The Glory Departed



1 Samuel 4:21a- ' She named the boy Ichabod, saying,  "The glory has departed from Israel"-- because of the capture of the ark of God...'

The Ark of God was a very significant part of God's Holy covenant with Israel. It represented that His very Presence and Power would be upon His chosen people, so long as they were in right standing with Him.  At this particular point in time, Israel was a mess.  Eli's sons were wicked, and even though Eli knew what they were doing, he did nothing to stop them.  Consequently, it was prophesied that the house of Eli would suffer terrible punishment. 

Later on, when Israel had gone to battle, they were defeated by their enemies, the Philistines, and the ark of God was captured (also note: Eli's sons had died in battle, and Eli died upon hearing the ark was captured).

Upon hearing this devastating news, one of wives of Eli's son gave birth to a baby boy and named him "Ichabod", meaning "The glory has departed."                     

The glory has departed.....


These words have weighed heavily in my heart and mind throughout this study.  As I pondered in my own heart the meaning, there was a quickening in my spirit.  my eyes then fell upon 1 Samuel 3:1b "In those days the word of the Lord was rare, there were no visions." (emphasis my own) This verse also made me think of another verse! (Don't you love when the Holy Spirit does that?!) Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint."

Is it any wonder, why Israel was in the condition it was in? They weren't seeking God; they were too busy doing their own thing.
Sisters, I feel it can be the same way with us.  We go about our lives doing our own thing, until the next thing we know, the power of God is sapped from our lives and then we truly begin to wonder if we're even walking with God at all. 


The glory has departed.....


I heard it once said, that the Holy Spirit is like a dove.  It rests upon us peacefully, but any sudden move or sound of displeasure, it quickly flies away.  I do feel we can offend the Holy Spirit by our words, thoughts and actions that are in opposition to God's Word. We can also choose to walk away from God by not regularly having time with Him.  So my question for you ladies is this: (believe me, I've asked myself this too!) Has the glory departed from your life? Do you feel like the power of God is at work in your life? Let's talk about it!



Yours in the Journey,

Shannon