He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had placed among men, and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy’s hand. (Psalm 78:60-61)
In the days of Eli the High Priest, the people of Israel were steadily moving away from God and toward doing what was right in their own eyes. His two sons, Hophni and Phineas, were considered to be “sons of Beliah and did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). Eventually, judgment came to visit Eli’s household, and the congregation of the Lord, culminating with the death of Eli and his sons, the capture of the Ark of the Covenant and the desolation of the tabernacle in Shiloh. It was on that day that the wife of Phineas gave birth to a son she named Ichabod — “There is no glory” — because the glory of God had departed Israel.
Earlier the High Priest had been warned of this outcome when he was visited by an unnamed prophet who said that destruction would come to him, adding that “You will see an enemy in My dwelling place” (1 Samuel 2:32). In other words, when the Presence of God vacated the tabernacle, the tent He placed among men would not remain vacant. Another presence, and not a good one, would move in to take up residence in the place where God’s Presence had once been. This is a very important principle we must be aware of; there is no such thing as being neutral when it comes to picking between following God or not. If God is not present in a person’s life, by default they allow the enemy to come in and fill the spiritual vacuum whether they like it or not.
Messiah taught us that when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, that spirit will eventually return to see if the house is empty. If so, “he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Matthew 12:45). The point is the house — the person — having been cleansed should not have remained empty; he should have been filled with the Presence of God. We should not think that we can be apathetic to this issue and somehow make it; no, without the Spirit of God working in us and through us, we will fail miserably.
The Spirit of God helps us with our weaknesses and, simultaneously, empowers us to overcome the flesh and our Adversary. Like so many before us, including the Messiah Himself, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit if we hope to fulfill God’s purpose in our life. Don’t let the house remain empty; don’t let Ichabod be written on the door of our hearts. Rather be filled with His Presence so when the enemy comes knocking, he won’t find opportunity to move in and wreak havoc in your home.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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