Angels No Kidding

Samuel The Prophet

Not just any man can see and know the mind of the LORD. In the days of the Judges, there was "no open vision" in Israel. No particular person had ready understanding of God's doings. But that changed with Samuel. "The LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh," and everybody knew that he was an anointed prophet.

I Samuel 3:19-20 - "...Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD."

Eli Was Cursed, The Ark Was Taken
The prophecy cursed Eli's household and said Hophni and Phinehas must die for profaning the priesthood. The Philistines came to war. Israel foolishly took the Ark of the Covenant into battle for protection, but took a beating. 30,000 died. Hophni and Phinehas were killed. The Ark was taken. 98-year-old Eli heard the news, fell over and died. Phinehas' pregnant wife died delivering "Ichabod."

1 Samuel 4:21 - "...she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband."

God Versus Idol
Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh and set it in the house of their god, Dagon. First night, the idol fell over. They stood it up. Second night, it fell and broke into pieces. God killed many Philistines and smote the rest with hemorrhoids. They figured, wisely, that they had better return the Ark. NOBODY will ever get by with blaspheming the Holy One of Israel - then or now!

1 Samuel 5:11 - "...[they] said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not."

Philistines Inquire Of God
God plagued the Philistines for stealing the Ark of God. They asked, "What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it." On a cart pulled by two cows, they put the Ark with a trespass offering. If the cows pulled it unassisted to Bethshemesh, that would prove that God sent the plagues. God speaks to sinners.

1 Samuel 6:12 - "...the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

Are Angels Just for Kids?

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? – Hebrews 1:14

Most of us heard about our guardian angel when we were just children. And, in those days, it was a comforting thought. With monsters lurking behind the closet door and creepy things crawling beneath the bed, it was good to know that someone was there to protect us when the light was out. But, as the years passed, we outgrew our childhood fears. The imaginary creatures that had once seemed so real disappeared from our minds—and sadly enough, for most of us, the angels did too. But angels are not just kid stuff. They're powerful spirits sent forth to minister for us who are heirs of salvation. The word salvation in Hebrews 1:14 is from the Greek word soteria meaning "deliverance, preservation...material, and temporal deliverance." Just think about that! God has created vast numbers of gloriously powerful spiritual beings for the express purpose of protecting us and delivering us from the evils of this world. And remember, according to Psalm 103:20, the Word of God is what puts those angels in action. So when you're in trouble, don't cower and cry about how awful things are. Speak the Word! Give your angels something to respond to. Then be patient and let them have time to work. They'll get their job done.