October 3, 2012
The Ark of God-----Part 1
1st Samuel 4:1-22
I Capturing the Ark
A. Israel's Mistake 4:1-11
B. Israel's Heartbreak 4:12-22
"In January, 1999, Dr. Mark Coppenger, the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, took a team on an unusual mission trip. It was a bicycle trip along the upper Nile River, in Egypt, from Luxor to Aswan. Escorted by the Egyptian tourist police, they rode more than 152 miles, in 4 days. They distributed literature telling about their cycling team, as well as evangelistic tracts, and scripture portions, to the Egyptian people they met, in the many small towns, along the way.
Dr. Coppenger had provided the team, with a specially designed t-shirt, which was printed with the logo of the seminary on the back, and the silhouette of a large cross, against a colorful background, on the front. In the hearts and minds of the bikers, they wore the cross t-shirts to remember who they belonged to, and just why it was so important to spread His good news. To the people they came in contact with, the cross was a symbol of the team's faith in Almighty God-----it was a visible sign, that introduced them to the Lord's invisible presence and His redeeming grace.
Dr. Coppenger brought along an instant camera, so he could take pictures of the local folks, they met, with the team. In each photograph, he made sure that one of the team members, was standing dead in the center, so that anybody viewing the picture, would automatically have his eyes drawn to the cross. Then he would give away the pictures to the local people. His prayer was, that long after the missionary team had gone on to the next town, and eventually home to America, that the proud owner of the photo would look at it, and not only see his friends, who had visited, but he would see that cross, and would remember, that it was a symbol of the Savior, who had died and resurrected, to save the whole world from their sin.
Religious symbols can be a powerful testimony of a person's faith. But those same symbols can also be abused and misunderstood. The Israelites misunderstood the purpose of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was the symbol of God's presence with His people and it pointed to the glory and power of God, but it was not God.
And the Israelites had to learn that they couldn't manipulate God's presence, by carrying the Ark into their battles, or moving it, wherever they pleased. God didn't intend for it to be treated like a trophy or a curiosity, or a good-luck charm. The people were supposed to come before the Ark with reverence and respect, but they had long ago, lost sight of the glory of God, and they had forgotten, that He was all-powerful, all-knowing and ever-present. God had to remind them, in ways that they could understand, who He was and what He expected from them-------- and it was a lesson that He had to teach the Philistines too.
Capturing the Ark:
A. Israel's Mistake
It is the most common thing in the world for human beings to long for God's power-----we all know people who don't really understand anything about faith, and yet, when push comes to shove, they believe that God is powerful. And even believers spend a lot of effort, trying to figure out a way to make God's power work for us.
I think that's part of the reason why "religion", even a man-made one, is so enticing for most people. A non-believing businessman, weighted down by anxieties, problems and decisions, may, in a desperate moment, pray for God's power to somehow keep him afloat, and to give him success, and even to inhibit his competitors. If his prayers are somehow answered, then the businessman will see value in praying. A gravely ill person, who has never prayed before, will find themselves, desperately begging God, to use His power of healing, to make them well again. If prayer can do that, then the sick person will see the value of having "religion" as part of their lives. A student, who hasn't gone to church all semester, will find themselves, as they approach exams, throwing up prayers, for God to make the questions easy, and to give the student total recall, and to make the teacher curve generously. If they get a good grade, the student will see, if only for a minute, the value of spending some time in prayer.
"Religion" is nothing more than humans attempting to harness God's power. That's why there has always been a bewildering number and range of religions, in every generation. But the tragedy, of the religions of the world is, that that's all they are, just man-made guesses, on how to access God's power. And the guesses are random, uncertain, confusing, contradictory and even bizarre---- using an array of activities, which range from crystals to fasting and from meditation to sacramental offerings. Formal or intellectualized religion is the worst tragedy of all----because it reduces the power of God, to a concept or an idea.
We need to understand that "religion" will never get us anything and it will never get us anywhere------the only way that we can access God's power is for Him to give it to us, for a purpose that pleases Him. There is a difference in having "religion" and in having "faith in God". When we have faith, we are admitting that we can't do anything in our own strength, and we are declaring, that we believe that God, in His sovereign will, can do everything. We are declaring that we know, that the power that raised Jesus from the cross, is the same power that God wants to give us, so that we can be the women that He has created us to be, with hearts, who long to be, in close fellowship with Him, all the time. The Israelites and the Philistines both had "religion", but neither people group, except for the Israelite remnant, at the time of this story, had true faith, which carries with it, the understanding, that God wields His power, when and how and why He wants to.
