The pattern repeats, but the promise remains:

The relationship began:

Genesis 15:4a And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him

 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

It is an unconditional promise to Abraham

The fellowship (close intimate presence) and power, began at the tabernacle:

Exodus 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

Exodus 40:33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

Exodus 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Then:

I Samuel 4:17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

 22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

When the ark left Shiloh, they were defeated, the ark was taken, the power and fellowship was gone (Ichabod)

But not the relationship, it remained, because it was based on an unconditional promise.

(Numbers 23:21a He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel)

The fellowship and power were restored:

II Samuel 6:9b How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

 12b So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.

II Samuel 6:15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

 17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

Then the relationship was confirmed:

II Samuel 7:4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,

 5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

Then he was betrayed:

II Samuel 15:13 And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

 14a And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee

 31a And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.

He earlier was the most popular person in Israel

But now marched out of Jerusalem, a despised and rejected king

No gratitude is shown to him by the multitudes of Israel, for all that he had done for them

He left Jerusalem & crossed the brook Kidron:

II Samuel 15:23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

He left from the mount of Olives:

II Samuel 15:30 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

With only a small number of witnesses

His apparent defeat by the enemy:

II Samuel 16:15 And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

It appeared to be a kingly Ichabod

His familiar friend Ahithophel went to the enemy

One of his men wanted to cut off a head:

II Samuel 16:9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

Cursing and slander were against him:

II Samuel 16:5b Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.

 7 And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:

His friend that helped the enemy hung himself

II Samuel 17:23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he … hanged himself, and died

The fellowship and power were gone, but not the relationship, the LORD had sworn to David

But the king returned:

II Samuel 19:10b Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?

 15a So the king returned

Glory entered the temple: power and fellowship

I Kings 8:1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel … that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD

 10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

 11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

But after they backslid away, the glory departed

Ezekiel 9:3a And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house.

 18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims.

 19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight … and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

Then the glory left from the mount of Olives

Ezekiel 11:23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

(Zechariah 14:4a … the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east)

Then Israel was defeated

Ichabod: the glory departed

The presence, fellowship, and power were gone

But not the relationship, as the promise to Abraham was unconditional, and was confirmed by the prophets, including Nathan to David

But hadn't the fellowship and power returned?

The Lord came back to his temple:

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

But when they rejected him, also, the presence, fellowship, and power departed, and the temple was again left desolate:

Matthew 23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Then he also departed from the temple:

Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple:

Then he also went to the mount of Olives:

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately

He also crossed the brook Cedron:

John 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

Then he also was was betrayed by someone close

He also earlier had been the most popular person in Israel, a few days before.

But now also to be marched out of Jerusalem, a despised and rejected king.

No gratitude will be shown to him, also, by the multitudes of Israel, for all that he had done for them.

He also went to the mount of Olives, with only a small number of witnesses

His familiar friend also went to the enemy

One of his men, also, wanted to cut off a head:

John 18:10a Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear.

(clearly the man ducked his head to the side)

Cursing and slander were against him:

Mark 14:70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

 71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

His friend, with the enemy, also hung himself:

Matthew 27:3a Then Judas,

 5b went and hanged himself.

All this, also, appeared to be a Kingly Ichabod

The glory departed again from the mount of Olives:

Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

 12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet

Afterwards Israel was again defeated

Ichabod

Israel will repent

The King will return to the mount of Olives

Zechariah 14:4a And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives

Then to the temple:

Ezekiel 44:1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut.

 2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.

4b and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.

When we sin we lose his fellowship and power:

Ichabod

But when we return to him, he returns to us

Because we don’t lose our relationship with him

It is an unconditional promise, if we’re saved

We should ask ourselves, are we saved?

If yes, then it is forever!