Transcript

The Result of Presumption-Part One

1 Samuel 4:1-22
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Pastor Randy Smith

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Historian and art critic Robert Hughes tells of a convict sentenced to life imprisonment on a maximum-security island off the coast of Australia. One day, with no provocation, he turned on a fellow prisoner and beat him senseless. Authorities shipped the murderer back to the mainland to stand trial, whereupon he gave a straightforward, passionless account of the crime. He showed no sign of remorse and denied having held any grudge against the victim. "Why, then?" asked the bewildered judge. "What was your motive?" The prisoner replied that he was sick of life on the island, a notoriously brutal place, and saw no reason to keep on living. "Yes, yes, I understand all that," said the judge. "I can see why you might drown yourself in the ocean. But murder? Why murder?" "Well, I figure it's like this," said the prisoner. "I'm a Catholic. If I commit suicide I'll go straight to hell. But if I murder I can come back here to Sydney and confess to a priest before my execution. That way, God will forgive me" (Phillip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace, p. 177).

Presumption! Webster defines presumption as: "An overstepping of proper bounds; a taking of something for granted." Presumption is destructive in our human relationships, but it is especially ugly when it rears its head in our relationship with God, those times we take God for granted. It has been said, "The word (presumption) identifies acts done in domineering, haughty insolence with a scornful, contemptuous disdain for respect, convention, and even law. It is the opposite of 'humble,' 'modest' and 'unassuming.' In a religious context, it can be said that presumption is taking unorthodoxy to its extreme" (John W. Ritenbaugh, Presumption and Divine Justice).

It often goes like this-Philosophers will define it as the "fallacy of accident." "God is merciful. I am a sinner. Therefore God is always obligated to be merciful to me regardless of what I do." That is spiritual presumption.

Are we even aware of the times that we presume upon God? Are we aware of the occasions when we trample upon His character because we take His patience and love and mercy for granted? Do we lay our heart at His throne and say, "Use me as you want" or do we believe God is there to be used as we want? Do we accept the fullness of God's revealed character? Is He our slot-machine in the sky, our cosmic bellhop or our "get-out-of-jail-free-card," or is He the Sovereign Creator to whom we owe our total loyalty and obedience? Who is in charge? Whose will stands supreme - His or ours?

Do we take God for granted? Are we guilty of the sin of presumption? Israel was, and I trust God will teach us greatly this morning from their example and their subsequent defeat that we find in Holy Scripture.

1. THE DEFEAT OF AN ARMY

Let's begin our first point: "The defeat of an army."

Samuel for the time being has disappeared from our account. The ark of God will now take the spotlight for chapters 4-6. But as soon as Samuel reappears in chapter 7, he makes the following remarks: "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods…and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines" (1 Sam. 7:3).

A cycle is clearly seen throughout the Old Testament. When Israel was repentant and contrite in heart, God blessed them, but when they became hardened and stiff-necked, God sent various measures of chastisement oftentimes seen in the appearance of invading armies.

So while the nation was currently spiraling downward in their disobedience, God was raising up an adversary: The Philistines. A conflict was inevitable. It would be their greatest challenge since entering the Promised Land. Unlike the other shrimps that nipped at their heels, the Philistines were a formidable foe, for they were after land and permanent dominance.

Verses 1 and 2: "Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. 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."

After being fairly successful, the nation was routed. No doubt shock reverberated throughout the camp. Defeat was unthinkable. Listen to their amazement and perplexity recorded in the beginning of verse 3. "When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, 'Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?

The people were right in assuming that God was responsible for their defeat. For Israel, the battle always belonged to the Lord. But defeat? This wasn't supposed to happen to God's covenant people. Something was definitely wrong. Why did God bring about this humiliating defeat? An answer needed to be discovered.

Where they should have gone, but did not: Chapter 4, verse 1 says, "The word of Samuel came to all Israel." But we have no record of them seeking Samuel's assistance. Furthermore there is no indication of meaningful prayer, meditation, or fasting to seek the face of the Lord. Instead of healthy self-examination, a hasty conclusion was drawn.

"The ark! That's the problem. We forgot to bring the ark!"

They asked the right question but provided the wrong answer. The remainder of the verse 3: "Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies."

As I was watching the NBA lottery this week (what a great investment of time that was!), I noticed how the announcer seemed to highlight the lucky charms brought by each team's representative. For some odd reason, many of these grown men had some trinket that they believed would somehow assist them in landing the big seven-footer from Ohio State.

Lucky charms - I did some research on the word "charm." The word comes from "casting a spell to another." The belief is that we can rely on a charm to cast a spell on our messy situations. They are a quick and easy fix that provide a false sense of hope believing we can "align the stars" and receive favor from "lady luck."

