Thursday, January 19, 2017

What is it about Shiloh

I have not found out a whole lot about Shiloh through history..namely Google...but I was reading about it in the Bible. Shiloh was the place where the Tabernacle was set up after the land was divided. Joshua 18:18 . Also they were before the Lord in Shiloh Joshua 19:51 . In I Samuel , the Tabernacle was still in Shiloh when Hannah took Samuel to live with Eli in the House of God. I Samuel 1 . I Samuel 4 , Israel goes to fight the Philistines and loses , so they decide to take the Ark of the Covenant out to battle along with the sons of Eli , who were priests, so they would win. They lost ! The Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines. Hophni and Phineas , the sons of Eli, were killed. Up to this point Shiloh was the Holy City. The Ark was there. The High Priest Eli was there. Shiloh was the chosen city. So then what ? Eli hears the news about the Ark and his sons, and he falls over and dies. The Philistines have lots of trouble with this Ark. They get very sick! They know it's because they have this Ark so they send it back on a cart being pulled by oxen. No man on the cart guiding it. So where do the oxen go ? To Shiloh? No ! They go to Bethshemesh! Then it goes to Kirjathjearem. I am not sure where it went after that, but not to Shiloh. And Shiloh wasn't even chosen after that. Jerusalem was chosen as the center, the place for the Temple. Some say Shiloh means peace or rest or peaceful. What happened in Shiloh actually? Remember Hophni and Phineas killed in battle? And that the Philistines won the battle ? Here's what those 2 priests were like. They committed adultery with the women who gathered at the the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. They were called sons of Belial. They took of the sacrificial meat for themselves, that which was meant for the Lord. They hated the offering of the Lord. It says that the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord. How about the father, Eli? God said Eli honored his sons above honoring the Lord. He knew about the sins of his sons and did not stop them. Nobody repented! God forgives those who repent but in this case nobody repented ! There was drastic punishment not only for Eli and his sons but Israel . What happened to Shiloh itself. Well, it's gone. All I could find out is that perhaps the Philistines destroyed it after they conquered Eben Ezer but that has not been proven. Shiloh is hardly talked about today. The all important city of the east is Jerusalem. The Bible talks about it alot. Jerusalem became the city of David, the chosen city of God for the earthly Kings to dwell and then the coming real KING to dwell in the Millenium. So, what is the point of my little writing ? The point is DON'T try to get away with sin. You may be OK for now and it may seem that you are getting away with sin but there is always punishment or consequence. Jerusalem today, is definitely not a holy city as far as their lifestyle. God sees ! Their time of punishment is coming which God calls The Great Tribulation or Jacob's Trouble. Yet, there is Good News ! Jesus is the Good News! He has a plan of Salvation all set up for us to be forgiven and have a relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He came to bear the sin of the whole world. Salvation is a gift and yet we must receive it. (click on the empty picture and a picture of Shiloh will pop up).