The Philistines in the Bible are ancestors of todays Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. Eli was Blind. ----- Original Message ----- From: "O.Addison Gethers" <[email protected]> To: "Deaf-blind inspirational life groups" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:11 PM Subject: {dbilg} Fw: Daily Bible Reading For Friday March 20
> > > O. Addison Gethers > e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] > window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: > cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:53 PM > Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Friday March 20 > > >>1 Samuel 4-6 (The Message) >> >> 1 Samuel 4 >> >> The Chest of God Is Taken >> 1-3Whatever Samuel said was broadcast all through Israel. Israel went to >> war against the >> Philistines. Israel set up camp at Ebenezer, the Philistines at >> Aphek. The Philistines marched out to meet Israel, the fighting spread, >> and Israel was badly >> beaten-about four thousand soldiers left dead on the field. >> When the troops returned to camp, Israel's elders said, "Why has God >> given >> us such a beating today >> by the Philistines? Let's go to Shiloh and get the Chest >> of God's Covenant. It will accompany us and save us from the grip of our >> enemies." >> >> 4 So the army sent orders to Shiloh. They brought the Chest of the >> Covenant of God, the >> God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the Cherubim-Enthroned-God. Eli's two >> sons, Hophni and Phinehas, accompanied the Chest of the Covenant of God. >> >> 5-6 When the Chest of the Covenant of God was brought into camp, everyone >> gave a huge cheer. The >> shouts were like thunderclaps shaking the very ground. >> The Philistines heard the shouting and wondered what on earth was going >> on: "What's all this >> shouting among the Hebrews?" >> >> 6-9 Then they learned that the Chest of God had entered the Hebrew camp. >> The Philistines panicked: >> "Their gods have come to their camp! Nothing like this >> has ever happened before. We're done for! Who can save us from the >> clutches of these supergods? >> These are the same gods who hit the Egyptians with all >> kinds of plagues out in the wilderness. On your feet, Philistines! >> Courage! We're about to become >> slaves to the Hebrews, just as they have been slaves >> to us. Show what you're made of! Fight for your lives!" >> >> 10-11 And did they ever fight! It turned into a rout. They thrashed >> Israel >> so mercilessly that the >> Israelite soldiers ran for their lives, leaving behind >> an incredible thirty thousand dead. As if that wasn't bad enough, the >> Chest of God was taken and the >> two sons of Eli-Hophni and Phinehas-were killed. >> >> Glory Is Exiled from Israel >> 12-16 Immediately, a Benjaminite raced from the front lines back to >> Shiloh. Shirt torn and face >> smeared with dirt, he entered the town. Eli was sitting >> on his stool beside the road keeping vigil, for he was extremely worried >> about the Chest of God. >> When the man ran straight into town to tell the bad news, >> everyone wept. They were appalled. Eli heard the loud wailing and asked, >> "Why this uproar?" The >> messenger hurried over and reported. Eli was ninety-eight >> years old then, and blind. The man said to Eli, "I've just come from the >> front, barely escaping with >> my life." >> >> "And so, my son," said Eli, "what happened?" >> >> 17 The messenger answered, "Israel scattered before the Philistines. The >> defeat was catastrophic, >> with enormous losses. Your sons Hophni and Phinehas died, >> and the Chest of God was taken." >> >> 18 At the words, "Chest of God," Eli fell backward off his stool where he >> sat next to the gate. Eli >> was an old man, and very fat. When he fell, he broke >> his neck and died. He had led Israel forty years. >> >> 19-20 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and ready >> to >> deliver. When she heard >> that the Chest of God had been taken and that both her >> father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went to her knees to give >> birth, going into hard labor. >> As she was about to die, her midwife said, "Don't >> be afraid. You've given birth to a son!" But she gave no sign that she >> had >> heard. >> >> 21-22 The Chest of God gone, father-in-law dead, husband dead, she named >> the boy Ichabod >> (Glory's-Gone), saying, "Glory is exiled from Israel since the >> Chest of God was taken." >> >> 1 Samuel 5 >> >> Threatened with Mass Death >> 1-2 Once the Philistines had seized the Chest of God, they took it from >> Ebenezer to Ashdod, brought >> it into the shrine of Dagon, and placed it alongside >> the idol of Dagon. >> >> 3-5 Next morning when the citizens of Ashdod got up, they were shocked to >> find Dagon toppled from >> his place, flat on his face before the Chest of God. >> They picked him up and put him back where he belonged. First thing the >> next morning they found him >> again, toppled and flat on his face before the Chest >> of God. Dagon's head and arms were broken off, strewn across the >> entrance. >> Only his torso was in one >> piece. (That's why even today, the priests of Dagon >> and visitors to the Dagon shrine in Ashdod avoid stepping on the >> threshold.) >> >> 6 God was hard on the citizens of Ashdod. He devastated them by hitting >> them with tumors. This >> happened in both the town and the surrounding neighborhoods. >> He let loose rats among them. Jumping from ships there, rats swarmed all >> over the city! And everyone >> was