Thursday 13 Jan 2022

January 13: 1 Samuel 4:1-11

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 4:10
So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.

Devotion:
As we ready through the Old Testament, we find so many references to the Ark of the Covenant and how it protected Israel and allowed them to win so many battles. We may even begin to think there was some extraordinary power which the Ark had – but it was not the Ark, but who was with the Ark. God!

When the prophets gave the words of the Lord to Israel, they had a choice to listen and obey, or to go their own way. When they went their own way, they would often fail. But when they listened to God’s instructions and obeyed, God would deliver them and allow them to succeed. This was one of those times which we don’t get a clear explanation. Eli was getting old and Samuel was now beginning to take on the role of the prophet who should bring the word of God to Israel.

Was it because Israel went up against the Philistines without the Ark to start with? Was it because the Philistines dug their heels in and fought like they had never fought before? We don’t get a clear explanation – and life is sometimes like that. Sometimes there does not seem to be a good reason for failure, but things fail. Sometimes we are so sure of ourselves and yet we still fail…

It is God alone who has ultimate control over things and He who will deliver us if He knows it is best. Sometimes we come up against unreasonable odds and we face the consequences of those odds. Sometimes we are affected by the same things as anyone else and have to face what we call unreasonable times. If we open our eyes, we will see the people around us facing the same odds and consequences. This, unfortunately, is life!

Points to Ponder:
Who do you blame when things go wrong?

Are you willing to listen to God even if it is going to be tough going?