedy of our lives would be for God to be absent from our life. My outline this week is simple, sad and morbid. Because the text is. A good example of the need, problem and solution of this text in 1 Samuel is in our scripture reading which is Hosea 10:1-12. This text talks about God’s judgment against Israel, Samaria, because of their sin, and they are warned to do right, humble themselves, and “break up their fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord.” What can we learn in these descriptions in 1 Samuel 4 of tragedies against the people of Israel? More on all this Sunday morning.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Weaver
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