So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on 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. When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli. Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.” And he said, “What happened, my son?” So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.” Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
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5 Days
Eli was a judge and a high priest, yet because he "failed to plug the leak" in his home, he faced the judgment of God. In this 5-day devotional, learn lessons from Eli’s life that will convict you to plug the leaks in your life.
The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to grow believers in their faith and increase their passion for Jesus. Break down the book of 1 Samuel into the “Big Picture” of the passage, then “Digging Deeper” into that section, and then move into “Living Out” the lessons that are taught in the passage in this 5-day reading plan.
6 Days
Failure is part of life, but it has stopped too many from pursuing their unique purpose and destiny. Your past choices don’t have to end the dream God has placed on your heart. In this six-day devotional, Tyler Feller integrates biblical wisdom with practical steps to help you turn even the greatest failure into an opportunity to move forward with God. Don’t give up on God’s dream for you.
7 Days
This week, we will explore the book of 1 Samuel, engaging the transition of Israel from the age of judges to the age of kings. We will spend two days with each of the main characters—Samuel, Saul, and David—seeing both things to emulate and things to avoid as men of God.
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