Trying to Force God's Hand: The Birth of Ichabod

In 1 Samuel 4, we have a scripture that I have never heard a sermon on. I don't intend to write one here, but will offer a few points after I post the text.

1 Samuel 4:1-22 (KJV)
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. [2] And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
[3] And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. [4] So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. [5] And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. [6] And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. [7] And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. [8] Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. [9] Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
[10] And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. [11] And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
[12] And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. [13] And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. [14] And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. [15] Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. [16] And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? [17] And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. [18] And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
[19] And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. [20] And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. [21] And she named the child I-chabod (lit. "the glory is gone"), saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. [22] And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.


Notice there are four elements to this text:

1. The Israelites assumed that God will help them to victory because of the presence of the ark, for it was God's means of leading the Israelites to victory and fruitfulness in earlier times (Numbers 10:34-36).

2. The Israelites ignored that state of the priesthood and their nation's relationship to the holy God in making this assumption. Their priests were Eli and his sons, and these priests were despising God's offerings and His holiness at the tabernacle (1 Sam. 2:12-17).

3. The Israelites were soundly defeated because they did not examine their relationship with God before they used the ark.

4. Eli's daughter-in-law described the state of the defeated and now ark-less Israel--God's glory was gone from them and their land.

There is a lesson for the Church in this:

1. We must not assume that God will help us win our various spiritual battles because we apply those things he commanded us to use in living a sanctified life: prayer, Bible study, corporate worship, evangelism, giving, and other spiritual disciplines in our Christian lives. These can be tools to help win the victory, but only if we regard God's holiness with faith and repentance when using them.

2. When we ignore God's holiness, we vainly apply His appointed means of fruitfulness in the Christian life ignorantly assuming sanctification and spiritual victory will be forthcoming.

3. The result of such action is a defeated life. Like the Israelites, we are often cast down because of our assumption that God must help us through His appointed means of sanctification.

4. A defeated life is one from which God's glory has departed. A believer without victory in the Christian life does not show forth God's glory. Constant defeat in a believer's attitude and actions does not show Christ overcoming the world in that person's life.

In the end, no victory in the Christian life is possible without proper regard for God's personal holiness. God is no light switch we turn on through our use of His appointed means of sanctification.

Along these same lines, Francis Schaeffer said in his "True Spirituality":

"...it is obvious that there is no mechanical solution to true spirituality or the true Christian life. Anything that has the mark of the mechanical upon it is a mistake. It is not possible to say, "Read so many of the chapters of the Bible every day, and you will have this much sanctification." It is not possible to say, "Pray so long every day, and you will have a certain amount of sanctification." It is not possible to add the two together and to say, "You will have this big piece of sanctification." This is purely mechanical solution, and it denies the whole Christian position. For the fact is that the Christian life, true spirituality, can never have a mechanical solution. The real solution is being cast up into the moment-by-moment communion, personal communion, with God himself, and letting Christ's truth flow through me through the agency of the Holy Spirit." (pp. 78).

It is impossible to force God's hand to bring spiritual victory to us by simply using the means of sanctification He has provided. We must regard His holiness in the use of the means of sanctification.

Update 2 on Ruthie

Thanks for praying friends,

Ruth is feeling a bit better and has just enjoyed her second weekend at home after a diagnosis of cancer of the heart three weeks ago. I have a theology that embraces suffering as part of God's plan (1 Peter 4:13) as something that God uses in the life of Christians to conform them to Christ's image. However, I encourage those of you who pray and share this view of Scripture with me that I also believe in a God of miraculous healing (James 5:15). My friends, in light of this, I encourage you to continue to pray for miraculous healing from our Lord that He might receive the glory in Ruth's life.

Ruthie is ready to enter perhaps her most difficult week of treatment with chemotherapy being included in the regimen of treatment. Please keep praying, and love and thanks in Christ always.

Christian Grief

Having recently lost my father, I am in the grieving process. It is hard. When your world changes radically, you must change to adapt to the new reality. Here are some of my observations about grieving.

1. Sadness, depression, longing, and even anger are normal human emotions in a fallen world and normal expressions of grieving. In the following Scripture, Jesus acknowledges sorrow as a normal accompaniment of grief. Though Jesus does not address every emotion related to grieving here, it is pertinent to remember that He also knows and acknowledges our other emotions related to grieving because of His omniscience.

