Lessons from the Ark

Day two hundred thirty-two

This morning I am grateful for the Spirit in my life.  Last night I had the opportunity to speak at the Seminary Fireside about the Old Testament.  I had been praying about what to say for some time now.  My goal was to get the seminary families excited about reading the Old Testament and to help them see how important it is to our time.  I had spent a lot of time on a power point presentation, but I did not write out a talk.  I only had time to jot down some thoughts that had come to me.  Thank goodness for those thoughts and for the Spirit behind them!  The Lord did not let me down.  It was one of those moments in my life where I just put it in the Lord's hands and hoped that I could keep up with the direction He led me.  What a great way to start my week!

1 Samuel 4-6
In these chapters the Israelites and the Philistines are at war.  The Israelites are losing so they decide to bring the Ark to them in hopes that it will provide what they need to conquer the Philistines.  The plan backfires and the Ark is taken.    

Now the Philistines are thinking they are pretty awesome about now, but the Lord has some surprises for them too.  He causes enough trouble for them that after seven months of having the Ark and dealing with plagues and death, they decide it's time to give the Ark back to the Israelites and to make an offering with the return to please God.

The Israelites think things are looking up, the Ark is coming back to them, but it isn't that simple.  They aren't in good standing with the Lord and He lets them know it. 

What can we learn from these chapters?

The Ark is Taken (4:1-11)The IIsraelites trusted in the Ark instead of God (4:3). They trusted in things other than God.  It is God that has the power, not the object.  The Ark was a tool through which God could work, but He is not bound by the Ark.  The Israelites feared another defeat, but they turned to the object, when all they really needed to do was to turn to God. 

Sometimes we try to find answers to our problems in objects or things. Have you ever said, if only I had this or that my problems would be solved? I know I have, usually it's the want for more money in the lean times.  I've learned the hard way that this is the least effective way to solve my problems.  It always goes so much faster when I turn to the Lord first and trust Him.

You've Got to Follow the Rules  (4:1-11)
The Israelites forgot that there were some rules regarding the Ark.

•  God determined where the Ark went; it was not taken merely where they wanted to take it (Exodus 40:36).
• They were not to just walk in and take it (Leviticus 16:2).
• There was a proper procedure for war. Taking the Ark into battle was not one of them (Numbers 10:9).

I am so guilty of not following the rules all the time.  I want the results, but I don't always want to take the steps the Lord has put in place for me to receive those results.  I have been thinking a lot about this one while studying the topic of personal revelation.  I want the answer, but I don't always prepare myself to receive it!  This sometimes leads to the next topic...

Consequences can be Harsh (5:1-6:19)
God's judgment among the Philistines is a great example of consequences for bad decisions.  Because they take the Ark and place it before their god, Dagon, the Lord destroys their god and causes a disease of tumors and boils among the people.  He does this to cause a change in their attitudes and in their actions.

The Israelites also have a harsh lesson in keeping the rules.  When the Ark is returned to them some of the men look inside the Ark, a big no-no, and 50,070 men were killed (6:19)

I remember times in my life when I thought that the consequences were to severe for my actions.  The teenage years were filled with times that I thought I was being treated unfairly.  However, after years of experience and a little more wisdom, I can see that the consequences needed to be harsh enough to make me check my attitude.  I needed to change my heart and that takes something with great impact to do, especially in a teenager!  I can even see how these times changed the direction of my actions. It's too bad that it has taken me so long to finally understand!

It's amazing that the story of the Ark is still teaching God's people today.  It is still changing attitudes and the actions of His people.  That says something about the timeless lessons to be learned from the scriptures. That is power!