deathly afraid. >> >> 7-8 When the leaders of Ashdod saw what was going on, they decided, "The >> chest of the god of Israel >> has got to go. We can't handle this, and neither can >> our god Dagon." They called together all the Philistine leaders and put >> it >> to them: "How can we get >> rid of the chest of the god of Israel?" >> >> The leaders agreed: "Move it to Gath." So they moved the Chest of the >> God of Israel to Gath. >> >> 9 But as soon as they moved it there, God came down hard on that city, >> too. It was mass hysteria! >> He hit them with tumors. Tumors broke out on everyone >> in town, young and old. >> >> 10-12 So they sent the Chest of God on to Ekron, but as the Chest was >> being brought into town, the >> people shouted in protest, "You'll kill us all by bringing >> in this Chest of the God of Israel!" They called the Philistine leaders >> together and demanded, "Get >> it out of here, this Chest of the God of Israel. Send >> it back where it came from. We're threatened with mass death!" For >> everyone was scared to death when >> the Chest of God showed up. God was already coming >> down very hard on the place. Those who didn't die were hit with tumors. >> All over the city cries of >> pain and lament filled the air. >> >> 1 Samuel 6 >> >> Gold Tumors and Rats >> 1-2 After the Chest of God had been among the Philistine people for seven >> months, the Philistine >> leaders called together their religious professionals, >> the priests, and experts on the supernatural for consultation: "How can >> we >> get rid of this Chest of >> God, get it off our hands without making things worse? >> Tell us!" >> >> 3 They said, "If you're going to send the Chest of the God of Israel >> back, >> don't just dump it on >> them. Pay compensation. Then you will be healed. After >> you're in the clear again, God will let up on you. Why wouldn't he?" >> >> 4-6 "And what exactly would make for adequate compensation?" >> >> "Five gold tumors and five gold rats," they said, "to match the number >> of Philistine leaders. >> Since all of you-leaders and people-suffered the same >> plague, make replicas of the tumors and rats that are devastating the >> country and present them as an >> offering to the glory of the God of Israel. Then maybe >> he'll ease up and not be so hard on you and your gods, and on your >> country. Why be stubborn like the >> Egyptians and Pharaoh? God didn't quit pounding on >> them until they let the people go. Only then did he let up. >> >> 7-9 "So here's what you do: Take a brand-new oxcart and two cows that >> have >> never been in harness. >> Hitch the cows to the oxcart and send their calves back >> to the barn. Put the Chest of God on the cart. Secure the gold replicas >> of >> the tumors and rats that >> you are offering as compensation in a sack and set >> them next to the Chest. Then send it off. But keep your eyes on it. If it >> heads straight back home >> to where it came from, toward Beth Shemesh, it is clear >> that this catastrophe is a divine judgment, but if not, we'll know that >> God had nothing to do with >> it-it was just an accident." >> >> 10-12 So that's what they did: They hitched two cows to the cart, put >> their calves in the barn, and >> placed the Chest of God and the sack of gold rats and >> tumors on the cart. The cows headed straight for home, down the road to >> Beth Shemesh, straying >> neither right nor left, mooing all the way. The Philistine >> leaders followed them to the outskirts of Beth Shemesh. >> >> 13-15 The people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. >> They >> looked up and saw the >> Chest. Jubilant, they ran to meet it. The cart came into >> the field of Joshua, a Beth Shemeshite, and stopped there beside a huge >> boulder. The harvesters tore >> the cart to pieces, then chopped up the wood and sacrificed >> the cows as a burnt offering to God. The Levites took charge of the Chest >> of God and the sack >> containing the gold offerings, placing them on the boulder. >> Offering the sacrifices, everyone in Beth Shemesh worshiped God most >> heartily that day. >> >> 16 When the five Philistine leaders saw what they came to see, they >> returned the same day to Ekron. >> >> 17-18 The five gold replicas of the tumors were offered by the >> Philistines >> in compensation for the >> cities of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The >> five gold rats matched the number of Philistine towns, both large and >> small, ruled by the five >> leaders. The big boulder on which they placed the Chest >> of God is still there in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, a landmark. >> >> If You Are Serious About Coming Back to God >> 19-20 God struck some of the men of Beth Shemesh who, out of curiosity, >> irreverently peeked into the >> Chest of God. Seventy died. The whole town was in mourning, >> reeling under the hard blow from God, and questioning, "Who can stand >> before God, this holy God? And >> who can we get to take this Chest off our hands?" >> >> 21 They sent emissaries to Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have >> returned the Chest of God. >> Come down and get it." >> >> >> Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning >> Skype Prayer Time. >> >> >> Contact Me At: >> Donnie Parrett >> 1956 Asa Flat Road >> Annville, Kentucky 40402 >> Home Phone: 606-364-3321 >> Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY >> Skype Name: Donnie1261 >> Email: [email protected] >> >> > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
