PODCAST

Not In A Box

June 12th, 2012

RG AUDIO 0612121 Samuel 4:12-22

Things could not get worse. The Israelites had been defeated, not once, but twice. Eli’s sons were killed in battle. But perhaps the worst news of all was that the ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines. This was too much for Eli. He fell backward, broke his neck, and died. His daughter-in-law came to the only possible conclusion: “The glory has departed from Israel” (1 Sam. 4:22a).

The question everyone was wondering was “Where was God in all this?”

The reality was that God was teaching them a lesson. The Israelites had come to depend on the ark instead of depending on God. The people had put their trust in a physical object instead of the unseen God who provided for them through many years. By allowing the ark to be taken, God provided the opportunity for the people to really put their trust in him.

God’s presence does not rest within an object, even a sacred object. God’s presence rests in our relationship with him.