Never more safe .......

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Never more safe.....

"We are never more safe, never have more reason to expect the Lord's help, than when we are sensible that we can do nothing without His help."

"He has a sovereign right to do with us as He pleases; and if we consider what we are, surely we will confess we have no reason to complain; and to those who seek Him, His sovereignty is exercised in the way of grace.  All shall work together for good; everything is needful that he sends; nothing can be needful that He withholds."  John Newton

Do you ever find yourself feeling and perhaps thinking that Jesus is only concerned about you occasionally?  Do you ever feel as though the Holy Spirit is more a visitor than a resident?  Do you sometimes feel estranged from God?

Some of us do - some not so much.  But perhaps, for many of us, it is we who are strangers, we who are occasional.

They say there are no atheists in foxholes - and there are probably fewer in the oncologist's office.  But we cannot offer such people anything more than the gospel - which - if they are called, is sufficient and more so.

It is the Child of God with which I am concerned.  That one whom from all eternity is God's however lately they have discovered it - or it has discovered them.

It is a easy thing to be redeemed and no harder to remains so yet that assurance is constantly attacked by the desire for it all now.

"Satan wispers in our ears, "Why does God delay?"  Satan hint that, "Perhaps you have so displeased Him that He has left you."  The evil air carried all the wisperings of Satan and never more so that when our flesh is pinched or crushed by our circumstances. 

There is a point where even the mighty oak is neither nut nor tree but both.  As God works His wonderousnand observable will upon the acorn to grow His mighty Oak there is indeed a time of vulnerability.  We as we grow from nut to tree may have a sense of vulnerability but since God's intent is that we be oaks we must trust that indeed we will.

But let us not I imagine all oaks are or all nuts will be identical trees.  Certainly the nature and the attributes of every oak are alike or similar and so it is with each of us.  Yet God does not create or call His from an assembly line.  We are all, in Him, the same - but different.  It is to the "likeness" of Christ He mofes and mold us.  That is likeness not sameness.  We will never be and we were never intended to be Christ - rather to be like Him.

Tall, short, thin, stout, fast slow -- oh what variety God has among His people and how wonderfully does He fit that likeness of Christ upon each individual unique child.  You - are to You in Him.  I am to be I.  We are to have I common His righteousness.  Whether we have else in common is irrelevant. 

You may like purple I may like orange yet we both are His.  I may prefer quiet reflexion you may prefer joyous and lud praise yet we are both His.

In all of this we share the circunstance of living in a world who prince is set upon our injury.  He cannot destroy us but he can do us grevous injury.  As any prince he has his subjects and whether they know or acknowledge it they serve him and him alone.  It is the enhancement of the damnation of the u redeemed and the confusion and frustration of the redeemed that is their only goal.  This danger we, the sales of the Lord of Lords, also share in common.

Whether directly or indirectly all the Redeemed are always under attack.  If the prince of this world hates us and aims at our destruction, it is not possible even though unaware, that his servants do not aim at the same end.

IN ALL THIS - regardless of its intensity or duration we need only hold to one thought:

Phi 1:6  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.� ESV

In this we see all.  Beginning - bringing and completion. 

Forget not who HE is.  Forget not who we are, HIS.

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Jam 4:1-6

Chapter 4

Warning Against Worldliness

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

� ESV

Tit 2:11-13

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self- controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

� ESV

Heb 12:7-14

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

� ESV

Phi 4:11-14

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.� ESV

The Right fight

John Owen wrote that he knew of no other scripture that best defined the Christian than   Gal. 5:17.

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  ESV

This is so contrary to our experience today.  We are called victors, more than conquerors.  We are told we are free men and women.  We are told we are priests and princes.  And in all this we are so apt to forget that we are, while we remain here, soldiers, warriors engaged in an incredibly intimate and personal battle - with ourselves - our desires.

Today we are more often than not enjoined to battle that which is without allowing the flesh not only to hold the ground it has but to advance however small the gains.  Pogo was quite right, "We have met the enemy and they is us!"

Paul writes at length of the hardships he faced in his ministry.  We too, as we serve the Master will face hindrances, distractions and bold opposition.  But this is not our fight.  Our fight is within.

