I Samuel 4:3: “And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.”
“As the airliner was about to crash the flight attendant pleaded over the intercom for any clergy on board to do something religious. A Catholic priest said the rosary, a rabbi recited the Shamah and a Charismatic preacher collected an offering.” Unknown (Not me).
Some translations will render this verse: “Why has the Lord let the Philistines defeat us.” However, this is not in a cohortative form. It is not why God let them be defeated, the nation of Israel is asking: “Why did God defeat us? Israel was shocked that God had let them down. I am surprised too, the only sin that is mentioned is with the house of Eli and his corrupt sons running the worship services. Is God punishing the whole nation because of the sins of the religious leadership? Perhaps the next move by Israel is a clue as to the heart of the nation which shows they were no better than their leadership.
The elders said: “Let us take the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us.” The word for take or fetch is lakach which is taking possession or control of something that is not rightfully yours. They then added the word: elinu which is rendered unto us. Using this form suggest a play on words for our god. In other words they were saying they would seize control of the ark of the covenant to be a god for them. Then they said that it might save us. Some translations will say that he might save us. That is fair for there is no neuter pronoun in Hebrew, but the syntax does suggest that the elders are saying it as a reference to the ark of the covenant and not He or God will save us.
Think about it. The most sacred object in the land, the object where the very presence of God rested became an idol, a god. They knew enough to know that the ark could only be carried by a priest and they either bribed or forced the sons of Eli to carry the ark into battle. However, they did not know enough to know that it really didn’t matter for apparently the presence of God was not going to manifest itself at this time on the ark. The Midrash Rabbah suggests that the nation of Israel was to consult the ark. Apparently, they did not need to carry the ark into battle, only consult with God through it as to what to do in battle. In other words, the elders had the right idea, but the wrong approach.
I find in many churches today, well why throw rocks at the church, I will use myself as an example. In my own life when I enter into battle and get defeated and crawl back licking my wounds, I begin to ask: “God, why did you let me down?” Poor God, he gets it in the neck everytime. Then just like Israel I go and seize the Ark. I start to carry my Bible around, I make sure I read it every day, I read prayers by people who have been successful and I try to imitate their prayers making sure I follow the right procedure in my prayers. I play only religious tapes and listen to only spiritual songs. I begin praising and worshipping because I have heard that brings the power and presence of God. I am then ready to go back into battled. I now have the Ark with me and I am certain that it will save me, yet I end up suffering even a worst defeat.
So what went wrong? I did all the right things. I did everything the preachers told me to do. I prayed prayers like those who had their answers. I followed all the formulas and check lists to get my prayers answered, and nothing. What did I do wrong?
Like Israel, I had the right idea, but the wrong approach. All my Bible study, my prayers, and all the religious things I performed did about as much good to keep the plane from crashing as the prayers and offerings of the clergy on the plane. All my good religious practices were elinu for me, or a god to me. They were used to bribe God but not to consult God.
Sometimes the enemy can use even the most sacred thing in our lives to deflect us away from the heart of God. That little cross we carry in our pocket or around our necks become objects to ward off vampires and evils things rather than a serving as a simple reminder of the one we love.
You know I began my search for the heart of God because I thought it was a noble thing to do. I thought God would really be impressed and would grant my every request. After seven years of searching for the heart of God I did not become prosperous, famous, healthy or any of the other blessings I hoped to receive for my noble effort. Instead I fell in love with Jesus and I no longer desired those earthly blessing, I only desired to see Him and hug Him.
I think I’m still in the bribing mode. I do enjoy intake of scripture, your readings, Jesus Calling, some sermons, and a few others, but I fear too much of it is in the hope that it will insulate me from suffering. I’m embarrassed to admit that actually. I see too much of my natural self wanting to be preserved and kept comfortable. Do I really want the heart of God, to love Him only and enjoy His love in return? Yes, my spiritual self does but the natural self still struggles to hold on and control. This reading today brings that reality to my face once again and I need it. The bible refers to the natural self as the flesh but I find that term doesn’t fit. My flesh is just my body. My natural self, on the other hand, is all my earthward tendencies that are not toward God but away from Him. So my natural and spiritual selves continue to battle. Some days one wins and other days the other wins. And of course, some days are mixed. At any rate, I’ve farther to go in taking the arc of God into my heart than I’d like to be but God will prevail. I’ve increasingly become aware of how much my cultural influence and training still has strongholds. I cannot break them on my own. I need Jesus to save me from them. I wish it could be done all at once but find that it is a progressive thing. Two steps forward, one back, and sometimes two steps forward, three back. Then I see my natural self get angry at God and have a tantrum, like it’s doing now in a present circumstance. Having major depression makes the battle more fierce, as the pull of the natural is stronger and more complex. Yet I know it is God doing the battle for me or, at least, with me. Help me, Jesus.