A whisper ∙∙

A whisper ∙∙

These are just the fringes of all he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power? – Job 26:14

1 Kings 19:11-12

 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

How much of the vast knowledge present in the universe do we currently know and understand? How many books in the Library of Congress have we read? When it comes to the infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present Father God, know and understand?

The answer to all these questions is the same, extraordinarily little.

Despite significant advancements, our current knowledge only represents a nano fraction of the vast knowledge throughout the universe. Our understanding remains limited and incomplete, with countless galaxies, stars, and mysteries yet to be discovered.

The Father’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence are seen in what has been made. The unlimited power and authority of the Creator, who brought everything into existence and governs it, holds profound implications. However, attempting to fully comprehend the nature of the Father through His creation is limited at best and foolhardy at worst. It is akin to studying a solitary grain of sand and assuming that it grants us complete knowledge and understanding of all the sand in existence.

The vastness and complexity of creation, with its countless galaxies, stars, planets, and intricate ecosystems, are merely glimpses of the immense power and wisdom of the Creator. Our attempts to comprehend the divine through the limited lens of our human understanding fall short. Our observations and perceptions of the world around us can only offer glimpses of the grandeur and mysteries of the Creator.

We hear thunder, but how can we presume to understand thunder by merely hearing it?

Job 26:14 These are just the fringes of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?

The Hebrew word translated as fringes or outskirts is qatsah. It refers to the end or extremity of objects, border regions, or edge. It speaks of something which is only partially disclosed or revealed; the term can be translated as outline, glimpse, a small part of, only a fraction of, and hints of.

“In this context, refers not to a distant area such as outskirts suggests (as when referring to the distant outskirts of a city), but rather to something only partially disclosed or revealed; the term can be translated as ‘outline, glimpse, a small part of,’ which NJB renders ‘only a fraction of,’ and TEV ‘only hints of’” (UBS).

Job’s friends, observing the wonders of the Father’s creation in nature, mistakenly and arrogantly believed they had a comprehensive knowledge of Him. In their presumption, they audaciously thought they could explain the nature of the Father to Job.

Drawing from their observations of the natural world, Job’s friends saw glimpses of the Father’s handiwork and interpreted it according to their limited understanding. However, their confidence in their interpretation led them astray, as they failed to recognize the Father’s vastness and complexity.

Job’s view is diametrically opposed. How can you know the whole from the parts? How can you understand and comprehend an object by only observing its outline or shadow?  How can we possibly reason from the lesser to the greater and fully apprehend when the greater is the Father Himself, who is infinite?

Observing the creation, we see only the fringes of His ways. We have only tidbits of Who and What He is. What we hear is but a whisper of His power! Knowing a few facts about God’s creation is not the same as knowing truths about the God of Creation (Wiersbe).

“He truly knows God perfectly that finds Him incomprehensible and unable to know him” (Richard Rolle). The more we learn about the Father and His Word, the more we realize how little we know and how much more there is to discover. They provide only a tiny hint of His greatness.

“Beware of people who claim to know all about God, for their claim is proof they know neither God nor themselves” (Wiersbe).

REFLECT & PRAY

Job’s friends misguided approach serves as a cautionary tale. It demonstrates the dangers of presuming to fully comprehend the Father based solely on limited observations of the natural world. The Father’s ways and intentions are far beyond our human comprehension, and attempting to reduce His nature to simplistic explanations is misguided.

Father help me to look beyond Your power and listen for Your gentle, soft whisper.

INSIGHT

When we contemplate the omnipotent Lord God, the Father of all, our thoughts naturally gravitate to immense things in space and time. The Father sees everything, made everything, and controls everything (Job 26:7-13).

We are filled with wonder when we contemplate the seemingly infinite immensity and complexity of the Father’s creation. We marvel at the intelligent design, precision, and absolute balance. Not to mention the harnessed control of the vast power and energy throughout the cosmos. Even seeming chaos and disarray have order and beauty.

Chaos theory suggests that the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems is not random at all. Instead, underlying patterns and laws govern the seeming disorder and irregularities.

