Tag: Hophni
God’s presence–blessing or curse?
Scripture reading for March 18th: 1st Samuel 4-8
I love the presence of the Lord. I always have tears or sometimes feel all my senses are alive and His Peace makes me want to wait quietly or kneel before Him. God’s Presence was something that men and women of God have sought. Moses would not move without God’s Presence going with him.
The Ark of God was the place where God’s Presence rested with the Israelites. (1st Samuel 4:3-5) They had just lost four thousand men in battle and were aware of a need for God’s presence. The Ark was brought into the camp by Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s two wicked sons, and the camp erupted in shouting! They planned on taking the Ark into battle to insure victory. More than 30,000 Israelites died in the ensuing battle! Hophni and Phinehas were killed and the Ark of God was captured, Eli died at this news and his daughter-in-law died in childbirth.
God had warned Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas about their wickedness and about His coming judgment! (1st Samuel 2:16-22) Sin has consequences! Treating God’s Presence as something to be used or manipulated is never allowed. Hophni and Phinehas had been dishonoring God, their own father, and the nation. They had been eating the portion belonging to God and they had been having sex with the women who served at the temple.
All the noise and enthusiasm was not an indication of God’s presence with them! The loudest and wildest worship is not always a sign of God’s Presence or approval! We can turn things that represent God’s Presence into an idol very easily! Passionate worship, being slain in the Spirit, dancing before the Lord, and other manifestations are fine if genuine and a response to God’s Presence. They can bring trouble if they are not in “Spirit and Truth”. (John 4:24) God’s Presence was not a blessing to the Philistines either! Everywhere they took the Ark of God, panic, fear, tumors, death and confusion broke out!
God’s Presence is Holy and special. He must be treated with honor and respect by those who know Him! Take time today to thank Him for His Presence with you in the Holy Spirit! His Spirit is a gift of the Father sent to bless His children!