I hope you'll turn with me in
your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 4 this morning, the book of 1
Samuel chapter 4. And here we have another type
or symbolic story in God's Word in the Old Testament. Christ
said, the Lord Jesus Christ said concerning the Old Testament
scriptures, they are they which testify of me. Scripture says, to Him, to Christ,
give all the prophets witness. And here is a remarkable story
in 1 Samuel chapter 4. The title of this message and
the story here is Ichabod. Ichabod, meaning the glory is
departed. In verse 1, the word of Samuel
came to all Israel. Now, all Israel heard the word
of the Lord through Samuel. Samuel was a true and faithful
preacher. And Scripture says, all have
heard. Had they not all heard? Yes,
barely. The sound has gone throughout
the world. Verse 2, the Philistines came
against Israel. The Philistines put themselves
against Israel. The battle. They joined the battle. And Israel was smitten before
the Philistines. And there was a great slaughter
The enemy came against Israel and smote many. Now Israel here
represents professing church members, professing Christians. Israel has always represented
the visible church, or that is, those who seem to be God's people. Paul wrote clearly in the book
of Romans that there was a remnant according to the election of
grace, that they are not all Israel which are of Israel, but
the elect, the remnant, chosen of God among those who seem to
be the people of God. So that is who Israel represents
here. We are going to see that clearly.
Now the enemy here, Philistines and so forth, represent Satan,
and the world which assaults on every side. Now, Scripture
speaks very clearly of a falling away from the faith in the last
days. The days immediately preceding
the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The last of the last
days. That there will be a falling
away from the faith. 1 Timothy 4 tells us this. 2 Timothy 4, they turn away their
ears from the truth unto fables. And to fall away indicates that
there's been some truth. And Romans 1 says, a wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness. People
all over the world, and especially this nation, have a copy of God's
Word, the truth, the Bible, in their possession. And yet, do
not heed it. believe it. Well, Israel here,
though they professed to believe it, but Israel here got in trouble. And that's it's only when they
got in trouble that they did they seem to think about the
ark. The ark, look at verse three,
when the elder and the people come into the camp, the elders
of Israel said, why has the Lord smitten us today before the Philistine? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant
of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, and when it cometh among
us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemy." They said,
why us? Why is this terrible thing happening
to us? Does that sound familiar? Well,
those of you who have read anything about the Israelites, it should
be clear to you why God's Judgment and so forth came upon them.
They forgot God. They forgot God. Went whoring
after other gods and so forth. They weren't worshipping God
in spirit and in truth. All they worshipped him in form. They observed the form. Many
observed the Sabbath. But they had merely a form of
godliness. And they had a good man in Samuel.
a good, true, and God-sent prophet in Samuel. But they were not
content, and they did not listen to him. And now they are in trouble. And they said, Let's get the
ark. It will save us. Now, the ark, the ark of the
covenant, the ark of God, the ark represents the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The ark represents Jesus Christ
Himself when God told the Israelites how to come to Him, how to worship
Him, He designed the ark as a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. That
ark was a golden, highly valuable receptacle or treasure chest. In that chest, in that receptacle,
in that box, that ark was found the Word of God, the Law of God,
manna, the bread, and Aaron's rod that budded, all which represent
the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. In him all the fullness of the
Godhead in a body, in a receptacle, an image that is, a golden image,
a holy, spotless, pure image of God, the Holy Son of God.
In him is the Word of God, bread of God, bread from heaven and
fruit unto God, as Aaron's wrath. Well, the ark, the Israelites
said, let's get the ark. They were in trouble. They said,
let's get the ark. It may save us. And people only seem to need
God and seem to need to come to church and all these externals
of religion in times of trouble. Notice what they said. They said,
it's when it comes. to us. It may save us. And going to church, this represents
the externals of religion. People go to church and go through
the motions of religion and so forth, hoping these things will
help them, will save them. Well, things cannot save us or
help us. Only Christ the Lord is real
and actual presence. Well, they had a big revival,
though. Verse 4 and 5, the people sent
to Shiloh to bring 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 with the Ark of the Covenant. They were two
evil men in charge of the Ark. Hophni and Phinehas represent
the many false prophets that have gone out into the world
who seem who called themselves men of God. Scripture says evil
men and seducers wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. These were covetous, lewd and
adulterous men in charge of the holy ark of God. My, my. Verse 5, ìWhen the ark of the
covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted
with a great shout, so that the earth rang.î They had a big revival,
a big charismatic Pentecostal meeting. The world heard them
singing and shouting. And verse 6 and 7, the Philistine
says, God is in the camp. God is in the camp. Was He? No, He was not. It was just a
big show. Just a big religious show. A show of emotion. They weren't
worshipping God in spirit, truly in spirit and in truth. They weren't rejoicing in Christ,
whom the ark represented, and had no confidence in the flesh.