The Father does not always act “big.” When the Father gets personal, very personal, He draws close and speaks in soft whispers. He uses His “inside voice.” Perhaps remembering the Exodus, Elijah set his expectations on the big, powerful, and dramatic. But the Father was not in the powerful wind, the rock-shattering earthquake, or the fire he witnessed.

Instead, the Father did something unexpected. Rather than speak in a great, potent, thunderous voice shaking the earth, He spoke in a gentle, quiet whisper, the “sound of sheer silence” (NRSV) (1 Kings 19:11-12).

The Father was tenderly beckoning Elijah to return to Him. Gripped by fear, Elijah had fled for his life and sought refuge in a cave, desperately attempting to keep himself safe and out of danger. Take a moment to envision Elijah concealed within the cave, trembling with fear.

In nearly hushed silence, the Father whispers. When someone whispers, you have to get close to hear and understand. The Father, with gentle insistence, coaxes Elijah to summon his courage. Only when Elijah discerns the soft whisper of the Father’s voice does he find the strength to venture out from the shelter of the cave. Once again, Elijah was safe in the Father’s presence.

When was the last time you heard His whisper, His still small voice?

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© Dr. H 2023

A new creation, our paradigm shift

A new creation, our paradigm shift

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new creation. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Romans 6:4 Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Ephesians 4:22-24

 22 Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.

The phrase “paradigm shift” is used frequently in modern colloquial English across many fields of endeavor. What does it mean, and what is its origin?

Thomas Kuhn, a twentieth-century physicist and philosopher of science (1922-1996), coined the term “paradigm shift” in his influential work titled The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published in 1962. To understand the meaning of “paradigm shift,” it is necessary to know what a paradigm is.

Initially, a paradigm denoted a framework or model encompassing a collection of beliefs, assumptions, and practices that guide scientific inquiry and research within a particular discipline. It was a “conceptual framework” comprising the accepted theories and methodologies influencing scientific research and understanding.

A paradigm shift signifies a fundamental change in a scientific discipline’s underlying assumptions, concepts, and approaches. A new scientific paradigm or framework replaces the old. For example, Ptolemy’s astronomy gave way to Copernican astronomy. The physics of Einstein supplanted Newton’s physics.

Eventually, the term paradigm shift spread to social sciences and beyond. It became a buzzword in popular culture. It now refers to a revolutionary and dramatic change.

All children of the King have experienced a significant paradigm shift. Regrettably, few know this, and fewer still live it out.

2 Corinthians 5:17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

When we become children of the King, we are in Christ. This term is used 27 times in Paul’s writings. “This phrase, ‘in Christ’ can mean several things that are not mutually exclusive: that one belongs to Christ, that one lives in the sphere of Christ’s power, that one is united with Christ, or that one is part of the body of Christ, the believing community” (Garland). Practically speaking, being in Christ means having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ based upon our faith in Him and identification with His Death, Burial, and Resurrection.

Being in Christ is a dramatic and remarkable change from what has come before. It should bring about a radical change in the way we think, live, and relate to others.

The Greek word translated as creation, creature, being, or person is ktisis. In Paul’s writings, Ktisis nearly always means creation rather than creature. New creation, in Greek, is literally “kainos ktisis.” This Greek phrase has no verb or pronoun. Therefore, translators typically supply he is, or there is.

What does this paradigm shift entail?

REFLECT & PRAY

“Whenever a person comes to be part of the body of Christ by faith, there is a new act of creation on God’s part. One set of conditions or relationships has passed out of existence; another set has come to stay” (Murray J. Harris).

Father thank You for providing a whole new way for me to live. I can hardly take it in. I am no longer a prisoner of the past. I have been redeemed and set free to live a new life because of my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Encourage me to make it so.

INSIGHT

2 Corinthians 5:17 Old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

What are the old things? The old things characterized our lives before we became children of the King. The REB renders it “the old order.”

