Transcript

The Result of Presumption-Part Two

1 Samuel 4:1-22
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Pastor Randy Smith

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It all comes down to a matter of transactions.

In a recent U.S. News and Report article titled, "The Junk Mail Deluge," The first paragraph says: "The people who fill your mailbox with 34 pounds of junk (mail) each year know what you paid for your moose-hide slippers and whether you paid by credit card or check. They know how much you owe on your house, whether your hobbies are fly-fishing or fiddling, whether you buy used golf balls, whether you are most likely straight or gay; they may even know what chronic illness you have. They know all this, simply, because it is their business to know. Whatever it is-amusing nuisance, trash-can stuffer, or welcome bedtime read-direct mail is a booming industry because it targets us with scientific precision" (December 8, 1997, page 40).

It appears the junk mail moguls have discovered something that Jesus taught a long time ago when He said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt. 6:21). Simply put, our financial transactions reveal everything about our heart. These transactions (our checkbook records and credit card receipts) are the best evidence to reveal the things we value and cherish the most.

Transactions. Greater than our financial transactions was a transaction made by Someone else on a hill far away long before we were ever born.

God took on flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life and then as our substitute went to the cross to receive our sins and be punished for them in our place. Our sin goes to Christ. His righteousness comes to us. We call this transaction "the Great Exchange." It is described perfectly in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

This action amongst the Godhead invites another transaction - This time a transaction between humanity and God. For this gift of total forgiveness with God is available to all but received only by those who come to Him in faith and repentance. Since those two words are often misunderstood, permit me to put it another way. Salvation is available to all who die to their own self-will and commit to live the remainder of their lives for Jesus Christ. This is the requirement to receive this transaction of divine forgiveness. And the desire to live according to this standard all of our lives is the evidence that this transaction took place. Listen to how Jesus put it: "And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me'" (Lk. 9:23).

I trust all professing Christians understand this fundamental gospel truth, but something happens shortly after we give ourselves to Christ. Self increasingly nudges itself back on the throne of our heart. We must understand this battle and win this battle for heart supremacy. If we don't, soon there will be little of Christ to be seen. Soon we will be no different than the world. Conviction will give way to convenience and our first love for Jesus will be lost.

Yet some live like this and still claim to be in fellowship with Christ. My friends, this is the epitome of presumption.

As Christians, we are always tempted to presume upon God. It happens every time we are not moved by the death of Jesus and not stirred by the teaching of Scripture. We presume upon God when we take His goodness and forgiveness for granted. We presume upon God when the Holy Spirit is quenched and Christ is no longer acknowledged as the Lord of our lives. It happens every time we cast the Bible aside and choose to follow our will instead of God's will.

This picks us up where we left off last week in 1 Samuel 4. As we continue with part 2 of this study, permit me to review the first point we covered last week in verses 1-11 and then conclude with the final two points of the outline contained in verses 12-22. We have learned how Israel's presumption on God resulted in defeat. As we get hit with a second dosage this morning, may we learn from their example lest we repeat their mistakes and suffer similar consequences.

1. THE DEFEAT OF AN ARMY - REVIEW

Let's begin with the defeat of an army.

Last week we learned how the Israelites presumed upon God. Since they were God's covenant people, they felt God was obligated to always give them military success. True, God would deliver them as promised, but that was contingent upon them living obedient lives (cf. 1 Sam. 7:3). The consequences for disobedience were unmistakable: "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). In the Old Covenant the principle was clear. There were blessings for obedience and chastisement for disobedience. Since Israel was presently rejecting the Lord, their doom was predictable.

Verse 2, "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."

They responded, verse 3, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?" The answer is obvious to us. God was expecting obedience. But not wishing to address their heart, Israel opted for the quick fix. Throughout their history they had the golden calf (Ex. 32:4) and the bronzen serpent (2 Ki. 18:4). Now, the flavor of the month, their new lucky charm was the ark of the covenant. They turned to the ark of God, not the God of the ark. The remainder of 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."

