La gloire DE L’ETERNEL est bannie d’Israël 1 samuel 4:21

CHRIST THE ROCK CONGREGATION

DIMANCHE 23 MAI 2021

Sermon by Pastor Marc Simeon

I-KABOD : LA GLOIRE EST BANNIE D’ISRAEL (1ere Partie)

ICHABOD : THE GLORY EST BANNIE D’ISRAEL (Part One)

Ikabòd, Pèp Izrayèl la pèdi lasistans pouvwa Bondye a

1Samuel 4:21

21 Elle appela l’enfant I-Kabod, en disant: La gloire est bannie d’Israël! C’était à cause de la prise de l’arche de Dieu, et à cause de son beau-père et de son mari. (LSV)

 21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. (NKJV)

²¹ Li rele ti gason an Ikabòd, epi li di: -Pèp Izrayèl la pèdi lasistans pouvwa Bondye a. Li t’ap di sa akòz Bwat Kontra Bondye yo te sezi a.

• Have you ever heard a name that makes you scratch your head?
• Haitians are notorious for giving their children names that convey a message.
• Many names are given with respect to voodoo as well.
• Some names are statements.
• I heard of a child that was given the name ALEYO because he was born out of wedlock from a teenage mother.
• The grandmother picked the name Aleyo as if to curse anyone who has something negative to say in the matter.
• In Creole Aleyo can be a prefix to any curse word.
• The grandmother left it for anyone to fill the blank.
• Today, we will encounter a name that is unique in the Bible.
• The name was given by a dying mother.
•  She didn’t go to natural labor pains and contractions like pregnant mothers go through.
• She received several bad news at the same time and became overwhelmed in emotion.
• She learned that the Arch of the Covenant of God was seized by the Philistines.
• She then learned that her husband and her brother in law were killed in the battlefield.
• And then she learned that her father in Law, the great high priest just died as a result of the news.
• Her body went to a complete shock; on the point of dying, she gave birth to a son on the spot.
• As she was already presumed dead, she echoed the word I-Kabod. Call him I-Kabod, for the glory of the Lord has departed from Israel.
• It is not promising that we can get that far in the story today, but, with God’s grace I will lay the foundation as I take you step by step to one of the darkest day in Israel’s history.

LECTURE

1Samuel 4:1-11

 ¶ La parole de Samuel s’adressait à tout Israël. Israël sortit à la rencontre des Philistins, pour combattre. Ils campèrent près d’Ében-Ézer, et les Philistins étaient campés à Aphek.

1Sa 4:2 Les Philistins se rangèrent en bataille contre Israël, et le combat s’engagea. Israël fut battu par les Philistins, qui tuèrent sur le champ de bataille environ quatre mille hommes.

1Sa 4:3 Le peuple rentra au camp, et les anciens d’Israël dirent: Pourquoi l’Éternel nous a-t-il laissé battre aujourd’hui par les Philistins? Allons chercher à Silo l’arche de l’alliance de l’Éternel; qu’elle vienne au milieu de nous, et qu’elle nous délivre de la main de nos ennemis.

1Sa 4:4 Le peuple envoya à Silo, d’où l’on apporta l’arche de l’alliance de l’Éternel des armées qui siège entre les chérubins. Les deux fils d’Éli, Hophni et Phinées, étaient là, avec l’arche de l’alliance de Dieu.

1Sa 4:5 Lorsque l’arche de l’alliance de l’Éternel entra dans le camp, tout Israël poussa de grands cris de joie, et la terre en fut ébranlée.

1Sa 4:6 Le retentissement de ces cris fut entendu des Philistins, et ils dirent: Que signifient ces grands cris qui retentissent dans le camp des Hébreux? Et ils apprirent que l’arche de l’Éternel était arrivée au camp. (LSV)

1Sa 4:7 Les Philistins eurent peur, parce qu’ils crurent que Dieu était venu dans le camp. Malheur à nous! dirent-ils, car il n’en a pas été ainsi jusqu’à présent.

 8 Malheur à nous! Qui nous délivrera de la main de ces dieux puissants? Ce sont ces dieux qui ont frappé les Égyptiens de toutes sortes de plaies dans le désert.

