GONE WITH THE GLORY (4 OF 27)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: 1 Samuel 4:2-22
This content is part of a series.
Gone with the Glory (4 of 27)
Series: Calling All Leaders
Keith Krell
1 Samuel 4:1b-22
Do you have a favorite cold cereal? I do. For as long as I can remember, Lucky Charms has been my favorite cereal. Now, if you know anything about Lucky Charms it's not the cereal itself that people enjoy, it's the marshmallows in the cereal. The goal in every serving of Lucky Charms is to be blessed with an abundance of multicolored marshmallows. Oh, those marshmallows are tasty! My children are now avid fans of Lucky Charms as well. But their obsession is worse than mine because they love to pour out the entire box in search of the marshmallows.
Many Christians have a Lucky Charms approach to the Bible. They like the taste of the marshmallows, but they aren't particularly big on the cereal itself. They pick and choose certain soft and tasty verses that tantalize their taste buds. If something doesn't appeal to them in their study of God's Word, they quickly disregard it. To make matters worse, some Christians use Bible verses, relics, and traditions as lucky charms to please, appease, and influence God. The author of 1 Sam 4 warns against such practices.
1. Tragic consequences result when we fail to consult God (4:1b-11). Our story begins on an ominous note: ''Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek. 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'' (4:1-2). No reason is given in our English versions for why Israel went to war with the Philistines. But in the Septuagint (i.e., the Greek Old Testament), we discover that the Philistines initiated this battle. Regardless, Israel experienced a horrible defeat! Why did God bring such a defeat upon the Israelites? In God's covenant relationship with His people, all battles were to be fought under God's rules of w ...
Series: Calling All Leaders
Keith Krell
1 Samuel 4:1b-22
Do you have a favorite cold cereal? I do. For as long as I can remember, Lucky Charms has been my favorite cereal. Now, if you know anything about Lucky Charms it's not the cereal itself that people enjoy, it's the marshmallows in the cereal. The goal in every serving of Lucky Charms is to be blessed with an abundance of multicolored marshmallows. Oh, those marshmallows are tasty! My children are now avid fans of Lucky Charms as well. But their obsession is worse than mine because they love to pour out the entire box in search of the marshmallows.
Many Christians have a Lucky Charms approach to the Bible. They like the taste of the marshmallows, but they aren't particularly big on the cereal itself. They pick and choose certain soft and tasty verses that tantalize their taste buds. If something doesn't appeal to them in their study of God's Word, they quickly disregard it. To make matters worse, some Christians use Bible verses, relics, and traditions as lucky charms to please, appease, and influence God. The author of 1 Sam 4 warns against such practices.
1. Tragic consequences result when we fail to consult God (4:1b-11). Our story begins on an ominous note: ''Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek. 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'' (4:1-2). No reason is given in our English versions for why Israel went to war with the Philistines. But in the Septuagint (i.e., the Greek Old Testament), we discover that the Philistines initiated this battle. Regardless, Israel experienced a horrible defeat! Why did God bring such a defeat upon the Israelites? In God's covenant relationship with His people, all battles were to be fought under God's rules of w ...
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