"So you will also have sorrow now. But I will see you again." --John 16:22

2. Grief is meant by God to be shared--not shunned. Paul commands Christian disciples to share one another's pain the best they can, because all are brothers and sisters in Christ and all are one body.

"...Weep with those who weep." --Romans 12:15
"So if one of the members suffers, all the members suffer with it..." --I Cor. 12:26

3. Grief is temporary, therefore, the Christian is to fight against feelings of despair (loss of hope) that accompany grief. Christ commands us to look to our future hope of seeing Him.

"So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy." --John 16:22

4. Grief over lost loved ones is very painful, but the Scripture testifies our Christian loved ones are with Jesus. Paul reminds us that when we see Jesus, we will also see those who have gone to be with Jesus when they died. This is a rallying cry against giving up on living fruitfully and abundantly for God in the midst of grief.

"For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, the people of Christ." --I Cor. 15:22-23

5. Grief leaves us with a feeling of uncertainty as to how quickly our loved ones begin to experience heaven. Lest anyone think that the transition from the body to heaven is not instantaneous, Paul reminds us that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ in heaven. This is great comfort in our grief over other's death's and the fear that sometimes accompanies our own consideration of our demise as Christians.

"Therefore, though we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight--yet we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord."
--2 Cor. 5:6-8

6. Grief caused by death and death itself are part of God's good plan--though we can't see all the reasons why or how. Our good God is sovereign over death and the grief it causes--an additional reason for Christian confidence.

"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." --Romans 8:28

7. Grief for a Christian, because of the Scriptures already covered, should not be as severe as those who do not have hope of life after death, or those who reject the message of the Cross. If grief is terribly severe, this is normal, but the grieving Christian should focus powerfully on the reality of God's promises.

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope." --1 Thess. 4:13

Grief is tough, and it is a long process. If you know someone who is grieving, grieve with them and gently remind them of God's promises with compassion. If you are grieving, do so in your own way, without shame, but never let your feelings lead your thoughts away from the sure foundation of Holy Scripture--fill your mind with God-ward thoughts, and remember His Word.

Fall Creek

(A poem about my visit with my Grandfather, Arvis Tuggle, to the location of his childhood home in Wayne County, Ky., which was covered with the waters of Lake Cumberland in 1950).

Your hand in mine, we shuffled down shaley banks,
The water lapped quietly, the sun shone down;
Bathed in memories of your past here,
Clearly I saw your youth cleft down amongst the ridgelines:
The river coursing briskly, rolling from faraway hollows,
Rolling past leafy hemp fields in Cumberland lowland,
Garden herbs and vegetables, beside a three room home.
Morning dew, on crushed grass, beneath a child’s print.
The midsummer dry dust and evening light,
Dancing together beneath the tires of an old Schwinn cycle.
Low lowing of cattle, grazing in the green bottom,
Children shouting, running into the green shallows or hollows,
Or the plop of a bobber in the ceaseless currents,
After the spring floods as the Mockingbird cried.
Meeting the Ferryman kinsman for a river ride,
To the other side, over to Oak Grove south of Nancy.
And the little church there, shaded by poplar, oak, and maple,
Gospel strains flowed from the house of God at eventide,
Echoed in the last pinks and purples of a Sunday sun,
And the fiery Word of Ancient Days,
Thundering through the night, darkness embraced by Light.
In the deepening shadows of late youth, mail on the wooden table,
Warnings of the Flood and pilgrimage forced.
The dissembling of life young, portrayed in:
A house taken down, board and nail,
A barn and henhouse removed,
Wood carried away on a flatbed Chevy,
The land laid bare and burned clear,
Memorials erased, only memories,
And the empty brown, where once life grew,
Soon to be under the Deep, hidden from view.
Your hand in mine, we stared out over the sloshing water,
It lapped quietly, the sun shone down;
Bathed in the sunlight of the day,
Clearly I saw your youth cleft, in your face’s lines.

Barak Obama's Cold Wicked Heart

I recently read a "Human Events" expose by Terry Jeffries on Barrack Obama. I found a link to it at "The Pearcy Report," Nancy ("Total Truth" author) and her husband Rick Pearcy's website.

