READ: I Sam 4:1b – 5:12; Proverb 7:1-27
Verses chosen for meditation: I Sam 4:7- 8.
7The Philistines were afraid, for they said, for
they said,” A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For
nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of
these mighty gods?
REFLECT
The first few verses in this chapter recorded the defeated battle between the
Israelites and Philistines, which killed 4,000 men. The Israelites then questioned
why God had allowed them to be defeated by the enemies. They believe they lost
because they did not bring the Ark of the Covenant along. So, they decided to
bring the Ark with the presence of Eli’s (Eli was a priest of Shiloh) two sons,
Hophni and Phinehas. When the Ark was brought out of the tent before the
Israelites soldiers, a great shout resounded from the camp.
The Philistines soldiers heard the uproar triumphant shout
from the Israelite camp. When they learnt that it was the Ark being brought in,
they were afraid because they could recall the mighty works of the Israel’s God.
Oh, I must compliment the Philistines here; at least they recognised the mighty
acts of Yahweh and that He is far greater than their own gods (v.7- 8). Seems
that they knew Yahweh better than the Israelites!
As a result, the Philistines were more motivated to fight the
battle. Once again, they defeated the Israelites and slain 30,000 soldiers. Among
the dead were Hophni and Phinehas who were slain with the Ark of God, being captured
as trophy of war.
The question remains: Why did God allow His people to suffer the
defeats?
RELATE
Undoubtedly, the Ark is the glory of God and a holy article
not to be trifled with. The Ark is to be viewed as a representation of
God’s active presence (I Sam 4:4; Jer 3:16). It is not some sacred
superstitious objects, lucky charms, pictures or symbols to call upon for favours. The
Israelites took for granted and foolishly concluded that taking the Ark of God
to war was their guarantee of success. The Israelites failed to realise that Yahweh God is whom they need, not merely possessing the Ark alone. If we want
God to be on our side, we need to be obedient and repent from our sins (the sin of blaspheming God, I Sam 3:13-14, 17 by Eli’s two sons included).
Israelites’ trust was in the ark rather than in God Himself. The Israelites were
enthroning the Ark itself instead of Yahweh, God of wars and victories (Isaiah 42:13). It is common assumption for
believers to think that if an end result seems good to them, it must therefore
be God’s will or the reverse is true. This is a dangerous assumption to take, as Isaiah 55:8 reminds
us of God’s perspectives – His ways are higher than ours.
I am reminded of a lady who sleeps with a Bible below the pillow in her hotel room whenever she travels. She
related that the Bible has power and can protect any evil in the room. I have failed to understand why she doesn't ask the God of the Bible, instead of the Bible to guard her sleep
from evil. So, I guess she has missed the point completely. She seems to have some kind of superstition that
transforms helpful and God-given symbols/ objects into quasi-magical ways of
ensuring God’s favours. Trust God forward instead. Thanks be to God too that Jesus is now our ever-living Lord who matters the most.
REST
Sovereign Lord, You are ultimately the warrior
and are in control of every plan and battle. I desire to come to You in
fasting, prayers and consultation as part of the preparation to face our
battles. I want to trust in Your Sovereign big purposes, because You are my unchanging God.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment