1S4-10: ‘What Does It Profit A Man To Gain The Whole World, Yet Forfeit His Soul?’

^“When he mentioned the ark of God,
Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate.
His neck was broken and he died,
for he was an old man, and he was heavy.
He had led Israel forty years.”
-1 Samuel 4:18

Following Israel’s defeat in their battle with the Philistines, we’re told that a young soldier who had escaped the massacre tore off to Shiloh to report the news to Eli the High Priest.

After a long 20-mile journey, the man finally arrived at the site of the Sanctuary.

He was breathless and had torn up his garments and thrown dirt over his head as a sign of the disaster and death that had occurred.

The Levites at Shiloh watched the man approach…

And then their spirits broke when he announced the horrible news of what had happened on the battlefield.

The blind but not deaf Eli was sitting in his chair outside the entrance to the Tabernacle area when he heard all of the wailing and shrieks of horror.

At that instant, he knew his worst nightmares had come true.

The soldier approached Eli and gave him the tragic news in three parts. 

FIRST, he was informed of the slaughter of thousands of Israelites.

SECOND, he was told his two sons Hophni and Pinchas had also been killed.

FINALLY, he was told the Philistines had captured the Ark of God.

The Scripture says that once Eli heard the Ark had been captured, he went into shock, fell over and died.

Now I find it interesting that Eli didn’t fall over and die until he was told of the capture of the Ark.

Sure the news of military defeat on the battlefield…

And the death of his two sons was tragic.

But his soul didn’t go into eternal shock until he heard the Ark of God had been stolen away.

It was like in the last moments of his life, the 98-year old Eli finally realized the presence of God with Israel was more important than victory on the battlefield or family members.

It dawned on him all too late that he had screwed up his priorities in life…

And that is our takeaway for today.

How often in life do we screw up our priorities?

We value victory on the battlefield (meaning worldly money & business success)…

Or ungodly family members…

More than we do our relationship with God…

Only to find out in our final years that our focus had been misplaced all along.

So don’t be like Eli who learned all too late that without a saving relationship with the Lord, your life is meaningless.

At the end of the day…

It’s only your relationship with God that matters.

Not all the money you earned…

Or how many kids you gave birth to…

Or how popular you were in society…

Or how many beautiful girls you had sex with…

And I’m not the only one who came to that conclusion.

Consider the great King Solomon…

He had everything that mortal men lust after…

Women, wealth and unbridled power.

And what was his conclusion at the end of his life?

“Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.”

Ya feel me here?

So let me close by asking you this question?

Have you got your priorities straight?

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“For what does it profit a man
to gain the whole world
and forfeit his soul?”
-Mark 8:36