HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 618
1 S A MU EL 4
God* and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have
vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never
be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”
Samuel Speaks for the LORD
15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got
up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle* as
usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord
had said to him. 16 But Eli called out to him,
“Samuel, my son.”
“Here I am,” Samuel replied.
17 “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me
everything. And may God strike you and even
kill you if you hide anything from me!” 18 So
Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied.
“Let him do what he thinks best.”
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him,
and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to
• Family
1 SAMU E L 3 :1 3
Eli had spent his entire life in service to
God. His was the great—and Godappointed—responsibility to oversee all
of the worship in Israel. But in pursuing
this great mission, Eli neglected basic
responsibilities in his own home. Don’t
let your desire to do God’s work, or
any other important work, cause you to
neglect God’s will where your family is
concerned. God has designed the family
to be a foundational source of wisdom,
energy, and growth. A neglected family
will eventually result in weaknesses—or
even failure—in your calling outside the
home. In Eli’s case, the corruption of his
own sons, who worked in the Tabernacle,
had a destructive effect on the entire
faith community.
• Advice
1 SAMU E L 3 :1 9
The degree to which people will listen to
us is determined by the degree to which
we have wise counsel for them. If you
want people to listen to you, you yourself
must listen to the right adviser. Like
Samuel, listen to the Lord’s counsel—
read his Word and hear what he says.
There is no wiser counselor than he who
knows every moment of every tomorrow
and knows how you will fit into those
moments.
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Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was
confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord
continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. 4:1 And
Samuel’s words went out to all the people
of Israel.
The Philistines Capture the Ark
At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped
near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at
Aphek. 2 The Philistines attacked and defeated
the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men. 3 After the
battle was over, the troops retreated to their
camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did
the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark
of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we
carry it into battle with us, it* will save us from
our enemies.”
4 So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark
of the Covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni
and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there
with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 5 When all
the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the
Lord coming into the camp, their shout of joy
was so loud it made the ground shake!
6 “What’s going on?” the Philistines asked.
“What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew
camp?” When they were told it was because the
Ark of the Lord had arrived, 7 they panicked.
“The gods have* come into their camp!” they
cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to
face anything like this before! 8 Help! Who can
save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They
are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians
with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness.
9 Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don’t,
we will become the Hebrews’ slaves just as they
have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and
Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was
great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day.
The survivors turned and fled to their tents.
11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni
and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.
4
The Death of Eli
12 A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the
battlefield and arrived at Shiloh later that same
day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his
head to show his grief. 13 Eli was waiting beside
the road to hear the news of the battle, for his
heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God.
When the messenger arrived and told what had
happened, an outcry resounded throughout
the town.
14 “What is all the noise about?” Eli asked.
3:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads his sons have made
themselves contemptible. 3:15 Hebrew the house of the Lord.
4:3 Or he. 4:7 Or A god has.