The Secret Weapon

Passage: 1 Samuel 4:1-11

You’d think they would know better. If there’s one lesson God has given his people again and again it’s this: don’t substitute me with any object or person. All of God’s instruction hangs on this principle. Yet this is one command that God’s people just can’t keep. At the beginning of 1 Samuel the Israelites are at war. They’re fighting their arch-nemeses, the Philistines. And it’s a losing battle. In indignation the Israelite soldiers say, “Where’s God when we need him? How can we get God’s attention?” They’ve gone to war against pagans enough to know their winning strategy: bring your gods to the battle front. It seems to be working for the Philistines. The Israelites have a religious object of their own, and figure it can’t hurt to use it to their advantage. They send for the ark. Hophni and Phineas, Eli the priest’s corrupt sons, bring the Ark to the Israelite battle camp. The troops go crazy; they rush into battle, convinced that their secret weapon – God – will ensure their victory.

They couldn’t be more wrong. God isn’t with them. In fact, they’ve done the thing that will guarantee that God isn’t with them. They’ve treated the Ark like an idol – a God-substitute. And they’ve believed that by manipulated God’s symbolic throne they can manipulate God. God won’t be manipulated. The Israelite army is decimated, and the Ark captured by their enemies.

What’s the lesson for us? The same old lesson: don’t substitute God with any person or object. Don’t expect religious objects or rites or incantations or prayers to confer God’s blessing on your plans. You can’t make God do what you want. Commit yourself to what God wants. Let his plans become your plans. That’s where the blessing lies.