Rom 7:15-21

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

ESV

Here dearest brother and sister is our battlefield.  We cannot fight well anywhere else until we fight here.  To ignore this fight through intent is to raise questions concerning our actual state.  To ignore this fight through inattention brought by external distractions is to be deceived and weakened.

We have three forces seeking to destroy our faithfulness.  The world, the flesh and the devil.  But we are not to engage all three in combat.  Rather we are to refuse the world ( be not conformed), resist the devil and fight the flesh.  To engage in a war on two fronts is foolishness. To do so on three is insanity.

Jam 4:1-2

1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.  ESV

Why is there such division within the Body of Christ?  Because there is a war within us in which we fail to engage the enemy.  Our passions - but not just any passion.  The word here is hedone a Greek word meaning - pleasure, typically but not exclusively sensual.

How on the mark!  In a world obsessed with looking young, dressing young, being accepted, having all the right toys and of curse having a good self-image - "feeling good" - regardless the area or cause is the be all and end all of worldly efforts.  We want to "feel good" and so we invest precious time and effort (life) into those things we are convinced will make us "feel  good."

Let us consider the god of a good self-image.  I ask you plainly, "Who determines whether your image is good or not?"  Have you actually sat down with pen in hand and written down what is required for you to have a good self-image?  Or, have you simply accepted what friends, family, culture and TV has said you need? 

Is your image - your self- image- determined by your dress size, your job, your car, you house?  Does a "bad hair day" make a powerful difference?  Does acceptance or rejection by a certain groups have an impact?  Why?  Is it not your flesh that yearns for all this, good hair, acceptance, etc.?

What do you wish for?  What is it that if you possessed it would make everything good?  What are you, "If only?"  If only this......if only that.......if only this other.... then all would be well.  And, on those occasions when an "if only" has materialized did it make everything OK?  Did that "if only" actually produce what you expected or did it simply lead to another "if only?"

This is the war in which we are engaged.  It is a war of definition.  What defines you?  What gives your life meaning and value"  Is it the things of this world or is it the grace of God that makes you his?  Oh how hard we must fight to hold the center, to raise the truth above all the claims and expectations of the world as they assault the flesh!

Brothers and sisters we, individually and collectively must fight the flesh. The world, right now, has its prince the devil.  We have the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He is ours and by His grace we are His - what value do we place on that?  Would we, do we, like Paul count all things as dung compared to knowing Christ and being His?  Ah, yes, it's a hard fight but a worthy one.

But we find it easier and more convenient to fight those battles that are not ours than to fight the one we are called to.  It is much easier to picket an abortion clinic, attend a political rally, even home school instead of fighting the battle within. We are not called or commissioned to redeem of change the world but rather to be unmistakably His in it.  To be salt and light not pepper and fire. 

It is a simple thought that belief follows behavior.  Can what you believe be discerned by how you behave?  Do your priorities reflect your faith?  Do your yearnings, your passions demonstrate whose you are? 

That is not "a" point, it is THE point.

We are not called to let our anger show, to demonstrate our disgust or to seek to regulate the lives of the unredeemed.  We are called to let our light shine and that light is Christ.  It is He who is the light, it merely shines in and through us - or does it?

Feeding the hungry pleases our Lord and yet if you will but read Deut. 15 you will see that hunger is a permanent condition in this world.  Yet it is easier to scramble eggs at a shelter than to dig deeply into our hearts to grow in righteousness.  Clothing the naked is a good work but, do we do it with our cast offs and leavings, those articles that are out of fashion, which show too much wear for us to be seen in them?  Do we seek justice for its own sake or justice for our particular concerns?

Christian-doing is a lot easier and more pleasant that Christian-being.  I may hide the log in my eye with designer sun glasses but it is still there.  If frightens me when I am distracter from the battle, when I catch myself watching or experiencing something that serves not Him but the flesh.  I once had the flu – vary bad flu and I couldn’t seem to shake it.  My doctor and I were very frustrated.  Finally I went to see him and he said, “Shave!”  I said, “Huh?”  He told me to shave my mustache.  I did.  Within a few days I was much better.

We need to starve the flesh.  We need to keep from it that which it craves – even demands.  To give it the merest morsel is to give it renewed hope.  Even to keep it barely alive keeps it alive.  We like the Spirit must oppose the flesh!