 9 Fortifiez-vous et soyez des hommes, Philistins, de peur que vous ne soyez asservis aux Hébreux comme ils vous ont été asservis; soyez des hommes et combattez!

 10 ¶ Les Philistins livrèrent bataille, et Israël fut battu. Chacun s’enfuit dans sa tente. La défaite fut très grande, et il tomba d’Israël trente mille hommes de pied.

 11 L’arche de Dieu fut prise, et les deux fils d’Éli, Hophni et Phinées, moururent.

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BAKGROUND

• In the past, the strength of a people rested greatly upon the strength of their patron god.
• The fear of divinities was common across the board.
• People always attributed their wellbeing or their fates to the spirit world.
• When a nation conquered another nation in battle, it was commonly practiced that the winner would take with them the icons that represented the gods that those people worshiped as a sign of the superiority of the god of the conquering nation.
• In fact people thought of themselves as mere auxiliaries when they go to battle.
• The winning party used to come out thinking that it was their gods who defeated the gods of their foes.
• The greatest fear that the enemies of the Jews had came from knowing how God brought down nations and kingdoms to force the exodus out of Egypt and the pilgrimage all the way to the Promise Land.
• Never in a million years would a Jew think that another god could overtake the God of their forefathers.
• When they brought the Arch of God to the battlefield, they began to make some pre-victory shouts on account of the superiority of their God.
• When the Philistines seized the Ark of the Covenant and took it with them as a trophy to the house of their god Dagon, Israel fell in total confusion.
• We’re going to see the factors that lead to that shameful defeat.

LE MEPRIS DU PROPHETE SAMUEL

 1Sa 4:1 ¶ La parole de Samuel s’adressait à tout Israël. Israël sortit à la rencontre des Philistins, pour combattre. Ils campèrent près d’Ében-Ézer, et les Philistins étaient campés à Aphek.

1Sa 4:1 ¶ And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.

• If one is not careful, he can read this verse as if to say that the people consulted Samuel and God gave them the OK to engage in battle with the Philistines.
• Because of the loose leadership of the house of Eli, the Children of Israel were used to take matters into their own hands.
• They did that to Moses in Exodus
• After the 10 spies caused the people to murmur before the Lord and that the Lord became very angry at the people.
• Instead of waiting for Moses’ instructions, some of the people decided to head on to the battlefield without being instructed by God to do so.
• In spite of the pleas of Moses, they decided to go ahead with their plans.

Nombres 14:41-45

41  Moïse dit: Pourquoi transgressez-vous l’ordre de l’Éternel? Cela ne réussira point.

 42 Ne montez pas! car l’Éternel n’est pas au milieu de vous. Ne vous faites pas battre par vos ennemis.

 43 Car les Amalécites et les Cananéens sont là devant vous, et vous tomberiez par l’épée. Parce que vous vous êtes détournés de l’Éternel, l’Éternel ne sera point avec vous.

 44 Ils s’obstinèrent à monter au sommet de la montagne; mais l’arche de l’alliance et Moïse ne sortirent point du milieu du camp.

 45 Alors descendirent les Amalécites et les Cananéens qui habitaient cette montagne; ils les battirent, et les taillèrent en pièces jusqu’à Horma.

• As you can see, there was a great defeat on that given day.
• Although Samuel was receiving clear visions from God, No one seemed to pay mind to seek the will of God on that matter.
• The older generation did not pay proper respect to the established prophet of the land, although Samuel was busy giving instruction to the people.
• Quotation “- Israel went out Probably without consulting Samuel. Dr. Wells. This was in the middle of that forty years’ dominion, which the Philistines had over the Israelites, mentioned Jg 13:1” Source: British Family Bible
• Quotation “But, on the other hand, the Israelites were rash and inconsiderate in rushing to the field without obtaining the sanction of Samuel as to the war, or
• having consulted him as to the subsequent measures they took.” Source: Jamieson Fausset Brown  Commentary.

THE GREAT DEFEAT

1Sa 4:2 Les Philistins se rangèrent en bataille contre Israël, et le combat s’engagea. Israël fut battu par les Philistins, qui tuèrent sur le champ de bataille environ quatre mille hommes. (4000)

• Sous peu de temps, Israël connut une perte de 4000 hommes.
• On dit que la voix du peuple est la voix de Dieu, mais c’était prouvé faux dans ce cas là.
• Au lieu de Consulter le jeune Prophète Samuel pour avoir la directive de Dieu, Les Israelites se concertèrent à nouveau sur un autre plan encore pire que le premier.
• Ils allèrent connaitre un plus grand échec par incrédulité et par aveuglement spirituel.

