Ichabod

"Save Yourselves From This Corrupt Generation"

By William M. Self, Sr.

Ichabod is the saddest word ever spoken

Let’s bring back the Glory of God

  

Ichabod

If you have ever experienced the presence of the Lord…

If you have ever felt His touch…

Then you know there is nothing in the world greater.

When Solomon and the people were busy building the House of God…

When they brought the Ark of the Covenant to Zion…

The Glory of the Lord filled the place.

God’s presence was so great, the priests could not perform their duties.

In the latter days of Eli the priest, He allowed

corruption by his sons and the people.

The Israelites went out to battle the Philistines and in order to ensure

their victory, they brought the Ark of the Covenant into the battle.

Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas,

served as priests and went with the Ark.

When the Ark arrived, the people were excited and shouted.

The Philistines became afraid until one of

their leaders commanded them to be strong and fight.

The Philistines beat the Israelites…

 They killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas

 and took the Ark of the Covenant.

  

When Eli heard the news, he fell off

his chair, broke his neck and died.

Phinehas’s wife was pregnant and

went into labor and died giving birth.

The mid-wife named the child, who now

had no mother, father or grandfather.

She named the boy, Ichabod, saying… 

"The glory has departed from Israel".

So what happened that the Glory of the Lord departed?

In Romans 1, we see God gave them over to their own lusts.

We can easily point our finger at people outside the church.

With Eli, and with Saul, the glory, the presence

of the Lord departed from the people of God.

God is loving and kind, compassionate and forgiving… 

But He is also HOLY!

We are warned in Acts 2:40 to save ourselves from corruption.

When the church, or God’s people, become

political or make the church a business…

God departs.

When we compromise the covenant God has made with us…

God departs.

Let’s get back to the covenant…

Let’s be honest with God’s Word.

The symbols and words of God are not a good luck charm…

They are our life.

Let’s bring back the Glory of God!  

Scripture Reading

Acts 2:37-44 NIV

What shall we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

1 Samuel 4:10-11 NIV

 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

1 Samuel 4:18-22 NIV

 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years.

19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, "Don't despair; you have given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay any attention.

21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel"-because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths 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."