No – don’t become some kind of belly-button watching mystical self depriver of anything fun or pleasant.  Don’t go live in a cave or on top of a pole.  We are to be “in” the world – just not of it.

Rather, consider what brings you pleasure and ask it would bring pleasure to Him.  Consider what makes you feel good about you and ask if it would make Him feel good about you.  Consider what it is you really feel you need and ask if He would agree.

Reflect upon your activities, conversations, leisure, hobbies, and enjoyments and ask, “Are they really as neutral as I think they are?”  “Do they hold the appropriate place in my life?”  “Do they bring honor and glory to Him as well as pleasure to me?”  “Do they result in both gratitude to Him and comfort to me?”

Gal. 5:17.

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  ESV

I guess the killer question in this is “What are the things you want to do?”  Notice – and I’m no great exegete but at least in English there seems to be some hint at a double whammy here.

The Spirit keeps me from doing what I want to do that I shouldn’t want to do.

The Flesh keeps me from doing what I want to do that I should want to do.

Should want.                                     Shouldn’t want.

Have you made YOUR list?

Of course you’ve got to start with a list of “Do wants.”

Ahhhhh, there’s the trick part.

I want to see the movie, The Inglorious Bxxxxxxs.  I love shoot ‘em up movies and especially when it’s Nazi’s who are getting shot up.  The movie has been out for a while but I’ve never been able to bring myself to get it and watch it.  Why?

Here’s something I just learned.

Just to numb my brain I started reading some “action” novels.  Nothing too gross or nasty just “kind of” good guys and bad guys going at it.  After about the third one I started having nightmares.  Real, real bad nightmares.  They were violent and frightening and all that stuff.  Now I’m a fifty something ex-cop, a revolver master and a black belt – nightmares???????

Yep.

Then it hit me.  What I’d been reading (and I hadn’t read that type book in ages) was having a not so hot influence on me.  Incredible?  Well, dropped those books and started reading good stuff only – John Newton, John Owen, Richard Baxter, John Frame, ect.  I also started to re-read Dumas’ works on the Musketeers (classic).  Guess what.  No more nightmares.

OK, we all know I’m nutz so part of this experience is, well, me.  But I am convinced that those nightmares, at least in part if not in whole, were the Spirit dropping a not so subtle hint.  Now, where I wanted to read those thrillers I want to NOT read them although I want to read them.

There, in its simplicity is the battle.  Nothing against Jerry Seinfeld, but a steady diet of the judgmental, self-absorbed, snide, cutting and cynical offerings found on his show cannot be an aid to godliness.  And it is certainly NOT without its influence.  Think about it, is it really funny?  Should it be funny to us?  Mmmmmmmmmm………

Enough for now – maybe more later.  Please consider the fundamental battle in which we are and will be engaged!  I want to be active in that battle.  I don’t want to be distracted by fights that aren’t mine.  “I have met my enemy and he are me.”

Oh how good to hear.....

Face-falling

Gen. 17:3 Then Abram fell on his face. . . .

There’s a lot of “face falling” going on in the Bible.  Seems like just about every time God shows up, those present fall on their faces.  Now there’s a humorous side to this that I’m sure some Monte-Python-ish group will take advantage of sooner or later but until they do let’s consider why we don’t see much face-falling any more.

Now when God shows up it has to be a really big deal.  There doesn’t seem to be much warning with these visit.  Folks are just sitting around and “bazzinga” God’s right there, usually speaking to them.  That has got to be a shocker.

I’ve always wondered how they knew it was God.  In some instances there are attending circumstances that make this plain but in others it seems there’s just a voice.  How do they KNOW it’s God and not some neurological disjunction? 

I know, “what a stupid subject!” Right?   But bare with me.

Now God hasn’t “popped” in that I know of for some time.  I’m sure He could and would if He needed to but aqs far as we can be sure this hasn’t happened for a looooong time.

Does that mean face-falling is no longer needed?  Has it’s time past?  Is it passé – a thing for just “way back then?”

What changed?  Used to be the Word of God came and folks fell on their faces.  Now the Word of God comes and we check our watches, doodle on our bulletins or check our emails.  Not much face falling here.

What has changed?  Is the word of God less powerful?  Is the switch from a spoken form to the written form altered the impact and essentialness of the Word?  Do we only face-fall when we hear some disembodied voice?

