2002-01-01
Good Morning Fellow Faithful Ones,
As I continue writing about Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, the story of the capture of the Covenant Box from 1 SAM 4: 1-10 helps to demonstrate two important lessons He wants us to learn. These lessons are that that 1) we need to seek Him out, so He is present with us when we face challenges, and 2) our agenda must be in line with His agenda for us to succeed. 1 SAM 4: 1-4, “At that time the Philistines gathered to go to war against Israel, so the Israelites set out to fight them. The Israelites set up their camp at Ebenezer and the Philistines at Aphek. The Philistines attacked and after fierce fighting they defeated the Israelites and killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. When the survivors came back to camp, the leaders of Israel said, ‘Why did the Lord let the Philistines defeat us today? Let us go and bring the Lord’s Covenant Box from Shiloh, so that He will go with us and save us from our enemies.’ So they sent messengers to Shiloh and got the Lord’s Covenant Box, which represents the majestic throne of the Lord Almighty [Jehovah Sabaoth]. And Eli’s two son, Hophni and Phinehas, came along with the Covenant Box.”
We are sometimes like these Israelites when faced with a challenge. We forget to go to the Lord first and simply try to take them on ourselves. When we do this, we are often met with lack of success. It is very human to underestimate the power our prayers have too. The model that Christ set for us when He first went to the Father before anything He did is both precious and powerful. MT 14: 22-24 shows us an example of this just before Christ walked on the water. “Then Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people away. [He had just fed the five thousand prior to this]. After sending the people away, He went up a hill by Himself to pray. When evening came, Jesus was there alone; and by this time the boat was far out in the lake, tossed about by the waves, because the wind was blowing against it.” We all know the salient lesson He would teach Peter about walking on the water that followed this. When faith is weak, we sink into the depths. When it is strong, we can do amazing things.
Now, let’s return to the story of the capture of the Covenant Box in 1 SAM 4 to see why that even with the Covenant Box present, the agenda of the Israelites wasn’t fulfilled then. 1 SAM 4: 5-7, “When the Covenant Box arrived, the Israelites gave a such a loud shout of joy that the earth shook. The Philistines heard the shouting and said, ‘Listen to all the shouting in the Hebrew camp! What does it mean?’ When they found out that the Lord’s Covenant Box had arrived in the Hebrew camp, they were afraid, and said, ‘A god has come into their camp! We are lost!’” What a curious response this was. I say that, because the Philistines didn’t know the power of Jehovah Sabaoth, even though they would soon learn of it. But, even the obvious fright that prompted this response on their part didn’t mean that they would be defeated. Look at what happens next.
1 SAM 4: 10-11, “The Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites, who went running to their homes. There was a great slaughter: thirty thousand Israelite soldiers were killed. God’s Covenant Box was captured, and Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were both killed.” To really understand this story, it is necessary to look at the bigger picture which only comes from placing these events in the context of what was going on at the time. You will remember that when Samuel was on the scene, God entrusted him to anoint two kings, first Saul and then David (after Saul had proven himself unworthy). None of these human kings would have even been necessary had the Israelites not been in the process of rejecting God as their King, their political leader at the time. The bottom line is that when mankind puts his agenda ahead or in place of God’s, things begin to go sour. That was what was going on here. God wanted both the Israelites and the Philistines to know the extent of His power and His righteous exercise of it. Those of you who have read the story of what happened to the Philistines, the trouble they encountered while they held the Covenant Box in their possession, will also see what prompted them to return it to the Jews. You can read about this in 1 SAM 5 &6. It always helps to reach toward God’s perspective by reading the Scriptures which enable us to see events in the context of the bigger picture, the one He sees.
The content of what is in our hearts is what matters to the Lord, not the ritual practices in which we engage. Just bringing the Covenant Box to the battlefield wasn’t enough. The agenda that leads us to take the actions we do must be in line with His agenda. In other words, we must approach him in righteousness and make His work our own. JER 20: 11-13, reveals the depth of this OT prophet’s faith when he complains to the Lord after his conflict with the priest, Pashhur who was the chief of the Temple. [Pashhur had Jeremiah beaten and chained overnight and had finally released him]. “But You, Lord, are on my side, strong and mighty, and those who persecute me will fail. They will be disgraced forever, because they cannot succeed. Their disgrace will never be forgotten. But, Almighty Lord [Jehovah Sabaoth], You test men justly; You know what is in their hearts and minds. So let me see You take revenge on my enemies, for I have placed my cause in Your hands. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! He rescues the oppressed from the power of evil men.” Like Jeremiah, David also understood these powerful lessons about Jehovah Sabaoth. PS 46: 7, “The Lord Almighty [Jehovah Sabaoth] is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge.” Our Lord’s desire that we should take these two valuable lessons and apply them to our lives today, because they are just as applicable today as they were in OT times.
PRAYER: O Lord, if we will take an interest in the Scriptures enough to read them, You open to us a view of the people who came before us and the powerful lessons You taught them. Anyone faithful would wish that mankind was smart enough not to make the same mistakes over and over again. Sadly, our sinfulness hasn’t made that possible. Yet, You endure in patience and give us Your Word, so that we have access to these lessons and can meditate upon them. One manifestation of Your wisdom and power is how lessons taught to people in OT times are just as applicable to us today. You have always wanted us to turn to You in times of trouble and make You a part of our everyday lives. It has always been Your heartfelt desire that we should put Your agenda first in our lives. You command us to examine our own lives to see if we are doing these things and to change to doing them if we are not. We humbly stand before You today to dedicate ourselves to making our practice of Your will so. For Your long standing compassion, patience, wisdom, and willing to make Yourself available to us, we offer You our adoration, worship, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise and thanksgiving. We acknowledge that You bless us by being our Jehovah Sabaoth in Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, the Lord leads me to begin discussing citations that reveal Him as Jehovah Raah, the Lord is my Shepherd. I cannot conceive of how we could deal with the challenges of our lives were it not for our loving Abba. He is there to love us and be our Refuge. He offers us His wisdom and guidance through the Scriptures and even gave us the Holy Spirit, so that we could understand them. Through prayer, we can listen to Him and speak with Him every day of our lives. Now, that, Dear Ones, is why I believe the Scriptures, about which I write you each day, are a love letter to each of us from a Lord Who loves us more than we can comprehend. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn