May The Glory Remain; Not Depart

The ark of God was captured and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
That same day, a Benjamite ran from the battle line...When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry…
The man hurried over to Eli...He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”...Israel fled before the Philistines...also your two sons...are dead and the ark of God has been captured.”
When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward...His neck was broken and he died…
His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by labor pains...She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel”...She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”  I Samuel 4:11-22.
Ichabod: The glory has departed from Israel.

This was a very dark day for the nation of Israel. Years of rejecting God had resulted in a very stunning defeat for the nation. The house of God had been corrupted for years and the priests had no regard for the holiness of God. The ark of God was captured and the entire succession of priests were wiped off from Eli’s household - his two sons died on the same day as had  been prophesied by a man of God earlier.

On hearing about the death of her husband and that of her father-in-law as well as the capture of the ark of God, Phinehas’ wife went into premature labor and died. Before passing away, she named her son Ichabod, saying, “the glory has departed from Israel.”

The glory of God is the very presence and power of God with His people. It is the covering of God’s glory over His people that sets us apart from all others. The presence of the glory is what brings us victory. Without the Presence, we become prey for the enemy. That is why Moses said, “If your presence does not go with us, we will not go up from here. What else will distinguish us from the rest of the people on the earth?”

Sin drives away the glory of God. The glory cannot dwell in a spiritually dirty environment. We must cultivate the right environment of holiness to welcome God’s glory.
May our lives be so inviting that the glory of God will remain and not depart. May we never experience an Ichabod but rather a continuous overshadowing of God’s glory on our lives.
May the glory remain, not depart.

Prayer: Father, may life continually invite and not repel your glory. Amen.