In chapters 4, 5 and 6, Samuel isn't mentioned---so we can only assume that for some reason, he was either not a part of the decision making, or the elders and the people weren't listening to him yet------
In this passage, the Israelites and the Philistines went to war against each other-------it isn't clear who or what instigated the hostilities-------but who started it, doesn't really matter----what matters, is that there is no indication that God had led or directed them to fight----there is no evidence that they sought God's will, at all, in the matter. This would have been their (1) first valuable lesson to learn----- if God doesn't tell us to do something, don't do it! Deuteronomy 12:12 tells us "not to burn our sacrifices where God hasn't told us to."This is a lesson for us in every aspect of our lives, because the truth is, we are not supposed to take one step, on any given day that God doesn't tell us too.
We go about our daily business, doing the things that we think we have to do, and there are many, many days that we do them, without talking to the Lord about them first.
We have to remember that we are we are engaged in a spiritual war, every single moment of every single day----and that the enemy that we fight, is an unseen one----and that, that invisibility, is what makes satan such an unpredictable adversary. That's why it's so important, that we put on the full armor, that God has given us, before our feet even hit the floor, each morning------Ephesians 6:14-18 says that we are to "put on the belt of truth around our waists; and the breastplate of righteousness, on our bodies; and the gospel of peace, on our feet; and we are to take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, into our hands; and we are to put the helmet of salvation on our heads; and that we are to pray in the Spirit, at all times and on ever occasion, and that we are to stay alert and be persistent in our prayers for all believers everywhere." If we do this, there will be no doubt, that we will witness God's power and be privileged to see Him work.
There were 2 battles. The initial one went badly for the Israelites-----4000 of them were killed. When the results of the battle were reported to the elders, they asked the right question---"Why did the Lord allow them to be defeated by the Philistines?" The problem was, they didn't stop to listen to His answer. If they had, they would have learned their (2)second valuable lesson------without God, all our efforts, to do anything, are doomed to failure. In God's covenant relationship with His people, the stipulation was, that all their battles were to be fought under God's rules of war. A war that God was involved in, was a Holy war and it had clear, preparation specifications: they were to consult God, to see if it was His will; they were to trust Him, as their sovereign king, to lead them; and they were supposed to have a solemn, consecration ceremony, before the Ark of the Covenant, which included prayer, confession of sins and sacrificial cleansing, by the high priest, on behalf of the warriors.
The Israelites hadn't done this for the first battle, and instead of figuring out what they had done wrong, and going back and righting the wrong, before the second battle------the elders jumped to a foolish conclusion and they tried to offer their own solution------which was the (3) 3rd valuable lesson they needed to learn-------God doesn't need us to fight His battles-----He allows us to be a part of His work, and He chooses to use us in His plan, because of His great grace, but He doesn't need us for anything.
They made the really ridiculous, and truthfully, horrifyingly, sinful decision, to fetch the Ark of the covenant from Shiloh, and bring it to the camp, so it could go with them, when they fought again. The people had forgotten that the Ark was the representation of God's presence, His Shekinah-glory, dwelling there, with them. It wasn't God, Himself! It was just a beautiful box. They thought that they had god-in-a-box, and that He could be directed and brought to, wherever they decided to bring Him. They saw the Ark, unfortunately, as a substitute for God----which was their (4) 4th lesson----there is no substitute for God. The people of God, put their trust in a religious symbol! Their lack of spiritual insight was appalling! Apparently, they thought they could manipulate the very presence and power of God, by being in control of the Ark. They had traded their very personal God, living in their midst, for a god-in-the-box, that they thought they could control.
And that brings us to the (5) 5th lesson they had to learn-----which was, that God's power and His presence cannot be controlled or presumed upon by us! We can not put God in a box, or in an order of worship, or in a type of music, or in a building. There is nothing we can do to control His power.
We, without even realizing it, sometimes, tend to rely on rituals and symbols and traditions and habits and methods and even respected people, in our worship and our daily walk with the Lord, just hoping that it will guarantee the Lord's blessing on us. We need to learn, just like the Israelites did, that the only way that God will release His Shekinah-Glory into our midst, and will show us His redeeming power, is if we will humble ourselves, seek His face, and follow His will. The object, of our faith, must be God---- not crosses, church buildings, sunday morning attendance, bible studies, financial giving or service. We need to reject anything, by which we knowingly, or unknowingly, try to make God accomplish our will.
At first, the Philistines were terrified when they heard the great shout that came from the Israelite camp, when the Ark arrived. The Phillistines thought that the God of Israel, had come into the camp, to help the Israelites fight against them. They had heard all about what God done with the plagues in Egypt, and about the parting of the Red Sea, and the early conquest of Canaan. Instead of making them turn tail and run, though, it just made them dig in and fight harder. They didn't know, and they didn't understand, that God was going to let them win the 2nd battle too, not because of their military might, but because He wanted to use them, to take the Israelites to the end of themselves, so that He could bring them back to Himself. When God allows a problem to come into our lives, it may be that He is trying to show us a hidden sin or a sinful attitude, that we're harboring in our hearts. And He will use these experiences to teach us the hard way, to trust, only and completely, in Him. If God doesn't prevent something from happening----He is allowing it----and their is a purpose for it, that will eventually be for our greater good----because Romans 8:28 says "that God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."
