USERS OF GOD

Reference text: 1 Samuel 4:1-11

1 Samuel 4:10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents.

Contrary to their expectations, the presence of the ark of the covenant in the camp of Israel did not mitigate against the slaughter that followed. Unfortunately, 30000 foot soldiers were slaughtered and that was about an eight-fold increase from the first battle where 4000 were killed.

The question, therefore, arising is “what effect did the presence of the ark achieve?” Based on the outcome we see, not much was achieved because they brought God to use Him as an accessory in their war. What seemed like honour and worship was actually dishonour to God.

When the ark entered the camp there was a mighty shout as though to say “victory has been guaranteed”. At least that was what the nation of Israel had in mind, but that was all in their head. We are often sidetracked into a sense of irresponsibility the very moment we “secure the presence of God”. The place of effort, engagement, and fight seems to disappear.

All of a sudden, we expect God to suddenly arise and get to work as the miracle worker, while we stand aside as precious recipients of the outcomes of his dealings. We have to come to terms with the truth that God is sovereign, He is not a magician who goes to work at the wave of our hand.

#sly