Quick - Send for the Ark!

The story in Judges 4 - 6 is one of the saddest in Israeli history. I don't know what got into the minds of the elders of Israel, but they had the brilliant idea of bringing the Ark of the Covenant into battle with the Philistines thinking that "it may come among us save us from the power of our enemies." (4:3) What were they thinking?

The Ark was taken, of course, and the battle lost. You can't superstitiously use God as a magic talisman to do your bidding. You can't put God in a box. Perhaps they saw the Ark used at Jericho and thought that was some kind of formula for using God's power. There is no formula. You don't use God, He uses you.

So, interestingly enough, once the Ark goes to the Philistines all kinds of bad things happen to them. I think that may be where the scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark came from - you know - where the Nazi symbol is burned black and where the beautiful-then ugly creatures come out and attack the Nazis who opened the Ark?

So what's the difference? Well, for one thing, I think that while the Israelites denigrated Yahweh - knowing full well who He was - the Philistines thought they had captured a god and put him on par with Dagon, their god. They didn't know Yahweh, but soon found out.

Yahweh will compete with no one, so that's why Dagon and his followers suffered. It wasn't the Ark as much as the Lord of the Ark.

So what's the lesson? Religious rituals, beads, rote prayers, or even just using God's name indiscriminately, will not get you anywhere but defeated. Call out to the Lord and through yourself on His mercy and allow Him to use you. He'll quickly turn defeat to His glory.

Pastor Tom