The term “old” (archaios) refers to something that has existed since the beginning, being “ancient,” yet has become ridiculously old-fashioned, outdated, or worn-out, akin to polyester leisure suits, bell-bottoms, and avocado kitchen appliances. These items were once fashionable in the 1970s, but their obsoleteness becomes painfully apparent when compared to the new, what is currently in vogue.

This parallel can also be drawn between the old creation and the new. The contrast between the old life and the new life in Christ, experienced by the transformed believer, is like night and day. There is truly no comparison.

We are no longer prisoners of our former days, bound by the shackles of our past. We are freed from the limitations of the past. We are no longer bound by the memories of darkness and shame. We are no longer victims. We have emerged, redeemed from everything that has held us fast.

Take a moment and reflect. What do you want most side of life? What are you seeking after and longing for? What are the deepest longings of your heart? What drives you and motivates you?

“To Paul, the Christian is, in his favorite phrase, in Christ; and therefore the old self of the Christian died in that death, and a new person arose, as new as if freshly created by the hands of God.”

“In this newness of life, Christians have acquired a new set of standards. They no longer judge things by the standards the world uses. There was a time when Paul had judged Christ by human standards and had set out to eliminate the Christian faith from the world. But not now. Now his standards are different.”


“Now the man whose name he had sought to obliterate is to him the most wonderful person in the world because [the Lord Jesus Christ] had given to him that friendship of God which he had longed for all his life” (Barclay).

Colossians 3:9-10

  9 You have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.

 10 Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

The implications of this are utterly staggering. Being in Christ should bring about a paradigm shift, a radical change in a person’s life. We are to look forward, not backward. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we become Christ-centric.

Philippians 3:13-14

 13 Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

“Paul could think more deeply than anyone who ever tried to express the Christian faith; he could travel along uncharted pathways of thought; he could scale the heights of the human mind, where even the best-equipped theologians find it hard to follow him; but always at the end of his letters, he turns to the practical consequences of it all. He always ends with an uncompromising and crystal-clear statement of the ethical demands of Christianity in the situation in which his friends are at the moment” (Barclay).

Paul lays down an explicit, unequivocal demand. “Put to death every part of yourself which is against God and keeps you from fulfilling his will” (Barclay). A radical transformation is required of our desires and actions. Any elements preventing them from fully complying with God’s commands or completely submitting to Christ must be meticulously excised.

Romans 6:4 Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

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© Dr. H 2023

The paradox of cooperation ∙∙

The paradox of cooperation ∙∙

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling – Philippians 2:12

Hebrews 13:20-21

 20 Now may the God of peace – who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood –

 21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

A Des Moines-based medium-sized business encountered challenges completing its projects on time. After careful assessment, the management determined that the responsibility rested primarily with the managers themselves. From them, it just trickled down to many of their employees. The workers seemed to be slacking off, huddled in little groups talking to each other and consuming extraordinary amounts of time with their cell phones. They were not getting the job done!

To address this situation, the management opted for a motivational approach infused with humor rather than resorting to disciplinary measures. They took the initiative to display a notice on the employee bulletin board, which contained the following message:

“It has come to the attention of management that some of its employees apparently are dying on the job but failing to fall down. It has become impossible to distinguish between those that are dead and those that are still alive. This practice must stop. Therefore, any employee found dead in the upright position will immediately be terminated and dropped from the payroll.”

Good leaders and managers take responsibility for both good and bad outcomes. They establish realistic goals and serve as role models for their teams. They ensure that all necessary resources are available to accomplish the assigned tasks. They work side by side with their employees, offering support and motivation. When the situation calls for it, they willingly engage in hands-on work themselves. This is precisely what the Father has done.

Philippians 2:12 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

The Father has provided the same for His children. He sets goals and enables His children to achieve them. “Salvation” is not only something they receive; it is something they do” (Fee). Paul reveals an amazing paradox regarding how we cooperate with the Father in achieving the results He intends: we are to work out our own salvation. “Nowhere in the New Testament is the work of salvation more succinctly stated” (Barclay).