That's what Paul said in Philippians 3, the true worshippers of God
do. It's just a big show, and religion without Christ is just
a show. I don't care how it may appear
to us, how it may sound, how loud it gets, Many people go
if Christ is not there. It's just a big show. Sunday
services without Christ, without the Spirit of God are just social
gatherings. Well, this whole thing started
wrong and it was bound to end wrong. You don't fetch the ark. You don't go fetch the gospel.
That's what most people do, you know. They go out in the world
in search of this or that, a better job, a place to live and so forth.
and then say, we'll find us a church somewhere. The true church of
God, the gospel is few and far between, hard to find. You must
go where the ark is, count the cost and go to him. Scripture
says, let us go to him without the camp. God, Christ, the truth
is not in the modern camp of religion, not in all this circus
sideshow of religion. We must go to Christ without
the camp, Scripture says, bearing His reproach. Bearing His reproach,
that is a reproach, a persecution for believing the truth, for
worshiping the living and true God, the true Christ. Not the
one everybody else is so excited about and accepts. The God that
men don't know and hate. We leave all else and sacrifice
all else and go where He is. Go to him without the camp. Well, you know, folks call for a preacher
when they get to their sickbed or the deathbed and so forth.
They call for the preacher, let him come to us. But that's not,
that's not the way it's done, folks. You go to where the gospel
is. Well, these two fellas, as I said, these two wicked fellas
were in charge of the ark, two wicked fellas. Nobody is going
to profit from a false prophet. No one is ever saved through
a false prophet. That's what Jeremiah 23 says.
They shall not profit this people at all. And the end will bring
them all out to what they really are. These evil men, this Hophni
and Phinehas, these two sons of Belial were brought out in
the end to be what they were. People might not have known it
at the time, but everybody did in the end. Verse 10 and 11.
Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten. And they fled every
man. There was a great slaughter,
and the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni
and Phinehas, were slain." A great slaughter. The ark was taken,
and these evil priests were slain. That sounds like the day of judgment
to me, people. It sounds like in the last days
when God removes His ark and removes His gospel, and there
will be a great slaughter. Isaiah 63 says, His very garments
will be stained with blood. That's the Jesus Christ of Scripture.
Have you ever read that before, Isaiah 63? His garments stained
with blood, trodden the winepress of wrath. People. Christ came
the first time to save His people from their sins. He's coming
the next time as a judge and an executioner. Yes, that's Jesus
Christ of Scripture. And God in the end is going to
remove the truth, remove the ark. And I see His hand being
removed right now. A great slaughter and an evil
priest will be slain like Hophni in Phinehas. Well, Eli, who was
a true man of God, it says in verse 12 and 13 that his heart
trembled for the ark of God. Here's a true man of God. His
heart trembled for the ark of God. One, especially a preacher,
is truly concerned about God's glory and the gospel of Christ,
trembles at God's word, is greatly disturbed over how men and women
have adulterated the word of God today, how they talk about
God, about Christ, about church. There's a sign down the road
that reads this way, so-called church sign. Come on, pharaoh,
and be a part of God's growing church. Like it's a ball team
to join or some social club to join, as you will. Not the holy
church of God, his family, which he puts people in his family.
He chooses whom he will. Come on and join up. Now, that's
absolute bulldung and an abomination to God. Eli heard the noise. He said, what's happened? They
said, the ark's taken. Well, in conclusion, a child
was born. In verse 22, this woman who bore
this child named it Ichabod. Verse 21, the glory has departed. The glory of God, the glory of
His person, the glory of His sovereign electing grace, the
glory of God's Son, His full, final, effectual work is missing
today. Taken away. Glory has departed. Oh, may God lead you to where
the glory is still found, where the gospel of Christ is still
glorious. Until next Sunday, good day.