We know this attitude is sub-Christian, but the same faces have entered the church just under different names. We have thrown away our rabbit's foot and four-leaf clover and have chosen a lit candle, a statue, a baptism, a walk down the aisle, or a crucifix. Regardless of how sophisticated these practices may be, we are in error if we rely upon an object for confidence, while bypassing a heart relationship with the living God. It has been said, "Crosses around our necks without God in our heart mean absolutely nothing."

Israel should have known better. In Leviticus 26:15 God told the Israelites (long before this incident), "If…you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, I, in turn, will do this to you… I will set My face against you so that you will be struck down before your enemies" (Lev. 25:15-17).

God wanted wholehearted obedience. Israel wanted a "lucky charm." The ark fit the bill very nicely. It was trust in the ark of God, not the God of the ark.

I can imagine the conversation:

A - "Do you know why we were defeated?"

B - "I haven't the slightest clue?

A - "Come on, haven't you studied your history? Don't you remember when those who carried the ark came to the Jordan and the river stopped and they were able to cross on dry ground? Or how about those who marched around the great city Jericho with the ark for seven days and then saw those might walls fall to the ground?"

B - "Wow, I never thought of it from that perspective? So are you saying what I think your saying?"

A - "What are we waiting for? Let's go to Shiloh and get the ark. We're in for some old-time deliverance!"

Verse 4, "So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God."

To the observer with hindsight this is going from bad to worse. Not only was retrieving the ark an improper decision, but you can just see the ark entering the camp from over the horizon. And who is leading the charge, but the wicked and immoral sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas - the men who had just received the two-fold pronouncement of judgment! This is nothing but a disaster in the making.

Sin skews our spiritual vision. Obviously Israel saw things from a different perspective.

Verse 5, "As the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded."

Men, think back to the time you played Little League. Remember, there was always one really big kid on your team? He always batted "clean-up" and played multiple positions in the field. As long as this kid, let's say "Jimmy," was at the game, the team would fare well on the field. But the day always came when Jimmy was late for the game. The guys sat around kicking the dirt in the dugout until joy overcame the team when Jimmy's mom pulled in the parking lot with her light blue Buick Skylark transporting the prized possession. The team would let out a confident roar that would strike fear into the opposition.

Verse 6, "When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, 'What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?' Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp."

Verses 7-9, "The Philistines were afraid, for they said, 'God has come into the camp.' And they said, 'Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 'Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight.'

Though their theology of the true God is off base, His reputation and His assistance to the Hebrews obviously preceded Him. The Philistines seemed to respect His power and take Him more seriously than the Israelites. Even the pagans were well aware of the dangers of contending with this God. They were mindful of His fame over the Egyptians and were afraid they would be next in line for the plagues. For their success Israel looked to the ark of God. For their defeat, the Philistines looked to the God of the ark. (The ark was not even constructed when the Egyptian plagues were delivered.) In verse 7 they said, "God has come into the camp."

The Philistines dominated and enslaved Israel. They knew defeat would see the tables turned. Death would be preferred. Their will to fight was strengthened. This is interesting because often when God defeated another army in the Old Testament, He would bring great fear and confusion among their ranks. In this case, the Philistines were emboldened to fight even harder. The result?

Verses 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."

What a reversal! The camp that was assured of victory experienced defeat, death, and the desertion of the remaining troops. The camp that saw their days numbered experienced an overwhelming triumph.

There are a few lessons we can learn from this tragic experience:

No. 1 - Religion can give us a false sense of security.

Matthew Henry once said, "Carnal people triumph much in the external privileges and performances of religion, and build much upon them, as if these would infallibly save them, and as if the ark, God's throne, in the camp, would bring them to heaven, though the world and the flesh should be upon the throne of the heart" (Commentary, 1 Sam. 4:5).

Satan, the enemy of God, is not afraid of religion. As a matter of fact, he encourages us to get all the religion we can if it draws our heart further from a relationship with God. Though it might impress others, God is not impressed with religion. He wants our heart. He wants, Colossians 1:18, "first place in everything." He wants, Revelation 2:4 to be our "first love." How can we forget Jesus' words to the highly religious people: "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Mt. 7:23). Israel chose religion over a relationship, and it spelled defeat.

No. 2 - God will not allow Himself to be manipulated.

Israel thought having the ark on their side obligated God to defend His glory. This was a convenient way to "twist God's arm," for how could He allow Himself to suffer defeat?

Such a tactic is no different than what we see in human relationships. Asking the parent: "I invited twenty friends over for a weekend sleepover. I didn't think you'd have a problem." Asking the church leader: "I polled the church and everybody wants to move the services to Thursday evening. What do you think?" Asking the school instructor: "All the other classes are outside playing kickball on this beautiful day. Can you be as nice as them and allow us to join the fun?"

Each one of these ploys is an attempt to move one's will through manipulation. The goal is to force a favorable decision by cornering an individual. In other words, "You will be the bad guy unless you give me what I want."

"O.K. God, the ark is in the camp. For the sake of Your glory, You are forced to deliver us!"

