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Speaker 1: And she said, the glory is departed from Israel, for

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Speaker 1: the ark of God is taken first Samuel four twenty two. Lord,

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Speaker 1: through the power of this text, I can see the

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Speaker 1: message that you are speaking to me. I will not

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Speaker 1: allow myself to become complaisant and smug in the calling

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Speaker 1: that you entrusted me with. When your hand of provisions

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Speaker 1: sweeps over into my life, I will make sure to

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Speaker 1: mind my duties and stay committed and faithful to the

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Speaker 1: task you've called me to accomplish. I will remain alert

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Speaker 1: in my life and in my calling, so that the

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Speaker 1: spirit of familiarity that Hophni and Phineas had for your

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Speaker 1: ark and your presence won't rest on me. I confess

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Speaker 1: that your presence is my priority. In the midst of

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Speaker 1: battles and circumstances, I will not abandon your presence. I

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Speaker 1: will not allow the enemy to separate me from you

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Speaker 1: and your covering. When you are with me, no opposition

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Speaker 1: can stand against me, because where you are, victory is today.

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Speaker 1: I will cherish and protect my walk with you, Lord,

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Speaker 1: because I know that with you by my side, I

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Speaker 1: am covered on all sides. Then Jesus name Amen, listening

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Speaker 1: to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue

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Speaker 1: hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in

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Speaker 1: a Year, brought to you by Bible in a Year

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Speaker 1: dot com. The Philistines defeat Israel. In our last story,

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Speaker 1: we learned about the rise of Samuel. In contrast to

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Speaker 1: Eli's sons, Samuel was attentive to the voice of God.

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Speaker 1: He served the Lord and his people selflessly and was

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Speaker 1: chosen by God to guide Israel in a period of

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Speaker 1: darkness and uncertainty. In this story, we learn about the

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Speaker 1: Philistines re emerging as a threat to Israel. They take

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Speaker 1: Israel's most prized possession, the Ark of the Covenant. The

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Speaker 1: Philistines quickly learned that even though the Israelites are weak,

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Speaker 1: their God is not to be trifled with. Inspired by

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Speaker 1: the Book of First Samuel, Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham

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Speaker 1: with today's episode of the Bible in a Year podcast.

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Speaker 1: In our last reading, we heard the story of how

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Speaker 1: Hannah prayed for a child and promised God to give

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Speaker 1: her son back to him to serve God his whole life.

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Speaker 1: God granted Hannah's request as she gave birth to Samuel.

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Speaker 1: When Samuel was old enough, Hannah took him to Eli

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Speaker 1: the priest to raise him in the temple as a

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Speaker 1: servant of the Lord. Sel grew up knowing God and

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Speaker 1: serving him unlike Eli's own son, and when he was

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Speaker 1: still young, God spoke to Samuel, telling him that a

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Speaker 1: new priesthood would be established. Samuel was to be God's

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Speaker 1: chosen man to lead Israel in a whole new era. Today,

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Speaker 1: we'll see a familiar foe rising up against Israel. The

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Speaker 1: Philistines are once again a thorn, a terrible pain in

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Speaker 1: the sight of Israel. Israel will call upon God's presence,

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Speaker 1: taking the Ark of the Covenant into battle, but it

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Speaker 1: will be carried by Eli's sons, and will see how

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Speaker 1: God's judgment against these two wicked men would cost the

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Speaker 1: entire nation dearly and lead to the loss of their

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Speaker 1: most sacred symbol. Let's listen now to today's reading. The

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Speaker 1: guidance of Samuel comforted the children of Israel. His wisdom

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Speaker 1: and closeness to God brought them great relief, for they

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Speaker 1: had been far from God for too long. His words

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Speaker 1: brought life, and the light of God's love was slowly

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Speaker 1: placing the shadows that hovered over their hearts. Yet a

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Speaker 1: darkness was still present on the outskirts of Israel. Miles away.

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Speaker 1: The horde of Philistines lurked in the shadows like a

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Speaker 1: pack of wolves. They waited patiently for the perfect moment

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Speaker 1: to strike the sheep of Israel. The Philistines approached the

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Speaker 1: wilderness outside Israel and postured themselves in provocation. Israel accepted

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Speaker 1: their challenge and marched as one army against the Philistine menace.

