1 Samuel - Lesson 3, "Losing God in Religious Rituals"

 This morning as we continue our journey through 1 Samuel, something interesting happens in the next few chapters. Samuel himself sort of disappears from the story. He’s there in the first verse of chapter four, but then we don’t see him again until verse three of chapter seven. So what exactly is happening? The answer takes us back to the first message in 1 Samuel where Pastor Brock shared the major prophetic themes of the Old Testament: 1) God’s people have broken the covenant and need to repent. 2) If there is no repentance, God’s judgment comes. 3) Even after judgment, there is hope.

In chapter four, we find the people of Israel breaking the covenant and living in rebellion against God. They still embrace the rituals of religion, but they are no longer living in relationship with the One True God. This brings about catastrophic consequences when the Ark of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines. Through this passage we discover an important Biblical truth: Anytime you hold on to the rituals of religion without true repentance, you are substituting ritual for relationship. You cannot expect God’s blessing without repentance.

In His Service,

Pastor Steve