We may serve and worship God, but He is not our good luck charm.

1. www.rossvillechurch.com 781 Salem Road, Rossville, GA 30741 You can't put God in a Box to use at your convenience. 1 Samuel 4 September 4, 2011

2. 1 Samuel 4 1a And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Samuel was at Shiloh, but every tribe in Israel was hearing his words. Hearing -- but were they heeding his words?

3. 1b Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer : and the Philistines pitched in Aphek . 2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. Ebenezer

4. What is glaring in its absence? There is no mention of going to the Lord for leadership, or to pray for victory. The Israelites are doing their own thing . How did it work out for them? 4000 men killed in battle.

5. 3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? They blamed their losses on God, But sin is to blame for it all. God just let them do their own thing. Too often we don't check ourselves to see why we have suffered loss ; We just blame it on God .

6. Whenever I face catastrophe or failure of any kind, I must search my heart to see what is going on. God never draws back from me. If there is distance between God and me , it is my own sin or my divided mind to blame. Israel has suffered the loss of 4000 men; Let's see what they do now:

7. 3b Let us fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. The Ark did represent the Presence of the LORD in battle (Numbers 10:35; Joshua 6:6) but only when the people carried it in faith and by divine leading . The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty. The Ark wasn't a good luck charm . They didn't have God in a box.

8. 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli , Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 5 And when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. Who was in charge of the Ark? Hophni and Phinehas -- the two worst sinners in all of Israel.

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10. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the Ark of the Lord was come into the camp. 7 And the Philistines were afraid , for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

11. The Philistines had heard the stories of how Israel was victorious in battle, When the Lord God fought for them. Delivering them from Egypt Bringing down the walls of Jericho Many other cities fell before the God of Israel.

12. 8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Note the plural -- gods. They didn't understand about the True and Living God -- Creator of all that is. One God -- Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

13. 9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. But then they gave themselves a pep talk:

14. How we talk to ourselves makes a difference. "I dread" steals our joy , and sets us up for failure . "I can do all things through Christ" Gives us joy , strength , and sets us up for success . "I'm afraid." Sets us up to do nothing . "God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind." Sets us up to step out in faith and do good things.

15. 10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen . 11 And the Ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain . 4,000 killed the first day. 30,000 killed the next day. And the Ark was taken by the Philistines.

16. Prophecy fulfilled 11b the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain . In chapter 2 a man of God came to Eli and said, 1 Samuel 2 34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.

17. Israel could only win when the Lord God fought their battles for them. God only fought for them when they were serving Him and Him alone. When they committed spiritual adultery and began to worship false gods , They distanced themselves from the Lord God. And they were enslaved by their enemies.

18. We serve the True and Living God, and when He fights our battles for us , we can't lose. But when we draw back from the Lord, and begin to worship idols , dabbling or wallowing in sin , We begin to live defeated lives. Don't try to carry God in a box like a lucky charm. Serve and worship Him with your whole heart . You will live a life of victory and blessing . Love , Joy , and Peace will be your lot in life.