Epistle for September 4, 2015
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E-pistle
FreeWay Foundation September 4, 2015
ichabod: "The Glory has departed!"
(I Samuel 4:1-22)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. The Philistines defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000
men, vv. 1-2.
2. The elders of Israel brought the Ark of the Covenant from
Shiloh, believing that its presence would assure them of
victory; in the ensuing battle, the Philistines again were
victorious, killing 30,000 Jewish soldiers (including Eli's
sons, Hophni and Phinehas) capturing the Ark, vv. 3-11.
3. Eli got word of the defeat, fell out of his chair, broke his
neck, and died at the age of 98, vv. 12-18.
4. Phinehas' wife also heard the news, went into labor, and
died while giving birth to a son which she named Ichabod
("Inglorious") saying, "The glory has departed from Israel,
for the Ark of God has been captured," vv. 19-22.
II. Meditation: on what caused the glory to depart
1. Eli, the high priest, had two wicked, corrupt sons,
I Samuel 2:12-17,22.
2. These two men (Hophni and Phhinehas) refused to repent
when their father rebuked them, I Samuel 2:22-25.
3. Eli took no action to discipline them or to remove them
from their priestly office, which meant (according to a prophet)
that Eli honored his two sons more than he honored God . . .
he "kicked at" God's sacrifices, I Samuel 2:29; 3:13.
4. The Israelites, led by such ungodly leaders, put their faith in
a symbol of religion (the Ark) rather than in God . . . "It may
save us," I Samuel 4:3.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual truths seen here
1. A leader's family life does affect everyone over whom he has
influence, I Timothy 3:3-4; Titus 1:6.
2. Without spiritual "tough love" by parents, children frequently
go astray causing serious physical harm and deep emotional
heartache.
3. When spiritual leaders fail in their duty, God often brings
judgment and punishment upon the entire group . . . whether it
is a family, a church, or a nation.
4. Human beings cannot manipulate God or force Him to bless
them!
IV. Application: as a Christian, I need to understand . . .
1. God's ultimate purpose shall be accomplished, but He may
have to discard me and use someone else to do it. Like the
Apostle Paul, I too must "discipline my body and bring it into
subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should
become disqualified," I Corinthians 9:27.
jonah protests god's call
(Jonah 1:1-17)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the events of this chapter
1. God called Jonah to preach repentance in Nineveh, but Jonah
"protested" that call by rebelliously boarding a ship for
Tarshish, vv. 1-3.
2. The Lord sent a storm, and the sailors asked Jonah to pray
for their deliverance, vv. 4-9.
3. Realizing that the storm had been sent because of his rebellion
against God, Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea,
vv. 10-16.
4. The Lord prepared a great fish who swallowed Jonah, and
Jonah lived in the belly of the fish for three days, v. 17.
II. Meditation: on the spiritual truths revealed here
1. The Lord is a God of mercy; not willing that any should perish
. . . not even the wicked nation of Assyria, which had taken
Israel into captivity in 722 BC; God gave Nineveh (Assyria's
capital) a chance to repent, v. 2; II Peter 3:9.
2. The Lord is "God of heaven" . . . all creation, including heaven
and earth; He is not limited by national boundaries; neither Jonah,
nor any other person, can flee from the presence of God, v. 9;
Psalm 139:7-12.
3. In times of trouble, unbelievers often turn to the people of God,
asking them to pray and to tell them what they can do to escape
destruction, vv. 6, 11; Acts 2:37; 16:30.
4. The Lord God "works in mysterious ways, His wonders to
perform" . . . God did not send an available whale, He
"PREPARED" (created) a chance to repent, v. 2; this was certified
by Jesus, Matthew 12:40; Luke 11:30.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications of these truths
1. Since God loves everyone, so should I; God's mercy and grace
should be proclaimed to all persons everywhere.
2. God is the Creator of the universe, yet He also literally is present
among us . . . He is "omnipresent:" therefore, we should behave
accordingly because He sees and knows our thoughts, words,
and deeds.
3. God's people should be ready always and immediately to pray for
and witness to the lost, I Peter 3:15.
4. Before we even realize that we have a need, God already has made
provision to supply that need, Philippians 4:19.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ to the lost.
2. Live in the continuing awareness of God's spiritual presence.
3. Pray for those who are in trouble and who need the Lord.
4. Thank the Lord for His providential care for me.
Confucius say: "To put the world in order, we much first put the nation in order;
to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order;
to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life;
and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right."
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