3 disastrous events resulted from the futility of the Israelties trying to manipulate God that day:
1.) The Israelites lost, 4000 men in the first battle and then, either 70 or 30,000 men, in the 2nd battle; theologians aren't sure which it was, because the ancient manuscripts differ from each other, when they list the exact number killed. It makes more sense, that it was 30,000, because the audacity of what the Israelites did, in presuming to manipulate God, through the use of the Ark of the covenant, deserved a harsh punishment----and while losing any life is grievous----it doesn't seem like 70 lives lost, would have been enough of a judgement. But the bottom line is, they lost the battle.
2.)Eli' s sons, Hophni and Phinehas lost their lives that day. They were the leaders of the Israelite people and it was their responsibility, as Levites, to carry the Ark of the covenant, if it was ever on the move. So, it wasn't happenstance, that they died on the very day, that they grossly overestimated their authority, to bring the Ark into the camp, without God's permission. God will not be mocked. He will always do what He promises that He will, and He will do it when the time is exactly right, so that it can have the most import and influence. The deaths of Hophni and Phinehas, were the fulfillment, of a promise of God. God's power is not at our disposal; God's power is God's power!
3.) The Ark of the covenant was captured and ripped from their control. The wonderful, visible, physical reminder, that they were God's people and that He dwelt in their midst, was lost to them---- and it would be 20 years before they would get it back. The Ark of the covenant was so much more than a religious object. It was the God-given bearer of the promise of God! We also have the promise of God. But it is no longer written on stone tablets in a gold-plated box. The bearer of God's promises came to us, through flesh and blood, in the person of Jesus Christ.
B. Israel's Heartbreak 4:12-22
A Benjamite messenger escaped, and ran the 20 miles back to Shiloh, to let the people, and Eli, know what had happened. His clothes were torn and he had dirt on his head. Both of these were signs of mourning. And there must have been tears streaming down His face, and sorrow in His eyes and on his countenance, as well. The outcry from the town of Shiloh, where he went first, must have struck terror in blind Eli's heart, as he sat waiting at the gate, for news from the battlefield. The messenger first told Eli, that the Israelites had lost the battle and had suffered many casualties, next, he told him that Hophne and Phinehas had been killed, and last, he told him that the Ark had been captured. We don't know how he reacted, to the first two pieces of news, but the scripture tells us, that the news about the Ark killed him. He fell of his chair and broke his neck.
I believe that Eli knew full-well----that God had taken His glory out of the Tabernacle, long before his wicked sons had taken the Ark to the Battlefield, and I believe that he knew that God's glory was not in the Ark, and that God's time of judgment, for the Israelites, had just begun. I believe that the news of the withdrawal of God, from their midst, was more than Eli could take-----death must have been a relief, from his grief.
Phinehas's wife died in childbirth, but before she did, she named her son Ichabod, which means "where is the glory?" She believed that the glory of God had left Israel, because of the death of her husband and her father-in-law and the capture of the ark. But the truth is, God had removed His glory, from their midst, because Israel had sinned against Him, by disobeying His commands and refusing to acknowledge Him for who He was.
But God's glory was still God's glory, and He chose to withdraw His hand from them, only to show them what they were missing; He withdrew His hand, so that the loss of it, would draw them back to Him. In spite of what they thought, in spite of their defeat and in spite of the capture of the Ark---God had not abandoned His children----He was just calling them to repentance. Sometime that has to happen-----sometimes, we have to go through a time of wilderness, a time of separation, a time of aloneness, to realize what we're missing-----but the amazing thing is, God doesn't really go away from us----He doesn't take His eye off us-----He's always there, just waiting, with His hands outstretched, to welcome our return to His arms and to His grace. And He was using the Philistines and the battles, to clear the way, for Samuel, His faithful priest, to lead the people back to His glory and His presence; and to establish His kingdom.
We are so blessed to live on this side of the cross-----because God's glory, is alive in the Lord Jesus and if we belong to Him, His power and His presence live in us, through His Holy Spirit----- and we don't ever have to be afraid that He will take it away from us. He promises that He will never, ever leave us-----even when we sin against Him, even when we disappoint him, even when we don't trust Him, even when we turn away from Him, even when we stray into a wilderness of our own making, and even when we disobey Him----He will never leave us. God will always respond to the faith of anyone who will seek Him.
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