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Speaker 1: Israel camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped a little

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Speaker 1: ways away at Aphek. Like tidal waves against a lost ship,

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Speaker 1: the Philistines crashed upon the armies of Israel. The battle

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Speaker 1: spread in many directions, and Israel was tossed to and fro.

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Speaker 1: Four thousand Israelite soldiers were crushed, staffed, and strangled under

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Speaker 1: the hot Middle Eastern sun. Israel ran for their lives,

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Speaker 1: retreating back to a safe place to strategize. The Israelite

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Speaker 1: elders rise, I've dumbfounded that they would be defeated so easily.

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Speaker 1: Why has God done this? They shouted. Then the elders

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Speaker 1: remembered the stories of old, how Joshua brought forth the

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Speaker 1: ark of the Covenant before the Jordan River and the

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Speaker 1: walls of Jericho. They smiled and spoke again, saying, we

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Speaker 1: must bring forth the Ark of the Covenant. If God

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Speaker 1: is before us, we shall have power over our enemies.

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Speaker 1: The elders intentions were pure and their ideas were sound,

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Speaker 1: Yet they overlooked the most important detail of all. The

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Speaker 1: sons of Ely were in charge of the ark. The

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Speaker 1: two wicked priests, half Nigh in Phineas were the overseers

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Speaker 1: of the Ark of the Covenant, and God had vowed

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Speaker 1: to destroy them for their wickedness. Ram's horns sounded in

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Speaker 1: the distance. The beaten up soldiers of Israel poked their

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Speaker 1: heads out of their tents. In the distance, the Ark

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Speaker 1: of the Covenant was being brought into the camp. Chills

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Speaker 1: of hope crawled up their spines. A new song was

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Speaker 1: sung that day among the children of Israel. They sang

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Speaker 1: and shouted to God, knowing that he would deliver them

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Speaker 1: as he had hundreds of times before. Half Nigh and

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Speaker 1: Phineas puffed their chests up with pride as they heard

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Speaker 1: the cheers of the soldiers. They craved the attention. Even

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Speaker 1: though the warship was directed towards God. They soaked up

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Speaker 1: the praises of his people. As soon as the ark arrived,

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Speaker 1: Israel's shouts resounded like an earthquake across the land. The

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Speaker 1: Philistines could hear their battle cries and quivered with fear.

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Speaker 1: They had caught word that the Ark of the Covenant

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Speaker 1: had made its way into camp. The Philistines were no fools.

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Speaker 1: They knew what God had done to the Egyptians. They

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Speaker 1: had been told stories of their gods splitting seas and

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Speaker 1: crushing armies. They understood, perhaps more than Israel, what it

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Speaker 1: truly meant to fear God. Their God will strike us

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Speaker 1: down by fire or plague. Some of them shouted, we

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Speaker 1: have never faced a threat like this. We are doomed.

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Speaker 1: More of them, exclaimed One commander of the Philistine army

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Speaker 1: stood tall among them and shouted, take heart, o Philistines,

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Speaker 1: do you wish to become slaves to the Hebrews as

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Speaker 1: they have been to us. He raised his spear high

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Speaker 1: in the air and shouted, be men and fight. The

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Speaker 1: Philistine horde erupted in screams of war and bloodthirst. Without hesitation,

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Speaker 1: they descended upon Israel like a tempest. The Philistines showed

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Speaker 1: no mercy. They tore men apart, limb from limb. Complete

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Speaker 1: chaos ensued across the Israelite army in camp. Every man

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Speaker 1: retreated to protect himself, and mighty warriors begged for mercy

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Speaker 1: under the sword of the Philistines. Half Nigh and Phineas

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Speaker 1: were in their tent eating when the Philistines attacked. It

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Speaker 1: was their responsibility to protect the Ark of the Covenant. However,

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Speaker 1: when the Philistines stormed the camp, the two priests gathered

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Speaker 1: their belongings and abandoned the ark. They ran for their lives,

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Speaker 1: leaving the people behind them. Their lungs he as they

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Speaker 1: ran with their fattened bodies, for they continually gorged themselves

