Redeemer Church Of Waterford

After a 7 month exile in enemy territory, the people of Bethshemesh are surprised to look up from their working in the wheat fields to see the ark of the covenant of the Lord making its way back to them on a cart driven by two cows. But their rejoicing soon turns to lament after the Lord strikes dead 50,000 of the Levites for their mishandling of the ark.In the wake of this terrifying sight the people ask, "Who then can stand in the presence of this Holy Lord God?"If not the Levites - the men charged by God with responsibility for caring for the ark - then WHO?

Three times in Romans 13, the Apostle Paul describes government officials as "ministers of God." In what sense can secular agents of the state be said to be ministers of God? How does their role as ministers of God obligate them to serve their constituents? And are we obligated to pay taxes when secular agents of the state use our tax dollars for evil purposes?

Noah and his family have spent one year in the ark. At the end of that year, and the beginning of his new year, he sanctifies his new year. What can we learn from Noah about how to sanctify our new year?

How did Jesus come into the world, and why? Christmas is always filled with surprises. And the answer to how Jesus came into the world, and why is just as filled with surprises.

Who are the "higher powers" the Apostle Paul refers to in Romans 13:1? Are they the same as the invisible "principalities, powers, and rulers" he frequently references in his other letters? Or are they human governing authorities? If the latter, is he commanding that believers be subject to secular governments in everything those governments decree?

The glory of the Lord is departed, but it isn't defeated. God has allowed the ark of the covenant to be captured by the Philistines so that His chastisement might fall against His people Israel and so that His glory might be made known in the pagan cities of the Philistines. Both Israel and the Philistines will learn that God cannot be placed in a box in temples of our own making, a lesson we need today.

Where is the glory? That is the question permeating the entire narrative of Chapter 4, ending with the plaintive cry of a mother who, with her dying breath exclaims, "Ichabod! The glory of the Lord is exiled!"1 Samuel 4 is a drama in two acts. Act One (4:1-11) recounts what happens when we use God for our own selfish ends rather than submit to Him and obey His covenant. Act Two (4:12-22) is the record of God fulfilling His word to Eli, first spoken to Eli through a mysterious man of God in chapter 2, and then confirmed by the Lord Himself in His word to Samuel in chapter 3, that the Lord intends to eradicate the house of Eli.That word is confirmed through the word of a messenger who runs 23 miles in one day to bear the news that Israel is defeated, with 30,000 plus dead on the battle field, the sons of Eli are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.

With the tragic outcome of Israel's battles with the Philistines, recounted in the first 11 verses of 1 Samuel 4 we are met face to face with the reality of what happens when we presume that the presence and protection of God will always be with us, even when we are unfaithful to His word.Israel thinks that they can use their religion to control God, to make Him do whatever their sinful wills desire Him to do. They learned the hard way that God will not be put into a box.

Samuel has been awakened by the Lord with a troubling message for Eli, an event which marks a stark change in the way God will communicate with His people: no longer through Eli the Priest, but through Samuel the Prophet. Samuel opens the doors to the temple, signifying that after a long absence, God is once again prepared to offer reconciliation for His people.

When Samuel was a little boy, serving Eli and the Lord in the temple at Shiloh, there was no word from God. When that word finally comes, it comes to Samuel in the form of a pronouncement of final and irrevocable judgment on the house of Eli.How can this boy who has served Eli now convey this word of judgment to Eli? How does Eli respond? What are the lessons for us when we experience the chastising hand of God on our own lives?

What is the "good" which we are to return for evil, and thereby overcoming the evil?

The opening verses of 1 Samuel 3 present the familiar story of the call of the boy Samuel to be God's prophet in Israel. But don't let what you think you know about this story keep you from seeing the spiritual contrasts which are woven through the narrative.

What are the consequences when we spurn the grace of God and presume that we have gotten away with our sinful behavior because He has not judged us? Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phineas, had profaned the tabernacle through their abuses of the sacrificial offerings (2:12-17) and their immoral behavior with the women who served the tabernacle (2:22). After Eli gave them a warning which they could not heed (2:23-25), Eli is visited by a mysterious, unnamed "man of God," a seer who gives him a foreboding message of judgment from the Lord: the house of Eli will be eradicated and a faithful priest over a sure house will take Eli's place.

How does a follower of Jesus respond when they are treated unfairly or wronged? Does the Bible prohibit us from seeking retribution for the wrongs done to us?

Eli is an old man who has been the priest at Shiloh for a long time. His two sons are worthless, abusing their positions as priests for their own sordid gain. In 1 Samuel 2:11-26, the vile sons of Eli are placed in stark contrast to the child Samuel. In this contrast are some important spiritual lessons for our own attitudes toward the worship of God.