As a result of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have graciously been saved. Each child of the King has been given their “own salvation.” We must strive to work it out by cooperating with the Father.

The Greek word translated as work is katergazesthai. Katergazesthai comes from two Greek words, kata, a preposition typically meaning down. It is used to intensify the verb. The other Greek word is ergazomai, to work, perform, do, or accomplish. Thus, katergazesthai means to put something into effect entirely or thoroughly or to bring it to completion.

Paul is speaking as an athletic coach or military leader would today. He is telling the children of the King to get the job done. Give it their all. Give it their best. Do not leave anything out on the field. When they are done, all of their energy and strength should be expended.

What a paradox. As children of the King, we are commanded to do what the Father Himself is actively working within us to accomplish.  We are commanded to collaborate with the Father, who works within us. He motivates us and empowers us. What a delightful and extraordinary paradox indeed!

REFLECT & PRAY

The Father has a unique and distinctive purpose for every child of the King to fulfill. Each child of the King is cherished, unique, and special in their own way.

Father thank You that You inspire and motivate us to do Your will. And then You empower me to do it. Father, help me to learn how to cooperate with You to get the job done.

INSIGHT

The Father provides the motivation, and the desire, to get the job done, and then He also works within us to give us the ability to carry it out. Putting it in other terms, when we acknowledge the Father’s presence and work within us, His actions and initiatives should inspire us to actively fulfill His purpose and bring Him joy (UBS).

Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Each child of the King has the same responsibility, to do what pleases Him.

He mysteriously and marvelously works within our hearts to cause us to want to do what He wants us to do. His initiative and work within us provide the incentive to desire and do His will.

The Greek verb rendered as working is energeo. Energeo means to be at work, active, and get the job done. The English word energy comes from this term. “There are two significant things about it; it is always used for the action of God, and it is always used for effective action. God’s action cannot be frustrated, nor can it remain half-finished; it must be fully effective” (Barclay). The Greek verb here is a present participle that connotes continuous action. The Father is always at work and never stops. He is in us, always working to cause us to be willing (UBS).

The Father effectively works in each of His children so that His desire becomes our desire. And with the desire comes the ability. The Greek phrase could be translated as “both to will and to work in behalf of the good pleasure” (UBS).

Here then, is the paradox of cooperation. “God must work in us before He can work through us” (Wiersbe).

There are two sides to getting the job done. We are to work hard to show the results of our salvation, obeying the Father with deep reverence and awe. While at the same time, the Father is working in us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (Osborne).

The Scriptures are replete with examples of this very thing.

For example, the Father invested forty years in preparing Moses to fulfill his role as a leader for the people of Israel. Throughout those forty years, while Moses tended to sheep, the Father was actively shaping and molding him so that one day He might work through him. The Father is more interested in the workman than in the work.  The Father’s primary focus lies in the character and development of the individual rather than solely on the task at hand. If the workman is what he ought to be, the work will be what it ought to be.

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© Dr. H 2023

Just ask the animals ∙∙

Just ask the animals ∙∙

Some things on earth are small but unusually wise: spiders are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces. – Proverbs 30:24, 28

Job 12:7-10 

 7 Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.

 8 Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you.

 9 For they all know that my disaster has come from the hand of the LORD.

 10 For the life of every living thing is in his hand and the breath of every human being.

Dr. John Dolittle is the title character of a series of children’s books by Hugh Lofting that began in 1920. Dr. Dolittle lived in a small English village. He spent little time with human patients. He specialized in caring for and communicating with animals. He could speak to them in their own languages. When word of Dolittle’s ability spread, many animals sought him out for medical advice.

No doubt, there is much we could learn from animals. If only they could really talk to us, but they do not.

In the book of Job, Job’s friends are trying to get to the bottom of why Job is suffering. After much lively debate, they conclude that Job must be responsible. Indeed, the Father is punishing him for his sins. Job defends himself and declares his innocence (Job 10:7). He asks a rhetorical question. Is it possible to understand and search out the depths and mysteries of the Father?

Job 11:7 Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?