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Speaker 1: on the temple's food. They were immediately knocked to the

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Speaker 1: ground by two Philistine soldiers. Fumbling around in the dirt,

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Speaker 1: the two brothers had no time to collect their thoughts

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Speaker 1: before an axe was lodged into their skulls by the

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Speaker 1: hand of the Philistines. God fulfilled his promise to rid

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Speaker 1: Israel of their selfish and wicked priests. The Philistines looked

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Speaker 1: upon the abandoned Ark of the Covenant. They laughed and

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Speaker 1: drug it back to their camp over the dead bodies

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Speaker 1: of fallen Hebrews. The represented and manifest presence of God

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Speaker 1: was being taken back to the Philistine camp, something they

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Speaker 1: believed to be a victory. Yet God cannot be captured. No,

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Speaker 1: the Philistines would live to regret ever touching a single

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Speaker 1: finger on the sacred relic of God. Unlike Israel, God

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Speaker 1: can fight his own battles. A Benjamite boy ran for

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Speaker 1: his life from the slaughter. Dirt and blood caked his face,

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Speaker 1: and his clothes were torn to expose his wounded and

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Speaker 1: blooded body. Eli sat beside the road a few miles

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Speaker 1: away from battle, listening to the cries of his people.

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Speaker 1: Eli was ninety eight years old and his body trembled constantly.

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Speaker 1: He wept for his fallen brothers and wondered about his

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Speaker 1: son's safety. Eli spotted the Benjamite boy hobbling his way

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Speaker 1: towards the city to warn the people. What is this

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Speaker 1: uproar coming from the battlefield, Eli asked. The Benjamite could

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Speaker 1: barely see straight, gasping for ere, he managed to recount

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Speaker 1: the battle to Eli with great anguish. He said, Israel

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Speaker 1: has fallen to the Philistines. All have fled in different directions.

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Speaker 1: Your sons half Nigh and Phineas have been slain, and

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Speaker 1: the Ark of the Covenant has been stolen. Eli clutched

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Speaker 1: his heart upon hearing the news. His eyes rolled back,

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Speaker 1: and he stumbled backwards and fell by the side of

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Speaker 1: the gate. His neck fell on a curb and snapped. Eli.

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Speaker 1: Not to long after his sons perished. He had judged

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Speaker 1: and ministered over Israel for forty years. Israel had lost

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Speaker 1: over thirty five thousand soldiers, their priests, and the Ark

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Speaker 1: of the Covenant. The hope that once caused them to

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Speaker 1: cheer was replaced with fear and panic. In many ways,

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Speaker 1: they felt as though God was taken captive. Yet God

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Speaker 1: is captive to no army, nor is he confined to

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Speaker 1: a relic. The Philistines would soon learn to not trifle

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Speaker 1: with the God of Israel, and the Hebrews would behold

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Speaker 1: God's sufficiency and power. When we begin today's reading, Samuel

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Speaker 1: is already a leader in Israel. His closeness with God

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Speaker 1: has established him as a trusted voice for God among

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Speaker 1: the people. Israel has been distant from God now for

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Speaker 1: many years, but now under Samuel's leadership, they are turning

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Speaker 1: back to the Lord. Still there is day you're lurking

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Speaker 1: enemies intent on defeating God's people, and one of those

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Speaker 1: is a familiar foe, the Phillistes. The two class in

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Speaker 1: battle and Israel is defeated by the Philistes. They run

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Speaker 1: to safety, but only after four thousand Israelite soldiers die.

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Speaker 1: The elders of Israel, of course, are wondering why God

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Speaker 1: allowed this terrible defeat. Then they remembered their stories how

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Speaker 1: God went with Joshua into battle, handing him victory after victory.