1Sa 4:3 Le peuple rentra au camp, et les anciens d’Israël dirent: Pourquoi l’Éternel nous a-t-il laissé battre aujourd’hui par les Philistins? Allons chercher à Silo l’arche de l’alliance de l’Éternel; qu’elle vienne au milieu de nous, et qu’elle nous délivre de la main de nos ennemis.

1Sa 4:3 And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”

• La maladie spirituelle qui ravageait la maison D’Eli était aussi évidente chez tout le reste d’Israël.
• Ils croyaient pouvoir développer une relation mécanique avec Dieu.
• Si on prend avec nous l’arche de l’Eternel, donc la victoire sera assurée.
• Peut importe le fait que Dieu est mécontent de notre attitude.
• Peut importe notre sourde oreille aux avertissements de Dieu.
• On n’a qu’à faire venir l’arche de l’Eternel.
• Beaucoup s’illusionnent en pensant qu’ils peuvent contrôler et ordonner Dieu.
• Remarquez le ton impératif dans leur pensée. «  qu’on fasse venir L’arche, et qu’elle nous délivre de la main de nos ennemis. »

1Sa 4:4 Le peuple envoya à Silo, d’où l’on apporta l’arche de l’alliance de l’Éternel des armées qui siège entre les chérubins. Les deux fils d’Éli, Hophni et Phinées, étaient là, avec l’arche de l’alliance de Dieu.

• Le peuple envoya chercher l’arche de l’alliance à Silo.
• Sans un mot du prophète établi de l’Eternel, c’était la cohorte qui dirigeait à ce point.
• Les fils du sacrificateur Eli, Hophni et Phinées étaient en tète de ligne dans l’affaire.
• Ces deux leaders n’avaient aucune notion de la volonté de l’Eternel.
• L’initiative entière était une insulte à l’Eternel.
• Les fils d’Eli en profitaient de la circonstance pour ré-établir leur autorité qui semblait être dissipée à cause du ministère efficace de Samuel.

RELIGION VERSE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

1Sa 4:5 Lorsque l’arche de l’alliance de l’Éternel entra dans le camp, tout Israël poussa de grands cris de joie, et la terre en fut ébranlée.

1Sa 4:5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook.

• According to their religious convictions, the arrival of the Arch was synonymous to victory.
• God was supposed to be like a robot, all they had to do was to turn on the switch. Wrong Again!
• This is like insult upon injury. You have nothing to do with the ways of God; you have no respect for the prophet he established.
• You make no effort to know what his will is on the matter.
• Just send a convoy to carry the most sacred object to the battlefield.
• You accompany the two leaders that God detested the most.
• You start dancing; you start rejoicing.
• God was supposed to be like some Santa Claus saying “ho, ho ho!”
• This is like throwing the biggest birthday party for the parent you just disrespected without apologizing.

THE INITIAL IMPACT OF THE PRESENCE OF THE ARCH UPON THE PHILISTINES

8 Malheur à nous! Qui nous délivrera de la main de ces dieux puissants? Ce sont ces dieux qui ont frappé les Égyptiens de toutes sortes de plaies dans le désert.

 9 Fortifiez-vous et soyez des hommes, Philistins, de peur que vous ne soyez asservis aux Hébreux comme ils vous ont été asservis; soyez des hommes et combattez!

• The initial shouts of the children of Israel seemed to get under the skins of the Philistines.
• Fear began to cripple the Philistines because they knew what the God of the Hebrews could do.
• They were quickly reminded on how God dealt with Egypt.
• They were reminiscent on how God eradicated the kings who resisted the Jews on the way to the Promised Land.
• But the generals of the Philistine’s army cheered his soldiers and challenged them to fight for their lives.
• The Philistines fought the Israelites with renewed energy knowing the odds that were against them should they lose that battle and fell under the control of the Hebrews.
• It wasn’t that long since Samson became a threat to them and caused them a great defeat even at his death.
• It was the lucky day for the Philistines; on that fateful day, God did not show up in the battlefield to fight but to punish the house of Eli and to chastise the rest of Israel.