No doubt, after much soul-searching and reflection, he came to his own conclusion. There are some things in this life that we will never really be able to comprehend fully. They are simply beyond our intellectual grasp.

Job offers a whimsical suggestion, “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you” (Job 12:7).

Try as we might, we are unable to figure out how animals know things and do things simply by instinct. For example, how does a spider know how to build a web? Where does it get the architectural plans? How does the spider engineer it? How does it know where to begin and end? How does the spider perfectly carry out the design to completion? Once the web is finished, how does it maneuver around it?  How does the spider evade entrapment within its own creation?

REFLECT & PRAY

Since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. – Romans 1:20

Father so many of the things that You have made are irreducibly complex. Father, teach me to look and listen to the message of Your creation.

INSIGHT

If animals could talk, perhaps they could explain how the Father designed, planned out, fabricated, cares for, and controls His creation. But with very few exceptions, animals are mute and cannot communicate with us in a way we can understand.

But, without uttering a word, animals teach, birds tell, the earth speaks, and the fish inform (Job 12:7-10). Animals are programmed with instinctive intelligence. Some animals are born fully wired and ready to cope and function in their real-world environments. Ants and locusts know precisely what to do and how to do it.

Proverbs 30:25,27

 25 The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer;

 27 The locusts have no king, yet all of them go out in ranks;

Some animals, for example, birds, marsupials, and mammals, require protection, nurture, and a bit of parental direction and coaching to grow to mature and fully functioning adults. 

The Father is the Father of lights and all things that exist. He intelligently designed and created all things.  All of the animals, without a word, proclaim the Father’s existence, wisdom, excellence, and greatness.

But there’s more. He cares for what He has created.

Matthew 6:26-30

 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

 28 Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,

 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. 

The wondrous and fantastic truth is that the Father cares for what He creates. If He cares for animals and plants, how much more does He care for people He created in His own image? “The point that Jesus is making is not that the birds do not work; it has been said that no one works harder than the average sparrow to make a living; the point that he is making is that they do not worry” (Barclay).

When we realize how much He loves and cares for us, our anxiety diminishes, and we can experience peace and tranquility. How does this become a reality? We develop the skill of depending upon him and transferring our cares to Him. We gave Him the burden of our heavy load, and He carries it for us.

“Jesus wants you to throw your cares on Him and leave them there. You depend on Him for life itself, and you acknowledge this reliant relationship by saying, ‘Here, Jesus. Take my problems. You have the answers! I trust You to show me what to do and to take care of the consequences’” (Stanley).

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© Dr. H 2023

Children decide ∙

Children decide ∙

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. – Ephesians 6:4

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

 5 You must love the LORD your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.

 6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind,

 7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.

When America was first settled, what were the first colleges like? As astonishing as it may sound, all of the first colleges in America were created to train Christian ministers. There was no separation of church and state. The states directly supported the churches in colleges in their religious efforts.

The original cornerstone of Harvard College, the first college in America, reads:

“After God had carried us safe to New England and we had builded our houses, provided necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places for God’s worship and settled the civil government, one of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches when our present minsters shall lie in the dust (1636).”

Congregational ministers founded Yale University on October 16, 1701, to fight growing liberalism at Harvard. Their objective was that “Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences who through the blessing of God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State.”

Students were required to “live religious, godly and blameless lives according to the rules of God’s Word, diligently reading the Holy Scriptures, the fountain of light and truth; and constantly attend upon all the duties of religion, both in public and secret.” Prayer was a requirement. Furthermore, every student was instructed to “. . . consider the main end of his study to wit to know God in Jesus Christ” and “to lead a Godly, sober life.”

The fervent faith and high and lofty resolute intention of the college founders did not last past that generation. Regrettably, faith, salvation, and spiritual life are not part of a person’s DNA. Each child of every age has the responsibility to make the fateful decision to accept the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves. Parents cannot ensure the faithfulness of their children. Yet, the Scriptures are clear that fathers are responsible for attempting to do so by instructing them in the Truth.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers do not provoke your children to anger but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

REFLECT & PRAY

How much truth did you have growing up? And how did you respond to it? Life on earth is what we know here and now. Eternity lasts forever.