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Speaker 1: So in First Samuel four three they say, let us

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Speaker 1: bring the ark of the Covenant of the Lord here

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Speaker 1: from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save

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Speaker 1: us from the power of our enemies. They knew they

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Speaker 1: absolutely needed God in this fight, and of course is

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Speaker 1: a reminder for us today that the battle is always

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Speaker 1: the Lord's. We do not face our battles alone. God

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Speaker 1: has promised us victory in our Lord, Jesus Christ. So

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Speaker 1: he is our weapon. He is our defender. The older

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Speaker 1: Hearts were in the right place. They wanted God's presence,

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Speaker 1: but there was a huge problem. Eli's sons, Hafni and

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Speaker 1: Phineas were in charge of the ark, and they brought

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Speaker 1: and carried this ark into battle. The mere sight of

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Speaker 1: the art filled the troops with excitement, and they shouted loudly.

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Speaker 1: When the Philistines discovered the Ark was with Israel, they

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Speaker 1: knew this battle would be different. There was now a

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Speaker 1: divine force with Israel. But they didn't retreat. They only

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Speaker 1: fought more fiercely, determined not to be conquered by the Hebrews,

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Speaker 1: and once again they came out victorious, sending terrified Israeli's

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Speaker 1: scurrying in fear. But Hafni and Phineas, along with thirty

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Speaker 1: thousand soldiers, were killed, just as God had told Samuel

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Speaker 1: Eli's sons were wiped off the face of the earth

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Speaker 1: and punished for their blasphemy. One thing we can always know,

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Speaker 1: God will execute his judgment when necessary. These two men

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Speaker 1: had abused and misused their position. They had disrespected God

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Speaker 1: and refused to change their hearts and repentance, so God

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Speaker 1: dealt forcefully with their sin. Tragically, their sins cost an

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Speaker 1: entire nation, as Israel fell to the Philistines in this battle.

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Speaker 1: Despite the presence of the art, unresolved, unrepented of sin

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Speaker 1: always has consequences, and God did not give victory to

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Speaker 1: his people on that day because of the sins of

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Speaker 1: Eli the priest's sons. The Philistines rejoiced in victory, and

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Speaker 1: when they saw the Ark abandoned on the battlefield, they

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Speaker 1: took it as a price because they wanted a divine

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Speaker 1: presence with them. But God will not be used like that,

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Speaker 1: and when unholy hands tried to weaponize God's power for

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Speaker 1: their own benefit, they will pay a heavy price. The

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Speaker 1: Philistines would soon discover just how high that price would be.

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Speaker 1: When Eli heard of the defeat of Israel and the

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Speaker 1: fate of his sons, he fell out of his seat

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Speaker 1: and broke his neck. God's words to Samuel came true

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Speaker 1: that day to Israel, God's glory had departed from them.

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Speaker 1: The glory had departed the word is Ichabod. But God

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Speaker 1: was not done with his people, And the next time

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Speaker 1: we'll hear how the Ark returns to Israel. Dear God,

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Speaker 1: first of all, we turn from our sins and trust

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Speaker 1: in you. We thank you for the cross where you

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Speaker 1: died for us, and for the resurrection. May we live

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Speaker 1: in the power of Jesus and his resurrection we know

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Speaker 1: that we never, in Christ fight our battles alone. May

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Speaker 1: we always look to You and trust in You and

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Speaker 1: experience a closest to You, and therefore victory in Jesus.

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Speaker 1: And it is in His name that we pray. Amen.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in the Year podcast.

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Speaker 1: I'm Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas, and you can download

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Speaker 1: the Prey dot com app and make prayer the priority

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Speaker 1: of your life life. It is our prayer that you

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Speaker 1: would know Jesus Christ in a personal way. Jesus and

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Speaker 1: knowing him is the key to understanding the Bible. Jesus

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Speaker 1: is on every page in the pathway of Scripture, so

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Speaker 1: I pray that you would know Him and look to

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Speaker 1: Him for eternal life. As we see all of these stories,

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Speaker 1: some of them very sordid, we realize just how desperately

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Speaker 1: we all need the Lord. So invite Christ into your

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Speaker 1: life and receive Him as your Lord and savior. I

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Speaker 1: would also encourage you to download the Prey dot com

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Speaker 1: app and let others know about this podcast. And if

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Speaker 1: you want more resources on how to know God and

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Speaker 1: experience his presence in your life, be sure to visit

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Speaker 1: Jack Graham dot org. God bless you. This episode is

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Speaker 1: sponsored by Medicine, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to

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Speaker 1: save money without sacrificing quality.