JUDGES-I SAMUEL

Today is Friday, and it has been a full week.  I have enjoyed this week and look forward to the weekend and church.  This weekend, I will be flying to Omaha to preach about an hour away.  I have helped a church raise money for their building project, but now the building is built and they want me to preach in their new building for their first service.  It is beautiful and I had a small hand in helping them design it by drawing a few sketches of what it could be.  They did a great job of it.  Well, here are some thoughts for today:   1) NO KING- Four times in the last chapters of Judges it mentions that there was "No King in Israel" and twice it will go on to say: "but every man did that which was right in his own eyes".  Now you would think that because they are doing right that it would be ok, but the nation was now even further from God!  God has ordained "spiritual leadership" and without it you will find yourself astray and you don't even know it! 2) SIT STILL- This is the advice that Naomi gave to Ruth in Ruth 3:18- "Then said she, sit still my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall, for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day."  She had to "sit still" until the matter was resolved.  Many times, God wants us to do the same things.... "sit still".  It is the hardest thing to do sometimes, but we must wait on God.  If we do not have clear direction, the best thing to do is to "sit still" until God gives the go ahead signal.  Let us learn to wait on God and His direction. 3) ICHABOD- Sad story here.  Eli the priest and his two wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas are both all killed in one day.  The boys in a battle when the ark of God is taken captive by the Philistines, and Eli when he hears the bad news, falls over backwards and breaks his neck.  Now upon hearing the news, Phinehas wife goes into labor suddenly.  She is dying but still gives birth to a son, and calls him "Ichabod", meaning "the glory is departed" from Israel.  She dies and now a son lives with a name like "Icabod".  Everyone knows the meaning of the name.  Someday, America may be called "Icabod".  One day the glory will be departed if we as a people do not turn to the Lord.  Let us pray we do not live to see that day!  So much for today, just three short thoughts.  Have a blessed day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler