When Man Dishonors God

Introduction

What is the state of Israel? (Phinehas’s wife)

1 Samuel 4:21 NASB95

21 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.

1. The Defiled Ark

Application:

You might place Christ in the center of the city where everyone can see… but is Christ to be found in the center of your heart?

It’s like wearing a fake watch… that presents itself with tens of thousands of dollars worth of diamonds, but really is completely worthless

It is true that many Christians do the same with Christ. The claim to wear the name of Christ.. yet Christ is nowhere to be found in their life

And in doing so you dishonor Him… you defile him… you mock His holy name and drag it through the dirt.

What good is it to say you are a Christian, yet live like pagan Philistines?

May it NEVER be the case, that we believe we can be victorious, apart from the redemptive work of Christ

The Philistines say: “We WON… WE are victorious! And WE shall inherit the power of the Israelite God, because of our victory!”

They would be punished for thinking that way… and we will be too… for eternity

1 Corinthians 15:57 “57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

They subjected the authority of God to what man esteems as authoritative.

They brought the ark, to the house of Dagon, and sat it beside Him.

God is being blasphemed… God is being abused… God is a mere GIFT to the almighty Dagon of the Philistines!

What IGNORANCE!

And yet we aren’t let off the hook either! We do the exact same thing when we allow the authority and wisdom of the world to OVERRIDE what God has said in this book!!

And if we don’t know this book through and through, then it’s US who are ignorant! And place God at the feet of our wisdom and say… I’ll use you when I need you

2. The Defeated Statue

Application:

A statue, is about as good at defeating God, as a pencil or a pancake. It LITERALLY has NO ability to do anything!

And yet this is the greatest adversary the Philistines could produce.

All creation must bow down to the creator

The holiness of God demands our attention & worship

And that includes a worthless wooden statue

God, in this image, shows that He alone is worthy of worship

3. The Destroying Hand

Application:

Confusion, tumors, and death… Does that not rightly sum up the life of someone apart from God?

Confused of their purpose

Confused about their pains

Confused in their death

Hosea 4:6 “6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”

If we rebel against God, He shall rebel against us

4. The Determined Philistines

Application:

What were they determined to do?… push God away

If they had EMBRACED Him!

If they had SUBMITTED!

If they had REPENTED and turned to the God of Israel.. would God not have BLESSED them?!

God knew, in His foreknowledge, that they wouldn’t…

But if they did? I don’t think for one second, that God wouldn’t have relinquished their plagues.

If they truly embraced the God of Israel… it’s true they are pagan sinners and deserve death, and God would be just in killing them all STIll…

Yet they pushed the true and living God out of their midst

People today push away God, because when He pops up? Guess what, suffering is often accompanied.

What follows is that we blame God, and push God away… rather than utterly humbling ourselves before His merciful feet

The Philistines were determined to push God away. I pray that even the thought of it, would never cross your mind. For God punishes the wicked, but exalts His own

5. The Definitive Slaughter

Application:

Curiosity, is known to entice even the strongest of people

But if that curiosity entails sin, a transgression of God’s law… then curiosity literally kills the cat

The Israelites were enticed to peer into the ark, to touch and examine the items within… yet God forbade it

Exodus 19:21 “21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.”

Numbers 4:15 “15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.”

Numbers 4:20 “20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.””

No one is worthy to stand in the presence of a holy God

And for the people not only to touch it, but OPEN it and gaze into the covenant?

God could not be idle.

Yet Christ has done for mankind what none else could do:

Hebrews 10:19–22 “19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Instead of believers being utterly and justly slaughtered… CHRIST… has JUSTIFIED… the one who CLEAVES to Him.

Romans 8:1 “1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

The veil has been torn… and the death we deserve, has been lifted from our stead. but only in Christ. Only if our lives are united with his. Only if HE is the center of our life. Only if we believe & obey His word… with a profound love in our heart for Him