Yes, this is very much tongue in cheek.  But I want to make a point.  It concerns me that I have not (as best as I can remember) ever fallen on my face when hearing the Word of God.  Does familiarity breed – if not contempt – a certain blaze attitude and reaction towards the Word?  Having a plethora or styles, types and translations of the Word have we become somewhat presumptuous in our dealing with it?

Though from my perspective a little excessive, the Jewish attitude toward their Torah scrolls still carries that “face-falling” attitude.  The production of a Torah (all of them hand-written) is arduous.  From the material it’s written on to the ink it’s written with, every aspect carries a heavy dose of awareness that one is dealing with the Word of God. 

A Torah may be read but it is never touched by hands.  If it is damaged it is retired.  If it is to be discarded it is often buried reverently.  There is, in the Jewish rabbinical tradition an imposed reverence for the actual written document.  Though it may appear to border on worship of the Torah itself the rules about the Torah scroll insure that it – and the Word it contains – will be handled reverently.

The Word comes – folks fall on their faces.  Not today.  Whether from the lips of God of the lips of man The Word is The Word.  Where else can we go for the words of eternal life?  And yet do we go?  When we do go, how do we go?  While we’re in the Word do we really appreciate where we are?

Ritual isn’t bad.  Ritual can serve to remind us of the import and meaning of what we’re about.  In the fellowship with which I worship we stand when the sermon passage is read.  Why?  Because we’re fixing to engage and be engaged by the Word of God.  This ritual marks a change in circumstance and should hail a change in attitude.  The Word of God is going to be preached – this is critical – this is important – this is (or should be) little different than hearing from Him directly. 

Face-falling reflects a very appropriate attitude towards hearing the Word of God.  It was and it a good thing.  It demonstrates humility, submission, acceptance, worship and receptivity.  It’s also what we do when we’re utterly overwhelmed.

I’m not encouraging folks to take up face-falling.  Now do I think it ought to be an imposed ritual in our worship.  But I do think we need to ask ourselves when was the last time we were tempted to do some face-falling.  When was the last time we were powerfully aware of our need for and obligation to; humility, submission, acceptance, worship and receptivity.

I’m not writing this because I think you or they need to work on your/their: humility, submission, acceptance, worship and receptivity.  Rather because I need to work on mine and maybe others do as well.  I know I haven’t even felt like doing a face-fall in some time.  Maybe I need to at least be tempted.

Gen. 17:3 Then Abram fell on his face. . . .

A fear of fanaticism.

It's hard to say hard things.

How does one cry "Fire!" effectively?

How does one yell, "Duck!" calmly?

When we see someone in what we sense is imminent danger we don't tend to communicate in calm and measured tones.  We want to convey that sense of immediacy, danger, fear, and warning.

Sadly however, it is one thing to cry "Fire!" and quite another to cry "Heresy." or "Blasphemy."  Regardless of the fact that both are intended to warn others of a dangerous circumstance and dire consequences, "Fire!" is much more preferred.  So the next time you think you might have discerned blasphemy or heresy, please, just scream, "Fire!!"

(ESV)Titus 1:9

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

 Mmmmmm.  When's the last time anyone heard anyone offer a real rebuke to any of the plethora of teachers who contradict sound doctrine?  Can one persist in contradicting sound doctrine and really claim to be a believer?  If sound doctrine is a line drawn by God what do we call those on the wrong side of that line?

 What are the things one must subscribe to in order to be considered a believer, a sound believer? 

What must one reject and rebuke?  Is the "prosperity gospel" heresy or is it not?  If it is not, what is it?  Is Judaizing right or wrong?  Is it true doctrine or false? 

Where is the line between error and heresy?  Is it only heresy when it's exposed and correction is refused?  Or, is it heresy all along?

Is the one who contradicts sound doctrine a heretic or just, "a brother in error?"  How do you tell?  Where is the line?

Did you ever stop to think that Satan and his friends probably know more scripture and more about God and Christ that we do?  Did you ever stop to wonder what the difference is between the believer's knowing God and the demons knowing God?

Find for me the designation "liberal" in reference to believers anywhere in scripture.  Is who we believe in more important that what we believe?  But if the one we believe in is the one who speaks are we not compelled by the demands of consistency to believe what He said?

