Ep. 93: The Lord of Heaven's Armies Is Not at Your Beck and Call

In Podcast Episode 93, “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies Is Not at Your Beck and Call,” Kim discusses the belief that the God of the universe can be accessed from a position of human pride. There are big differences between truly seeking God and only seeking Him for what He can do for you. In today’s story, the Israelites acted as though the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was at their beck and call, and, instead of an automatic victory, this led to a humiliating defeat.

 

The primary scripture text for this episode is 1 Samuel 4:1-11, with focal verses 3-5.

 

1 And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel.

 

At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek. 2 The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men. 3 After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.”

 

4 So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 5 When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake!

 

6 “What’s going on?” the Philistines asked. “What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” When they were told it was because the Ark of the Lord had arrived, 7 they panicked. “The gods have come into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before! 8 Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness. 9 Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don’t, we will become the Hebrews’ slaves just as they have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. 11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:

 

Origin of “Beck and Call” at https://www.theidioms.com/beck-and-call/

 

14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

 

SUGGESTED RESOURCES (All approached the newborn king with humble hearts and praise.):

 

“O Come, Let Us Adore Him: The Shepherds”

“O Come, Let Us Adore Him: The Magi”

“O Come, Let Us Adore Him: Simeon and Anna”

BIG NEWS—COMING SOON: “A Country Girl in a City World—Loving Jesus” will be renamed as “Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus.” You will get the same great content, but a new look and a new website. The website will contain podcast information, Bible study blog posts, and more.

 

RESOURCES USED FOR BOOK OF 1 & 2 Samuel PODCASTS:

• “The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament OT in One Volume”
• “The Tony Evans Bible Commentary: Advancing God’s Kingdom Agenda”
• “Life Application Study Bible”
• “The Swindoll Study Bible: NLT” by Charles R. Swindoll
• Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary

"Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus" Facebook Group:

 

Our NEW Facebook Group is devoted to providing a place for us to encourage each other through all the seasons of life. Follow the provided link to request admittance into “Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus”—https://www.facebook.com/groups/encouragingothersinlovingjesus/ Feel free to invite others who will be good encouragers and/or need encouragement to follow Jesus.

Online Bible Study Courses:

 

Would you like to take a deeper dive into the book of Joshua and learn more about the Israelite story, join Kim as she teaches “Finding Courage for Life’s Battles: Life Lessons from the Book of Joshua.”

 

To take her FREE 3-Day Online Bible Study entitled “Let  God Transform U through His Word: Why Is Personal Bible Study So Important to Your Christian Life?”.

 

Check out Kim's website at https://gettinghealthyall4hisglory.com for blog posts and her PDF Printable collection.

 

Remember, “It’s Always a Trust & Obey Kinda Day!”

 

If you have questions or comments or would like to learn more about how to follow Jesus, please email Kim at EncouragingOthersinLovingJesus@gmail.com.

 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

 

1-800-273-8255

 

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

 

Reference:

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004.