THE SHAMEFUL DEFEAT OF ISRAEL

10 ¶ Les Philistins livrèrent bataille, et Israël fut battu. Chacun s’enfuit dans sa tente. La défaite fut très grande, et il tomba d’Israël trente mille hommes de pied.

 11 L’arche de Dieu fut prise, et les deux fils d’Éli, Hophni et Phinées, moururent.

• The defeat of the Israelites was enormous.
• They lost 4000 soldiers in the first encounter, but instead of doing like Joshua who whipped his clothes and covered his head with ashes when he was beaten by a little town called AÏ.
• Joshua stopped all his planned conquests to seek the face of God in an effort to unearth the mystery behind the defeat.
• Only after having dealt with the root cause of the defeat which was Acham and his family.
• Joshua did not attack the town until he was signaled by God to do so.
• They lost 4000 men initially, then they sent for the Arch of the Covenant and resumed to battle.
• They lost another 30000 men to max it to a casualty of 34000 soldiers.
• The Arch of the Covenant was seized on that day.
• Israel had to flee before the Philistines.
• For the first time in history, the Arch of the Covenant, the icon that represented the presence of the God they served was in the hands and at the mercy of a barbaric nation.

APPLICATIONS

• When people don’t learn from history, they tend repeat the same mistakes.
• The chapter began with a sticking revelation that there was an established prophet of God in the land.
• After that, we hear nothing about Samuel.
• The voice of the people took over.
• When a nation is cursed with weak leaders, everyone wants to take matters into their own hands.
• When a nation is stained with sin and arrogance, the people usually minimize the influence of God in their endeavors.
• When the voice of people overshadows the voice of God, disaster is imminent.
• When the men and women of God are ignored, danger becomes prevalent.
• When you are under the leadership of corrupted leaders, you are running to a head-on collision with the wrath of God.
• When people decide to serve God in lips and not in hearts, they will lose the protection of God in the most crucial moments in their lives.
• When an initial lost fails to prompt God’s people to repentance, the devastation in the aftermath will be far greater than the former.
• Among the notable lost of lives, the two sons of Eli died on that fateful day in the battlefield.
• The two principal leaders of the land died on the spot.
• The Children of Israel had to deal with Chaos, confusion, disorientation, fear, humiliation, and defeat.
• Will they ever see the Arch of the Covenant again?
• The faith of the people took a big blow.
• God was supposed to defend Himself so they thought.
• How were they going to stand as a sovereign nation when their God was captured by a pagan nation?

GOD WAS STILL IN CONTROL

• God was going to deal with the situation by Himself.
• The Philistines will have to beg the Israelites to return their God back to them.
• The Arch of the Covenant will make several headlines before David finally secured a great place for it in Jerusalem.
• The Arch of God was about to destroy Dagon: the god of the Philistines piece by piece.
• Sickness and barrenness was about to plagued the Philistines until they figured out a way drive the Arch of the covenant out of their Land.
• Next time we will see that the angel of death was still looming over Israel.
• One more important person was about to die.
• We will see how the 98 years old high Priest Eli absorbed the news that the Arch of the Covenant was seized by the Philistines and that his two sons and 34000 Jews were lost in the process.

CONCLUSION

1. Never pick rituals over relationship with God.
2. Never take God for granted.
3. Never neglect the person that God establishes to carry his word.
4. Never tempt God by putting Him in a situation to act outside of His will.
5. Never listen to the voice of the people when it contradicts the voice of God.
6. Never try to fix a defeat without first consulting the leadings of God on the matter.
7. Never follow carnal leaders blindly.
8. Never assume leadership in the things of God if God did not establish you in that post.
9. Never think that God is weak when you experience defeat.
10. Never think it’s over when it seems over. So long that God seats on His throne, He will work all things for His glory.
11. Out of the Chaos, a new leader will be established for good.
12. In the midst of these calamities, Israel was on the eve of its most glorious future.
13. In less than a Century Israel was on the verge to become the richest and most revered nation on earth.
14. Never forget that God is in control.
15. AMEN!