Though they attempted to manipulate God by causing Him to defend His glory, God proved that He would rather suffer defeat that permit His fake friends to presume upon His character. So here comes the ark into the camp with Hophni and Phinehas leading the charge (4:4-5). Disaster was inevitable.

Verses 10 and 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."

2. THE DEFEAT OF A FAMILY

We just reviewed the defeat of an army. Let us turn our attention now to the second point and observe the defeat of a family.

As you will recall from past weeks, it was twice prophesied that God was displeased with the priesthood. We learned in chapter two that the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were abusing the people (2:16) and committing all forms of immorality (2:22). Eli bore the brunt of the blame as he was permissive, aware of his son's misconduct, and unwilling to bring any correction. First, the unnamed prophet rebuked them in 2:27-36. God's warning was unheeded. God spoke to the family again through the prophet Samuel in 3:11-14. This time God's patience had run dry. Judgment would come upon this family. In 2:34 we read, "This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die. Just as it was predicted, the lives of Hophni and Phinehas were taken on the same day in the battle (4:11).

If we understand this account as a sad history lesson, we have tragically missed the point. There is present application for us this morning. I am not suggesting that God will always strike dead all who persist in disobedience. I am suggesting that those who claim to be God's children and presume upon His character by expecting His blessings while failing to yield and surrender to His majesty can expect to be defeated as well. God will not share the throne of your heart. Zeal for His own glory is too great to be yielded to another (Isa. 42:8). For any god that did yield his glory would not be one worthy of our worship.

Providentially, one of the Grace Quotes from this week read: "Unspeakably solemn is it to see so many abusing this Divine perfection. They continue to despise God's authority, trample upon His laws, continue in sin, and yet presume upon His mercy. But God will not be unjust to Himself. God shows mercy to the truly repentant, but not to the unrepentant (Luke 13:3). To continue in sin and yet reckon upon Divine mercy remitting punishment is diabolical. It is saying, 'Let us do evil that good may come,' and of all such it is written, whose 'damnation is just' (Rom. 3:8)" (A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God).

The sons of Eli were taken, but what about their father? What about the man who was rebuked in 2:29 for honoring his sons above God? The man who was rebuked in 3:13 for being aware of their sins yet unwilling to confront his sons? The man who chose "my boys" over "my God?"

Let's pick up our text in verse 12: "Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, 'What does the noise of this commotion mean?' Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see. The man said to Eli, 'I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.' And he said, 'How did things go, my son?' Then the one who brought the news replied, 'Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.' When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years" (1 Sam. 4:12-18).

Though time does not permit me a detail explanation of these verses, I believe the main point is fairly straightforward. Although this is a fulfillment of Eli's judgment, the author seems to stress what brought the greatest pain to Eli's heart. Verse 13, as he waited in anticipation "his heart was trembling for the ark of God." Verse 17, the report of four-fold disaster climaxed with "the ark of God has been taken." Verse 18, "When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward." Though doubtlessly grieved over the death of his sons, the loss of the ark was Eli's greatest concern, and it was more than His heart, at the age of ninety-eight, could withstand.

The sun of Eli's life set under a cloud, but before we get too rough on this man, may we see within his spirit a great love for the things of God. Permissive was he? Yes. But wicked and corrupt like his sons, I don't think so. In his final moments of life, while his sons were engaged in fierce battle, his ultimate concern was for the ark of God. As we learn from his defeat and observe the result of presumption, may we also see a glimmer of goodness, a willingness to set "self" aside for the sake of God's glory and the good of His people. Much damage would be avoided in the church if people who are so quick to condemn Eli could learn a little of this lesson - set "self" aside and put that same love for the things of God into practice. Mathew Henry once said, "All good men lay the interests of God's church nearer their hearts than any secular interest or concern of their own, and cannot but be in pain and fear for them if at any time they are in peril" (Commentary, 1 Sam. 4:14).

3. THE DEFEAT OF A NATION

We have seen the defeat of an army, the defeat of a family. Now the chain of events will be completed with the defeat of a nation.