As I work through the Prophets study I am heartbroken for Israel.  I see in their story the story of the Church.  I don't believe that the issue was so much that they were infected by the cultures around them but that they did not faithfully attend to the Word of God.  Had they kept their focus, had the center held, the cultures around them would have had less of an impact.

We KNOW the world is passing away.  We KNOW we are citizens of another Kingdom.  But somehow we have lost something - some sense of obligation or gratitude and we spend more time engaging the culture than engaging our Master.  Perhaps we spend too much time invading their turf than cultivating our own.  I don't know - I wish I did.

I read a lot of the old Puritan writings and I find it most painful.  I am drawn to their wholehearted commitment to the faith and yet fear that emulating their passion would make me - well - weird.  They make me uncomfortable.  I am convicted by their zeal and strength and yet I hesitate to follow their lead. 

Personal holiness, mortifying the flesh, rejecting the world and refusing to be of it to the degree I see in them is scary.  I fear being a fanatic and yet being a mere fan is somehow not enough.  I am often tempted to take a stand with them and yet the greatest fear is that I would stand alone or worse, stand rejected by the Church.

 I pray for the courage my convictions demand.  I pray for the faithfulness my fear shows to be missing.  The faith, for me, isn't about what I oppose or reject.  It is about how I am and I am not how and what I want to be.

John Newton said,

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”

He also said:

“When I think of my heart, of the world, of the powers of darkness, what cause of continual fear: I am on an enemy's ground, and cannot move a step but some snare is spread for my feet. But, when I think of the person, grace, power, care, and faithfulness of my Savior, why may I not say, I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge? I wish to be delivered from anxious and unbelieving fear, which weakens the hands, and disquiets the heart. I wish to increase in a humble jealousy and distrust of myself, and of everything about me."

Of mice, men and hemorrhoids????

Note:  If some words run together - I have no idea why - they are not that way in the draft.  Gremlins??  Somewhere between the draft and the post this happens - makes me nutZ.

1 Sam 6 & 7 are an absolute hoot.  Really, you've got to see the humor here.  Yes, it's deadly serious but put yourself in the place of the Philistines.

Israel, depending on the power they believed was inherent in the Ark gets their clock cleaned by the Philistines. 

So the Philistines capture the Ark and set it in the temple of Dagon as a trophy.  Yeah, right.

What follows in this part of the story is, well, hilarious---yes' it's serious too.

THE lesson - false gods can't stand in the presence of the One True God.

But imagine the scene. They probably made a really big deal of this with all the attending pomp and circumstance. "Yay Us - Yay Dagon!!"

So the next day they find Dagon lying flat on his face.  Mmmmmm?  Bet the set guys got burned for that, bad workmanship surely.  So they set old Dagon back on his feet and all is well.  Except the next day not only is Dagon face down again but his head and arms are "cut" off.  Note, in that day it was common to cut off the head and hands of a defeated enemy to show utter defeat.

Now I'm wondering.  Is the English translation good here?  Were the head and arms cut or broken?  It would make a difference in the impact of the event.  Young's Literal Version says the head and the palms were cut off and only the "fishy" part was whole.  Illustrations of Dagon depict kind of a mer-dude, half man, half fish.

Oh well,  it appears they didn't get the hint anyway.  

Now they’re plagued with field mice (a common scourge), death and tunors.

“Tumors."  There is some debate about exactly what these were.  Some suppose (because of the later mention of mice) that it was the bubonic plague.  Others just assume boils.  My favorite is hemroids.  The KJV reads in 1 Sam. 6:9:

9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

OK, a little crude but obviously it got their attention! 

If we assume it was hemroids or perhaps boils/tumors in, "their secret places," it makes sense.  Dagon was a god of fertility -- gottcha!

Well, these guys finally get it and begin to wonder what to do with the Ark.

I love these guys - the big wigs get together in Ashdod and decide to send it to Gath.  Nice guys!  Of course the Gathites assume the Ashdotites are trying to kill them by sending the Ark there so they send it to Ekron.  No way are they gonna keep it!  So they just park it out in a field for several months.  But men are dieing and there's still the "secret parts problem." 

I don't know if God has what we'd call a sense of humor but He's got irony nailed. “Funny,” may be flippant a term for all this but I have to chuckle.  But, it gets better.

To be continued.  . . .