Father keep me faithful. May I unswervingly pass on Truth to those I love and care for.

INSIGHT

The story of Eli, the high priest, and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, is poignantly tragic! It is a sad account of parental responsibility gone amiss. The consequences were dreadful and lethal. Because the Aaronic priesthood was hereditary, passed down from father to son, Eli’s profane sons were also priests regardless of their moral character.

1 Samuel 2:12 The sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.

Eli was now 98 years old, and his eyesight was failing. Eli had become a prophetic figure. He was an absent father and, even worse, an absent high priest. As a father, he was far too permissive and overindulgent with his kids. He was negligent. He did not instill the knowledge and values they needed to succeed. He let his sons run the “family business,” the sacrificial system of the Tabernacle. What a big mistake. Knowing the lay of the land, his sons took full advantage of their father’s laxity and absenteeism.

Hophni and Phinehas never committed to the truth of God they had. They never entered into a personal relationship with the Father. Their lives reflected it. They were thugs and acted like gangsters. Because they could, they robbed people of their share of sacrificial offerings. They demanded meat before it had been offered to the Father. Barbecue was the preference of their pallets. They demanded roasted meat for themselves instead of boiled meat stipulated in the Law of Moses for sacrifices. If people resisted, they forcefully took what they wanted (1 Samuel 2:11-17). To make matters worse, they sexually abused female workers who assisted the priests and Levites (1 Samuel 2:22, Exodus 38:8).

Eventually, all of this got back to Eli. Apparently, the #MeToo Movement was at work in ancient Israel, even without Twitter. Eli heard reports about the wicked things his sons were doing. What did Eli do? He confronted his strong-willed and rebellious boys. Eli was blunt and asked them, “Why do you keep sinning?” (1 Samuel 2:23). But it was too little and too late.

Hophni and Phinehas blew Eli off. They were getting away with murder and saw no reason to quit. Who was going to stop them? They never thought the Father, the God of Israel, would intervene. What would He do? They soon found out.

Eli’s sons had no idea that they were not only mistreating people and sinning against them, but they were also sinning against the Lord God Almighty. Eli told them to stop. He warned them, “If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?” (1 Samuel 2:25)

Hophni and Phinehas had pushed the Father too far. He was over it. The Father sent a man of God to deliver his message of judgment. Eli’s house would no longer serve as priests before the Lord. The entire line would be cut off from this sacred privilege. To prove the future fulfillment of this prophecy, a short-term prophecy was made that Hophni and Phinehas would die soon on the same day! (1 Samuel 2:34).

The Father sent the Philistines to carry out His sentence on Hophni and Phinehas. They were both killed in the battle that ensued. But worse, the Ark of God was taken by the Philistines. A messenger brought this news to Eli. When he heard his sons were dead. He was understandably disturbed and saddened. But when he heard that the Ark of God was taken, he was grief-stricken to the core. Eli fell backward off his seat, broke his neck, and died.

The removal of the Ark of God from Israel was tragic. Imagine if someone could carry off the Statue of Liberty and ship it back to their own country. The Statue of Liberty stands for much of what America is all about. The American identity is tied to it. It is a symbol, a national rallying point.

But the Ark of God was more than a symbol; the Ark of God was the place where the Father’s glory dwelt. When the Ark was carried off, the glory of God was taken as well. Imagine, for the first time in memory, the Father’s visible presence was missing from Israel. A child, a grandson of Eli, was born. The grief-stricken mother named her child Ichabod, meaning “no looks what does it mean when it says I.” His name was, in fact, a statement and asked the question, “Where is the glory?” The glory had departed!

All of this happened because of an absent, weak father. Eli overly indulged his children. They grew up without discipline, had no fear of the Father, and they were far from Him.

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows,

Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind.

You reap what you sow,

More than you sow, and

Later than you sow (Charles Stanley).

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© Dr. H 2023