The First Book of Samuel
Chapter 4
¹ And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. In those days the Philistines mustered for war against Israel, and Israel went out to battle against them; they encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 1)
Oh, brothers and sisters be aware that where ever we go and whatever we do in the name of Jesus, the forces of evil will always be there ready to battle against us, however, we are not alone for You my God and Father is always with us Amen.
² The Philistines drew up in line against Israel and when the battle was joined Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 2)
Oh God my Father when I do anything that is according to Your will I do so in faith that You are with me in full confidence that all will take place according to Your will, however when I act according to my own will the feeling and the outcome are different. Therefore let us all share our plans with You my God so that we have Your go ahead and so all we do is according to Your will Amen.
³ When the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies."
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 3)
Oh God my Father You are our champion, You fight for us and achieve victory over our enemies. May we always place our trust in You alone and not on our own strengths Amen.
⁴ So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 4)
Oh God, my Father when we bring You into our lives again it takes on a more positive meaning than before. Living life for You and with You is really worth living Amen.
⁵ When the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 5)
Oh God my Father there is none like You in Heaven or on earth. Let the earth tremble at the very mentioning of Your Name. Let us show You honour faith love and respect forever Amen.
⁶ When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, "What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp, ⁷ the Philistines were afraid; for they said, "Gods have come into the camp." They also said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verses 6 to 7)
Oh God my Father who can withstand the power of Your name? Nobody! The enemy trembles in fear on feeling or sensing Your very presence Amen!
⁸ Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 8)
Who is like You my God and Father? There is no one Amen. Your very name strikes fear into the hearts of our and Your enemies Amen!
⁹ Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, in order not to become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight."
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 9)
Be strong men and women during this time of trouble and stress and keep on believing for God is in control of this virus. When God deems the time to be right He will deliver us from this silent enemy Amen.
¹⁰ So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹ The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 10 to 11)
Oh God my Father we are fighting against this Corona Virus which is leaving many deaths in its path. We think that by means of science and technology we can combat this virus but we are failing to do so and many are dying. I pray that by means of the power of prayer and fasting we can kill this spread of evil that is keeping us apart from You and from each other Amen.
¹² A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with earth upon his head.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 12)
Oh God my Father generally those who run away from the battlefield are labelled as cowards or traitors of their comrades in battle, however, those that survive are known as the heroes. I pray that You give me the strength to be a hero in the battle against the forces of evil Amen.
¹³ When he arrived, Eli was sitting upon his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 13)
Oh God my Father as You know there is a big difference between facts fiction and rumours. I pray that I will always be enlightened by Your truth Amen.
¹⁴ When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said. "What is this uproar?" Then the man came quickly and told Eli. ¹⁵ Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set, so that he could not see.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 14 to 15)
Oh God my Father there are moments in life when we are supposed to see and perceive the reality around us, however for some reason such as maybe sin or personal bias or prejudice we cannot perceive the obvious. During such times I pray for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit who is able to give us sight and perception that is far better than our own Amen.
¹⁶ The man said to Eli, "I have just come from the battle; I fled from the battle today." He said, "How did it go, my son?" ¹⁷ The messenger replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the troops; your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 16 to 17)
Oh God, my Father there is a saying that bad news always comes in three events. I pray that when we are exposed to such negative news we do not become depressed or angry. In such circumstances, we are to turn on You my God and Father and thank You for what had happened for some reason You permitted it to be and therefore may Your will be done and not ours Amen.
¹⁸ When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 18)
Oh, brothers and sisters, it is interesting to ask ourselves regarding our reaction to bad news that would affect our spiritual lives. The effect of this Corona Virus has left me rather downcast because I miss receiving You my God and Father and I also do not like the idea of remaining without the absolution of my sins for such a long time Amen. I feel uneasy about this even, though I know that You were crucified and paid the price for all my present past and future sins Amen.
¹⁹ Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth; for her labor pains overwhelmed her.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 19)
Oh God my Father more than enough stress can overwhelm us, especially if we think that we are carrying the whole burden on our own. I pray that we be humble enough to share our burdens with You who are more than ready to help us out Amen.
²⁰ As she was about to die, the women attending her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer or give heed.
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verse 20)
Oh God my Father many times heartbreak leads to desperation especially if we do not place our trust in You to the extent that even a happy event will fail to bring happiness and joy to one's heart.
²¹ She named the child Ichabod, meaning, "The glory has departed from Israel," because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²² She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."
(The First Book of Samuel Chapter 4 verses 21 to 22)
Oh God my Father what famous last words before one's death and on having giving birth to a baby which must have given her much pain but even joy. I pray that we all attach such a great value to issues of a spiritual nature as much as this woman Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this meditation on the fourth chapter of the first book of the prophet Samuel with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father many times even though we know that You are with us we lose hope and think that we are fighting our battles by ourselves. I pray that we stop and consider that God our Father is on our side and will not let us be shamed or harmed, and even if this had to happen in turn God would again turn the circumstances into our favour for he is just and merciful Amen.