Note:  Even though Israel was unfaithful and even though the presentation of the Ark did not produce victory God does not forgo dealing with the Philistines for taking the Ark.  Wrong is wrong and God deals with Israel passively by not coming to their aid (as He said He wouldn't) and He deals with the Philistines actively. 

The point goes back to the covenant.  If Israel is unfaithful (as in this case they had been for a while) they are on the curses side of the valley.  This does not mean that the relationship between God and Israel has changed.  They are still "His people," they have simply moved out from under His blessings into the curses that come with unfaithfulness.

An oops and a bad reputation! -sorry, kinda out of order but here it is -

1 Sam 4 More.... more
The is a very interesting chapter.  The dynamics of the encounter with the Philistines is important because of what it shows us.

Israel have degenerated to the point where Priests were having relations with women at the door of the shrine.  This is a far cry from the fantasy picture we usually hold.  God has already passed judgment and sentence on the line of Eli.  Samuel is established as Judge and Prophet.
Note, Israel goes out to battle the Philistines.  Israel gets whipped.

Israel gets the idea of using the Ark to defeat the Philistines.  NOTE - the Irsaelites cheer and whoop so much when the Ark arrives that the Philistines are terrified.

1Sa 4:6-10
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”   ESV

OK, the Ark is on the scene and Israel is really charged up.  The Pilistines suspect, "A god has come into the camp."

Isn't it curious that even before Israel came into the land their God was known and feared but now it seems He is not.  Note that the Philistines also say, "These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness,"

Here's the deal.  Much is made of the "oral" tradition - stories passed down over the generations.  But the little picture we have here of the Exodu is - well, wrong -very wrong.  First the plagues didn't happen in the wilderness.  Well, stories do get distorted over time and maybe the Philistines have it wrong but the Israelites have it right.  That's not the killer.  Did you catch it? 
"These are the gods who struck the Egyptians.  . .  "  This is important - veri important.  The Philistines are under the impression that Israel has many gods.  Not only that but they think Israel has always had many gods - at least during and since the Exodus.  Ouch!

Wow - some witness huh?  I'm willing to say that at this point in Israel's history she was indeed polytheistic.  She acknowledged, worshipped and served several gods and was known, even by her enemies for it.  What a far cry from what we see in Joshua 2:10 ff  where Rahab makes it plain that the God of Israel and His might are known far and wide.

Though terrified, the Philistines whip Israel again and take the Ark captive.  A bad day for Israel and ultimately not so good a day for the Philistines.

ICHABOD - the glory has departed Israel.  But why?  Because as we see in 4:21 Eli and Phinehas were dead and the Ark captured?  Certainly these events are a result of the glory departing - God's glory that is.  But, had not the "glory" departed long before?  Had not Israel cut herself off from the glory of God by being unfaithful to Him?

Now here's JUST a thought.  God's "glory" is everywhere.  It can not be diminished but it can be ignored, reviled and abused.  Is it that God's glory had departed or that Israel had departed.  If God is ALWAY faithful then only we can be unfaithful.

Makes me think of what an Englishman once said about Americans and tea.  He said that Americans didn't really like tea because:  they boil water and make hot tea, then they add ice to make it cold, then they add sugar to make is sweet and lemon to make it sour.  What you end up with is a cold drink to which tea is totally unnecessary.

This is kind of what Israel had done with God.  They had taken His covenant and twisted it into something to which God was not necessary.
Here's just some of their erroneous thinking:
-  We can violate the covenant without consequences.
-  We can worship other gods just a little.
-  We can still count on God cause He has to faithful to "us."
-  Covenant curses, we don't need no stinking covenant curses.
-  We still have the magic box of God that will either give us super powers or make our enemies weak.
-  We are the people of God NA NANA Nananna ............

Oops -----  AND A BIG 'UN TOO!!!!!!!!

Go back to Deut 30 (or start with Chapt 27.vs 12&13....).  The covenant with "Israel" is not real complicated.  Obey and have blessings or disobey and suffer curses.  God does not have any place to go here.  He offers blessings and curses simultaniously and Israel gets to pick.  Blessings under the "obeying" tent and curses under the "disobeying tent."  Hmmmm guess which tent they pick most of the time!
Of course - for all you long lineaged gentile - don't get snooty - you'd have done NO different.