It was a vibrant Church leading "many souls" to Heaven!

And Satan smiled as he thought on ways to corrupt it with his LEAVEN!

 

He moved on the congregation to "neglect" the reading of God's Word!

They became so obsessed with worship that studying scripture was now absurd!

 

Hearts began to grow lukewarm and quite cold!

And Satan smiled and was proud that his methods "still work" though they are very old!

 

Satan gained further ground by getting the Saints to stop praying and seeking God!

Spending time on one's knees in prayer was now considered odd!

 

His LEAVEN was silently killing all the Power that this Church once had!

And Satan smiled because, he was very glad!

 

Soon the members stopped coming "one by one"!

And Satan smiled because his evil plan was almost done!

 

Then finally the Pastor stood behind the Pulpit all alone that last Sunday morn!

And Satan smiled as the Pastor left also and Satan danced and blew his horn!

 

Then Satan did something very strange and very odd!

And Satan smiled as he hung a sign over the Church door that read "ICHABOD"!

 

 

 

Lewis E. Thomas

As given by God on 1/18/2017

 

 

 

Question: "What does the term 'Ichabod' mean in the Bible?"

Answer: The term Ichabod is found in two places in the Bible,1 Samuel 4:21 and 14:3. Ichabod was the son of Phinehas and the grandson of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh. The sad story of Eli and his two wayward sons, Phinehas and Hophni, is found in 1 Samuel, chapters 2 and 4. Hophni and Phinehas died in battle with the Philistines who captured the Ark of the Covenant and took it away from Israel. Upon hearing this terrible news, Eli fell backward off his chair and broke his neck and died. Phinehas’s pregnant wife went into labor and bore a son.

“And she named the child Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel!’ because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, ‘The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured’” (1 Samuel 4:21–22). The word Ichabod means literally “inglorious” or “there is no glory,” and in her pain and despair, the woman (who is unnamed in Scripture) lamented over the loss of the glory of God from Israel.

The glory of God is used to describe God’s favor and blessings toward His people. In the Old Testament, God’s glory is seen as a pillar of fire and cloud that followed the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt, guiding and guarding them (Exodus 13:21). Once the Ark of the Covenant was built and placed in the tabernacle in the wilderness, and later in the temple in Jerusalem, God’s glory resided there as a symbol of His presence among His people. When the Ark was captured by the Philistines, the glory departed from the Israelites—Ichabod became a reality.

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