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“Then they said, ‘Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies’” (1 Samuel 4:3, NLT).
Insight
Every man has a battle. That place where he is attacked. At times he wins and at times he is defeated. The stakes are high. Like Israel’s battle with the Philistines, the fight is for freedom. The loser is enslaved. So, “Stand up like men and fight” (1 Samuel 4:9, NLT).
In battle, men need power. We need the strength to resist sin and the temptations that want to so easily entangle us. We need wisdom and the ability to discern Truth from lies. We need the inner might to chose right from wrong. Overcoming the lusts, cravings and desires of our flesh takes Divine power. What battle are you facing and are you empowered to fight and win?
The fatal error the Israelites made in their battle was seeking from the Ark of God that which only fellowship with God could bring. They believed the Ark could “save us from our enemies” (4:3). Arks don’t save, God does. So, they were defeated because they carried into battle a form of God or godliness rather than the strength that comes from fellowship and following after God Himself.
2 Timothy 3:5 tells us that in the last days people “will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.” In other words, they have a form of godliness but fail to walk in the power of God. These forms fail men in battle. They are of no value against the flesh (Col 2:23).
We need God’s power. It comes from fellowship with Him. As we follow Him, we walk in strength to deny ourselves and take up our cross. In Him is strength for our inner man to walk in the Spirit and be led by Him. What will you carry into battle?
Prayer
Father, You know the battle(s) I face. I need Your strength to fight and win. As I draw near to You, draw near to me and fill me with Your power. I will follow you and listen to Your voice. In Jesus name, AMEN.
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Can one trust in the Lord to provide and protect while willfully disobeying Him. I think Chapter 3 answers this question with an exclamation point.
ReplyDeleteIn these ancient times, prior to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in each person individually, God usually responded with blessing or curse to the entire Hebrew nation in accordance with the faithfulness of the leadership. In this book of I Samuel, it seems that the leadership of Eli and his sons was quite lacking. They openly defiled the Lord with their disregard for their priestly duties and behavior, and Eli in particular enabled their activity. I think this was probably representative of a general apathy amoung the people regarding faithful adherence to the law.
It's hard to fault the army however...The ark had led them in the wilderness, across the Jordon River and had been marched around the city of Jericho in that great victory..They had just gotten their butts kicked and they called upon the power of God in the ark to lead them to another victory. Unfortunately, willful disobedience by the leadership caused God to, in my perhaps lone opinion, to cause the defeat of the Israelite army. They lost not because they relied on the ark but because their leadership relied upon their flesh..God did what he intended to do and that was to kill Eli's sons!!
Now it almost seems unfair for those fighting the battle to pay for the sins of the leadership but it seems it was how God chose to deal with the people as a whole at times...I'm sure there were few "innocent" people and for them, death simply allowed them entry into the presence of God.
I thought it was interesting that the name of one of Eli's grandson's was Ichabod. In the book "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", Ichabod was a TEACHER who presented on the outside as one having strict moral rules but who in private was only interested in gratifying his own selfish desires...Seems to describe Eli and his sons pretty well...coincidence?