How mistaken they were! Matthew Henry again, "God will not be prescribed to by vain and foolish men, and that though He has bound us to His ark He has not bound Himself to it, but will rather deliver it into the hands of His sworn enemies than suffer it to be profaned by His false friends, and countenance their superstition (Commentary, 1 Sam. 4:11). There is great application for us today. Dale Ralph Davis, "Whenever the church stops confessing 'Thou art worthy' and begins chanting 'Thou art useful' - well, then you know the ark of God has been captured again (1 Samuel, p. 55). That sounds a whole like the health, wealth and prosperity movement that permeates many churches today. The point: God would rather suffer shame than allow people to manipulate Him!

No. 3 - Our own efforts without God end up in frustration, mockery and defeat.

"Apart from Me," said Jesus, "You can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5). We must surrender ourselves to the thought that nothing in the world with God is better than everything in the world without God. We must seek His face, allow Him to direct our footsteps and then empower us to do His will. The Israelites thought the ark would bring victory. But having God's furniture does not necessarily imply that we have God's power. Though we are so slow to learn this lesson, like Israel, we will always fail when seeking to do the Lord's work without the Lord of the work.

No. 4 - God works through those who are obedient.

Israel thought their reason for defeat was the absence of the ark. In reality, their defeat was attributed to their absence of a repentant heart. The people never addressed their sin. Davis said, "It is what I call rabbit-foot theology. When we, whether Israelites or Christians, operate this way, our concern is not to seek God but to control Him, not to submit to God but to use Him. So we prefer religious magic to spiritual holiness; we are interested in success, not repentance" (1 Samuel, p. 54).

Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Lk. 5:32). Right from the beginning, favor with God is based on those who "bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Lk. 3:8). Whether it is the forgiveness of sin, usefulness to our Master, a clear conscience or the general avoidance of consequences, repentance is the key to a rich and healthy relationship with our Lord.

After his sin with Bathsheba, David cried, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise (Psm. 51:17). David knew His God. David acknowledged his sin and turned to God in repentance. How much more pain would Israel have to experience until they learned this valuable lesson?-Thousands slaughtered, both sons of the high priest dead, and the ark of the Lord captured. God works today as He did back then (Heb. 13:8). May we learn from their example and spare ourselves the pain of needless suffering. God always receives a repentant heart. For God's glory, the joy of the angels (Lk. 15:7), and your own good, will you turn to God in repentance today?

No. 5 - Don't miss how God works!

It is very easy to get caught up in the bloody defeat of Israel and miss the big picture. Sympathy for Israel is not the main point of this passage. From the two prophecies we have already learned against Eli's household, and the general wickedness of the people, we should have seen this event coming all along. God will not allow Himself to be despised by His people. He would rather suffer defeat than permit His children to carry on a phony relationship with Him. He will use wicked people like the Philistines (for a season) if it means accomplishing His will. He will even allow you to be disappointed with Him if it awakens you spiritually to the kind of God He really is.

My time is coming to a close, although I am only half way done with this chapter. So as the Lord permits, we will conclude this study next week. Due to a presumptuous attitude, we witnessed the defeat of an army. Next Sunday we will witness the defeat of a family and the defeat of a nation.

But before we depart, can I provide some very tangible ways we, like Israel, presume upon God?

We presume upon God when we take for granted His gifts, especially His greatest gift - the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the removal of our sins. The second this reality becomes ho-hum, the second we believe we deserve God's blessing, the second the death of Jesus fails to drive a passionate Godward orientation, we are in big trouble. 2 Corinthians 5:15, "And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."

We presume upon God when we allow worldly distractions to obscure the priority of God. When we think we can live the Christian life without the body of Christ. When the Bible fails to flow through our veins and the wellsprings of prayer have run dry. When we cease to continually mature in the faith. When we no longer want to be convicted of sin.

We presume upon God when we claim the assurance of our salvation but rarely extend our comfort zones to serve the Lord and show little effects of His working in our lives.

We presume upon God when we take His goodness as an excuse for sin and do not view His goodness as an incentive to repent from sin. When we commit or continue in what we know is wrong behavior (just like Hophni and Phinehas) and believe (just like Israel) God is obligated to be merciful to us. Romans 2:4, "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"

Presumption will always lead to defeat. No wonder David prayed, "Keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins" (Psm. 19:13).

In 2006, the St. Petersburg Times reported the death of a Ukrainian man who was mauled by a lioness at the Kiev Zoo. He encountered the animal on purpose, believing that God would protect him. A zoo official said the man lowered himself by a rope into a concrete enclosure holding four lions. Shouting, "God will save me, if he exists," the man took off his shoes and strode toward the animals. One lioness came to meet him. She knocked him down and quickly severed his carotid artery ("Lioness in Zoo Kills Man Who Invoked God," Yahoo!News, 6-5-06).

That sounds a lot like what we witnessed amongst Israel. And though possibly not as graphic, that sounds a lot like what we witness amongst ourselves. We too will suffer great defeat when we presume upon God.