Like we saw with the birth of Samuel and know with the birth of Jesus, often birth accounts in Scripture introduce a new period of history. This one unfortunately introduces the end of a previous era. New births are often a joyous occasion. This one was anything but a time of celebration.

Verse 19, "Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her."

If you ever thought you were having a bad day, consider what this poor woman faced: The death of her husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law, the slaughter of the Israeli army, the defeat of the nation and the capture of the ark - all in one day! Like Eli, her heart too was overwhelmed. The extreme stress induced her labor and eventually her death as well.

Verse 20, "And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, 'Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.' But she did not answer or pay attention."

This woman, once married to a wicked husband, appears tender in spirit. But the joy of the moment has given way to sorrow. Even at the time of giving birth to a child, she was unable to be comforted. What brought the most grief to her heart?

A little background will help answer that question. We must remember, for Israel, the ark represented the Lord's presence. It was the place He would most intimately meet with His people (Ex. 25:22). God's presence would hover above the ark. Within the ark contained the Ten Commandments, the Law that we all violate (Ex. 25:16). But between God's presence and the Law was the Mercy Seat where blood would be sprinkled yearly to make atonement for the sins of the people (Ex. 25:17; Lev. 16:14-15). The ark was a reminder that God was amongst them, guiding, speaking and forgiving His people.

What brought the most grief to her heart? Listen to her own words in verses 21 and 22: "And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, 'The glory has departed from Israel,' because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband. She said, 'The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken.'"

This dear woman knew that the departure of the ark symbolized a departure of God from His people. And lest we fall into the same trap of presumption we learned about last week, "The glory of the Lord…departed…but not because the ark of God had been captured; the ark had been captured because the glory had already departed" (H.L. Ellison, Scripture Union Bible Books: Joshua-2 Samuel, p. 51).

The well of mercy had run dry due to their continual disobedience.

Ichabod. The negative particle prefixing the regular term for glory, kabod. When God goes, the glory goes, and with it, all goodness for those after God's heart. The glory of God had departed from Shiloh. It became an object lesson for those in later generations. The prophet Jeremiah told the people of his day, God speaking, "But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel" (Jer. 7:12). The glory of God had departed from the nation as well. In regards to His benevolence, God was gone. And everybody in this story seemed to understand this tragic reality.

What a low point in the history of Israel. As the title of the sermon asks, what is the result of presumption? The answer is defeat. And as we covered all three sermon points, did you notice that each one ends with death? Could it be any clearer or graphic?

Would God allow the ark to remain amongst His enemies? Would the Israelites ever see the ark returned? Would the nation turn from their sin? Would God give them another chance under new leadership? Most importantly, would God be teaching us a lesson today from this gloomy account?

Dale Ralph Davis put it as bluntly as possible: "Ichabod and 1 Samuel 4 teach us that sometimes God must depart from us in order that we might seek Him rightly. And in the meantime we do well to ponder what a tragedy it is when the presence of God no longer abides among the people of God. Could 'Ichabod' be justly written over many of our church sanctuaries?" (1 Samuel, p. 57).

I have been to Washington D.C. twice in my life. Once while chaperoning an 8th grade school trip and the other with my family just two months ago. Without a doubt the highlights on both of these trips was the same: Arlington Cemetery, specifically, the changing of the guards.

Last week, my daughters and I on Memorial Day watched this same ceremony on television as our President laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. As we watched we were reminded how our country goes out of its way to pay respect and honor to these fallen heroes of the armed forces. There is no flippancy or half-hearted actions. The event is marked by seriousness, dignity and precision.

This week as I was meditating upon this text, I thought to myself, what a contrast that was to the way the priesthood of Israel approached the living God. Moreover, what a contrast that is to the way many Christians today approach God as well. Isn't He worthy of our respect and honor? Didn't Jesus make an even greater blood sacrifice for our freedom?

To profess to know God and then be causal and caviler and careless in our daily worship of Him is the essence of presumption. Has the glory of God departed from our nation, our churches, our individual lives because we take Him for granted? When we came to Christ, did we not give Him full reign over our hearts? How should He respond when we push Him out and take back what belongs to Him?