In just a few words, the essence of the article is that a certain bill protecting the lives of late-term aborted babies (those children thought to have Down's, etc.) was voted down at least two times by Barrack Obama, in the Illinois state government voting, and was held aside in a committee he chaired in the Illinois government to prevent its legislation into law.

A certain nurse testified about a baby that might have been saved in Illinois by this law:

Jill Stanek, who was a nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill., testified in the U.S. Congress in 2000 and 2001 about how "induced labor abortions" were handled at her hospital.

"One night," she said in testimony entered into the Congressional Record, "a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down's Syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have the time to hold him. I couldn't bear the thought of this suffering child lying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived."

Tears flowed from my eyes as I read this. Obama, however, was completely unfazed by this testimony given:

Stanek testified about these bills in the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, where Obama served. She told me this week he was "unfazed" by her story of holding the baby who survived an induced labor abortion.

I do not see anyone could vote to destroy human life like this! It is an Obamination!

Similarly, I do not see how any voter could cast their lot with such a cold wicked-hearted person as Barrack Obama.

The complete article on Obama can be found here:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24354

Dining and Wining

It has recently been brought to my attention that the Catholics have yet another thing right (no offense intended). Some of my brothers have been discussing the drink of the day for the Baptist Lord's Supper service:

"In this corner, weighing in with centuries of use and biblical fidelity--its 20 proof wine!"

"And in this corner, the challenger from the modern post-temperance era US Bible Belt--its Wellllches Graaape Juuuuuice!"

Ah yes, I wish this debate was this fun. In actuality, it is not. This scriptural discussion is one issue keeping a person from joining my church, being that we t-total for the Lord's Supper. So we must ask the question: Was it wine in John 2 in the Bible or not? Every book I have on the subject I have says "yes, wine," save my set of commentaries by Fundamentalist preacher Oliver B. Green. So I can't disagree that it is OK for the element to consist of wine, and that the early church used it much. This is the crux of the argument of the person who won't join my church--they always used wine in the Bible....

However, a thought just occurred to me: What did Paul say to Timothy?

"No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." I Tim. 5:23

This text throws a big question mark on the wine question:

1. Why would Timothy abstain from wine if he knew it was the prescribed drink?
2. Wait! Wasn't Timothy a pastor who should've been drinking wine in the Lord's Supper anyways?
3. Hmmmm....seems Timothy was an abstainer...and a pastor to boot...hmmmm, maybe they didn't use wine all the time after all!

I realize that my argument can be critiqued on the grounds that Timothy may have used a small amount of wine with communion and not other times, but hey, who says that was the case? Suppose he was abstaining for other reasons...maybe some of the same reasons that some Christians are wary of social drinking: wine is potentially addictive and a possible detriment to your witness in some cultures.

I consider drinking alcohol a matter of Christian liberty (without drunkeness). However, based on my above thoughts on this text, it seems Paul was not rebuking Timothy for not using wine as an element, but instead was gently explaining its medicinal qualities to ease Timothy's conscience and to allow him to drink a little wine "for his stomach's sake." This means that Timothy had probably been avoiding using wine in the Lord's Supper too. This seems to speak against the aforementioned church member's demand of wine on the grounds of biblical authority, and seems to say that in our modern era where stomach bugs from water are less common, that wine is fine, but so is the NA fruit of the vine.

Update on Ruthie

My mother-in-law is doing better! I praise God because she is trusting the Lord whether she lives or dies...this is the most important thing:

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life...nor any created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Rom. 8:38-39

Ruthie's condition is as follows:

1. Chemo and radiation have been administered to her for her cancer; MRI results are pending.
2. She has been allowed to stay in UK's cancer center where they are caring for the swelling induced by her tumor.
3. Her attitude, appearance, and pain level have dramatically improved from the last three weeks.
4. She has at least one doctor who is a prayer and is for doing all that can be done for her.
5. She has been contacted by one of the most advanced cancer centers in the US for possible treatment.
6. She will get to come home this weekend for three days!
7. People continue to pray for her healing.

I encourage all of you who read this to accept the challenge to pray the Lord for Ruthie's recovery: we are praying for a miracle--please join us. I also encourage fasting for periods during these days of prayer.

And thanks to all of you who are praying! Keep it up!

Prayer request

Sorry, for those of you who have been reading my blog of late that I have not posted anything new. My mother-in-law is ill--she has cancer and it has spread to her heart. I just ask all of you who read this to pray for her.