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©2015 Pastor Stephen Chitty Christian Life Columbia www.ChristianLifeColumbia.com

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When God’s Glory Departs 9.13 & 20.15

1 Samuel 4:1-21 NASB Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.” 4So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5As the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. 6When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. 7The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight.” 10So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 12Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head. 13When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. 14When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the noise of this commotion mean?” Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli. 15Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see. 16The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.” And he said, “How did things go, my son?” 17Then the one who brought the news replied, “Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.” 18When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years. 19Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’s wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 21And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

Part One

I. The setting of Ezekiel

A. The beginnings of Israel


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B. The twin sins described by Jeremiah (chapter 2):

1. She had rejected the living spring of life-giving water.

2. She had replaced it with a broken well that could not keep water clean or available.

C. The Day of Reckoning and a Day of Restoration.

1. Ezekiel 10 and 11

2. Ezekiel 43 and 44

II. What does it mean for God’s Glory to depart?

A. God’s Glory is most commonly defined as:

1. “weightiness” (chabod - the Hebrew idea - perhaps influence, substantive presence)

2. “light” or “famed reputation” (doxa - the Greek idea)

B. There are at least three ideas central to God’s Glory:

1. His Honored Presence ─ the substantive presence of God (something seen,

heard, felt).

a) Exodus 16:9-12 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10 It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared

in the cloud. 11And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12“I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

b) Exodus 24:16-18 The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst

of the cloud. 17And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of

the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. 18Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.


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c) 1 Kings 8:10-11 It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the

cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

2. An Acknowledgment of His Deeds and Character

a) 1 Samuel 15:29 Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

b) 1 Chronicles 16:24-28 Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. 25For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. 26For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. 27Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. 28Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

c) Luke 17:18 was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

d) Acts 12:22-24 The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God

the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

3. His Treasured Approval of His People

a) Exodus 28:2 You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

b) 1 Chronicles 16:34-36 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 35Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us and deliver us from the nations, (in order) to give thanks to Your holy name, and glory in Your praise.” 36Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.

c) Psalm 8:4-6 What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? 5Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! 6You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,


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d) John 5:43, 44 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if

another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?

e) Ephesians 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless

f) 1 Peter 1:7-9 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory

and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly

rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

g) James 1:9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

h) Luke 2:8-14 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the

fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and

they were terribly frightened. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for

behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the

Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying

in a manger.” 13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the

heavenly host praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

C. Putting it together:

1. When God’s Glory is present, there is a recognizable presence of God.

2. When God’s Glory is present, there is an acknowledgment of His nature and a response of proper worship.

3. When God’s Glory is present, there is a reputation received by His people based upon of God’s approval.

a) Exodus 19 - see my Glory, and I will speak.

b) Matthew 17 - The Mount of Transfiguration - God Speaks


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c) The Goal of every Christian - “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

d) “Oh God, bless us if you can; curse us if you must, but please never be silent to us!” ─Ravi Zacharias

Part Two

III. Why did it happen in Israel?

A. The failure of spiritual leadership

1. Phase One: Moses, Joshua

2. Phase Two: Saul and Samuel; David and Nathan

a) Marked by calls to repentance and accountability.

b) Marked by humility in leadership.

c) The people saw a path to God as part of their society.

3. Phase Three: Solomon and his pride a) Marked by the dismissal of the prophets. b) Marked by the exaltation of man’s achievements and wisdom instead of reliance

upon God’s gracious mercy. c) Marked by oppression of the people.

d) Marked by spiritual rebellion.

4. Phase Four: Rehoboam and the False Prophets

a) Marked by fleshly manipulation of sacred things - 1 Kings 13:33 NIV Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for


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the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.

b) Marked by spiritual confusion ─ a prophetic sign to Israel.

1 Kings 13:1-34 By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was

standing by the altar to make an offering. 2 By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places

who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar

will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.” 4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the

man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5 Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word

of the Lord. 6 Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded

with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before. 7 The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a

gift.” 8 But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your

possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9 For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water

or return by the way you came.’” 10 So he took another road and did not return by the

way he had come to Bethel. 11 Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day.

They also told their father what he had said to the king. 12 Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him which road the man of God from

Judah had taken. 13 So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when

they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 14 and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who

came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied. 15 So the prophet said to him, “Come home

with me and eat.” 16 The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor

can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 I have been told by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you

came.’” 18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that

he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God

returned with him and ate and drank in his house. 20 While they were sitting at the

table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet who had brought him back. 21 He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your

God gave you. 22 You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of

your ancestors.’” 23 When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the

prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. 24 As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the


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road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 25 Some people who passed by saw the body lying there, with the lion standing beside the body, and they

went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived. 26 When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who defied the word of the Lord. The Lord has given him over to the lion, which has

mauled him and killed him, as the word of the Lord had warned him.” 27 The prophet

said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they did so. 28 Then he went out and found the body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside

it. The lion had neither eaten the body nor mauled the donkey. 29 So the prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to

his own city to mourn for him and bury him. 30 Then he laid the body in his own tomb,

and they mourned over him and said, “Alas, my brother!” 31 After burying him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried;

lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the message he declared by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the

towns of Samaria will certainly come true.” 33 Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high

places. 34 This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.

B. The loss of humility

1. “He will be lifted up, either in pride or by prayer.”

2. “The voice of a god, and not a man” ─Acts 12

3. The Delusion of a nation… a) We assumed it would always be so, and we became indifferent.

b) We taunted our victories, and forgot our foundations.

c) We stopped “testifying,” and began to “market.”

d) We assumed His will without seeking His face, and we became presumptuous.

4. God gave them up: a) The depravity of mankind. b) The delusion of a nation.


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C. The marginalization of truth

1. In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God’s word was watered down to accommodate the desires of the nation.

2. Paul predicted the dominance of those having “itching ears.” This was indictment of religious element, not the secular world.

IV. What should we do about it?

A. Repent of known sin.

B. Obey the light we have.

C. Get on with the business of serving the Lord. 1. Invest in the Coming Kingdom. 2. Build the wall in front of your own house.

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