“The P’lishtim fought, Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. It was a terrible slaughter — 30,000 of Israel’s foot soldiers fell. Moreover, the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of ‘Eli, Hofni and Pinchas, died.”-1 Samuel 4:10-11
So Israel went back to battle against the Philistines confident they would win this time because they had the Ark of the Covenant with them.
The result?
3000 Israelite soldiers were slaughtered on the battlefield
The two sons of Eli the High Priest, Hophni and Pinchas were killed
And most tragic of all…
The Ark of God was captured!
Verse 10 informs us that…
“every man fled to his tent”.
That’s actually a Hebrew idiom.
The idea being communicated is that the defeat was so demoralizing the soldiers didn’t just flee the battle scene…
They decided to hang up their weapons and quit being soldiers for good.
So in one fell swoop we see that God had withdrawn his presence from Israel hook, line and sinker.
The big takeaway we shouldn’t overlook here is that the leadership of Israel was so misguided they thought they could force God to give them the victory simply by carrying the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them.
This goes to show the symbols of God mean NOTHING if we don’t have a relationship with God.
Minus God’s presence, the Ark was nothing but an elaborate and pricey wooden box.
The same goes for any other object that God used to channel His power through…
Like Moses’ staff for instance when he performed wonders in Egypt with it.
And the same goes for us today…
Without the supernatural indwelling of the Holy Spirit inside of us…
We are nothing but empty shells…
And are like mere mortals…
Subject to the temptations common to all men.
Over and out.
The Philistines did have a relationship with the God of Israel, and as such the Ark had a very powerful influence on them.
Their relationship was not one of worship and obedience, but rather one of animosity, as they were the arch enemies of God’s chosen people.
And the enemies of God’s people are the enemies of God!
That is why the Ark was so powerful when in their possession- toppling their gods, causing boils and sterility, and making their lives miserable.
As you say, Rich- it isn’t the things of God that have any power, but the relationship we have with God who empowers those things.
Interesting perspective…
The way you put it would imply that we all have a relationship with God then…
Either a COOPERATIVE relationship…
Or a DEFIANT relationship…