1 Samuel 4:13 And when he came, see, Eli sat on a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God… 1. We conceive that one reason why the heart of Eli trembled for the ark of the Lord at that moment, placed amid the din of battle and the onset of conflicting powers, arose from his vivid recollection of the sins of himself and his house. Sin makes cowards of the most courageous. Especially do our sins make us fear the worst, when some object of our affection is placed in jeopardy. On the present occasion Eli recollected his own indifference to the cause with which the ark was associated — his not restraining his sons when they made themselves vile. 2. Eli's heart trembled for the ark because of the vast deliverances it had, under God, achieved for his country. It blessed by its presence the house of Obed-edom — it overturned the walls of Jericho — it dashed from its strong pedestal the statue of Dagon — it opened a pathway through the Jordan's bosom, and smote by its presence the most powerful armies of the aliens. Has the Protestant, Church done less for us? 3. Eli trembled for the safety of the ark from his conviction, that it alone was the real cause of the prosperity and glory of his country. It was the standing memorial of the presence of Jehovah. 4. We may conceive that the associations with which the ark was connected in the mind of the aged priest made his heart most anxious about its safety. 5. The next reason we shall specify why Eli's heart trembled for the ark of the Lord was the intense affection which he felt towards it. (1) The inveteracy of the hatred entertained by the Church of Rome toward our Protestant ark is one great cause of fear. (2) Another cause for this trepidation — and one of the most painful — is found in the treachery of them, from whom identity of cause and past favours led us to anticipate very different conduct. (3) The last cause of trembling I shall specify is the want of the Spirit, and the habit of fervent and united prayer. (J. Cumming, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon 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. |
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