#soap # 1 Samuel 04 ## Title: Judgment Eventually Comes ## Scripture: (1 Samuel 4:22) She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.” (NET) ## Observation: God had been warning the nation of Israel to return to Him. They had been on a predictable cycle throughout the entire book of Judges. Sin, judgment, repentance, deliverance. What happened in this chapter is God fulfilling His promises. All the promises of God are true, including the bad ones. As parents, we put boundaries in our kids’ lives so they know where the good path is. When they stray, the only way to get them back on the good path is a series of warnings… then consequences. For a parent, the goal is never the consequences. The consequences are necessary only when warnings are unheeded. This is the unfortunate truth in our lives as well. ## Application: Stay on the path! ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for leading us with a Father’s heart.