A Dusty Road

Based on 1 Samuel 4-6, Luke 9:1-17

Life is not an easy road to travel. We experience so many ups & downs along the way, but sometimes, all we are doing is simply kicking up dust. Sometimes, it's a little lonely & a little empty...but Jesus gives us fulfillment and love when we get connected with Him through prayer & His Word!

Lots of things can happen on that dusty road. Without Jesus, the road gets even more dusty. Our judgment gets clouded, and we lose our way...kind of like when the ark of God was stolen by the Philistines!

"And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken."
1 Samuel 4:13‭-‬17.

When this was told to Eli, he fell down dead...

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3:19.

Since the Israelites had not been obeying God, especially Eli the priest's sons, Israel was judged immensely in losing the battle with the Philistines & having the ark of God stolen. It caused Eli to fall down dead. It also caused Eli's son Phineas' wife to die in childbirth, crying out because the glory of The Lord departed from Israel. Such a lonely, dangerous road we end up traveling when we depart from God!

The Philistines realized the power of God because the ark caused Dagon, their God, to crumble! When the dust settled, they knew they had to send back the stolen ark! So, they sent it down a road of its own, and God guided the kine cart back to where it belonged!

"And he smote the men of Beth–shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord , even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth–shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us? And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath–jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you."
1 Samuel 6:19‭-‬21.

"And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them."
Luke 9:5.

These Words of Jesus in Luke, about shaking the dust off if The Word was not received, was the same concept with the ark. The ark represented the power & presence of God at that time. Those who did not receive it with fear & respect were judged. We need to give God the glory and receive Him wholeheartedly! We don't want to be left in the dust!