TD Jakes - The Principles of New Beginnings
In this transformative message from 1 Samuel on Israel's defeat by the Philistines and the birth of Ichabod, God uses a "great beatdown"—severe crisis and loss—to humble His people, strip mixed idolatry, and force surrender, paving the way for new beginnings when we pour out like water in repentance and seek Him fully.
Mixed Worship and Impending Crisis
The children of Israel had gotten a culture where they came and they worshiped and they served God and they had a little idolatry, had a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a little bit of the other all mixed in together.
But when God raised up Samuel he said, "I'm getting ready to do the great beatdown". The great beatdown comes when the Philistines come against the children of Israel.
Battles will break down culture. When you get into a battle, when you get in a battle that beats you down to the ground, it will make you change.
Let me bring this to light where you can get it. You might have somebody who's addicted in your family. No matter how much you want them to get off drugs, you cannot make them get off drugs.
You cannot make lazy people go to work. You cannot make mouthy people shut up. God knows exactly where to allow the battle to break out to bring you to a point that you say, "I yield, I surrender".
My sister just got to sing it. God knows how to make you say yes. So he used the Philistines, and the children of Israel said, "Oh, we're not scared of the Philistines. We're gonna knock them out".
And so the children of Israel got excited and they started shouting. And the Philistines were afraid when they heard the children of Israel shout. But every shout is not a victory shout.
It was a shout of presumption that if they brought the ark of the covenant down like they had always done, that just bringing the ark of the covenant down, that God would be on their side.
Presumption Leads to Defeat
Now, bear in mind, they're trying to use God over their culture. They're trying to use God over their culture. There are some of you that don't really serve the Lord but you come to church because you need God to give you a hook-up because you're trying to get your light.
And you just bring the ark of the covenant down here, I'll get the victory. If I just go to church, I'll get the victory. I'm not gonna serve him Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. But I'll just give him a little bit of Jesus will make it all right. I say, a little bit of Jesus will make it all right.
So when you get in trouble, you add a little bit of Jesus and it'll make it all right. And they started shouting and the Philistines were afraid. But they weren't so afraid they wouldn't fight.
So the enemy might be afraid when you shout but that doesn't mean he won't attack you. He attacked them anyway. And thirty thousand men died. Thirty thousand.
Thirty thousand is if we put out chairs and filled this church up three times, there'd be thirty thousand people. Imagine that many people dead in the valley. That's a beatdown. That's a terrible beatdown.
Thirty thousand women lost their husbands and their sons. Thirty thousand families went into grief and mourning.
And there Eli is waiting at home to get the praise report. And one man survived to come back and tell Eli what happened. And Eli said, "I hear the noise in the valley. What's gone on"?
And they told Eli, "30,000 people died". And Eli was sitting on his throne. He was sitting on his throne. Thirty thousand people died and he sat through it.
And they said, "Eli, both your sons are dead". And that had to hurt real bad. But he sat through it. And they said, "And they stole the ark of the covenant".
And when they told Eli that they had stole the ark of the covenant, the Bible said he fell backwards and broke his neck because for the ark of the covenant to depart, that was what they were counting on, that was what always brought them through. The presence of God was gone.
Eli fell backwards and broke his neck. Now, the way he fell is prophetic. He fell backwards and broke his neck. It is God saying, "Two things have to happen in Israel. You have to go back to serving me like you used to and I'm gonna cut the head off".
He fell backwards and broke his neck.
[h2]Birth Amidst Death: Ichabod
Living child from dying mother—new beginnings emerge from dead places when humbled.
Why celebrate the beatdown?
Best place for turnaround—teaches listening/learning; positions for great victory.
What contrast before/after beatdown?
Before: presumptuous shouting; after: fear, prayer, intercession—faith + works.
How to have a new beginning?[/h4>
Clean out idols, humble/pour out, fast/pray, seek God fully—He restores.
[h4]Why is some fear good?
Makes cautious/prepared (fear of Lord = wisdom)—overconfidence led to defeat.
What if going through a beatdown now?
God making you say "Yes"—turnaround coming; praise for it positions for victory.
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