Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 5:1-12, 1 Samuel 6:1-21, Exodus 10:1-2, Leviticus 5:14-17
I imagine the cassette tape is the kind of thing that will make my grandchildren’s eyes grow wide. They will giggle at these long gone, barely imaginable pieces of technology that have been replaced by something that is faster, smarter, and better. It will be to them what my own grandparents’ stories of their first radios and 45 records were to me.
I could tell them how my brother and I used to make recordings of our favorite songs when they came on the radio, one of us pressing play on our tape recorder at exactly the right moment while we sat there, silent and completely still, for the entirety of the song. Despite our best efforts, these recordings always seemed to consist of muffled versions of our favorite tunes, featuring the sounds of our breathing and restless fidgeting.
Our most beloved cassette tape not only included the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark, but also the static of the television we recorded it from. We could never seem to get it right, but at the time, it was worth it for the chance to carry our favorite tunes with us, playing them over and over again.
I can’t read about the Philistines carrying the ark with them without getting that same theme song stuck in my head. Of course, I could now easily pull the song up online to hear the track clearly and without distraction, but I like my crackly, static version just fine.
If I’m honest, I’m still easily persuaded that I can break God and His glory down into “good enough” pieces of religious comfort—pieces I can carry with me. The Philistines seemed to think this, too. The problem is, we’re not the ones in charge of the carrying.
The ark, roughly four feet long, was gold-plated and carried on poles that hung through rings on its sides. It was holy, created to house the tablets of the Ten Commandments and serve as a representation of God’s covenant with His people. As we read these passages together, we can all agree that things get pretty weird, right? Dagon, Ashdod’s idol-god, falls onto the ark, and then the city is afflicted with tumors (1 Samuel 5:6). Somewhere along the way, the Philistines began to believe they could move the ark however they pleased, that all of God’s goodness could be contained in a four-foot-long box.
I wonder what kind of boxes we carry with us today. Maybe it’s containing God to a specific place or restricting His character to the confines of our own small experiences. Perhaps the problem is that we’re stuffing the box with selfish pride and hopeful gain but still calling it God’s will.
Regardless, our boxes are all our own cheap versions of the one true Father, muffled by our sin and covered in the static of our humanity. Let us not mistake them for the substance of the Spirit. If we choose to carry anything with us let it be the full arc of the gospel story. Even better, let’s remember that we are the ones who need to be carried.
That’s what Jesus does for us. He carries us into the very presence of our God, in all His holiness. When the question is asked, “Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord this holy God?” (1 Samuel 6:20), we can trust that Jesus has made a way for us to do just that. He stood in our place and died the death we deserved so that we could approach our holy God with confidence (Ephesians 3:12).
It amazed me that the people of Ashdod were not concerned when they walked into their temple for the SECOND time to find that the God of Israel explicitly showed them that He was above any idol. God removed the idol’s head and hands (I repeat, his HEAD and HANDS leaving ONLY THE TORSO on the ground). You would think they would have been shaken to the core if they saw their “god” in such a way. I find this both funny and saddening for the people of Ashdod, but it’s the truth. God will surely let you know exactly who He is and I absolutely love that. There is only one God and He let that be known.
It makes me think of how many times we do the same. How many times God destroys the very idols in our lives, only for us to pick them back up & put them back together for us to worship them instead of Christ. I think about relationships & careers or maybe even materialistic things that we put above and before God. We see failed relationships, demotions at work or a car wreck as bumps in the road of life & we so desperately try to mend it all & really God has allowed these things to happen because He wants us to focus on Him and align our lives with His will & to stop putting those things we covet before Him.
Amen!!!
I love 1 Samuel. It is both captivating and convicting. I am convicted of the idols I allow in my heart in the very presence of God. I come to Him this morning with a humble heart in a posture of repentance.
Yes! Such a good point! We think “how dare they put their idol in the presence of The Ark” … but how often do we do the same?? Where we try to give our selfish desires the same space/time as God to exist in harmony and it can never happen. We can only serve one master & our idols will all bow & pass away. So much conviction in this passage!
I re-read day one this morning because I missed yesterday and wanted to begin again. I love the similarity between Hannah’s prayer and Mary’s. Both of them were so humble and their hearts were so focused on God.
I have been ruminating lately on the ways people seek freedom, yet in the very act of finding freedom and fulfillment, bondage occurs. Looking around, I see this phenomenon in addiction–seeking escape from pain and instead becoming slave to it. In occupation– seeking fulfillment through a success that will provide enough to live comfortably in the world and instead becoming chained to the desk, reliant on the Identity of success it provides. The oxymoron of this type of worldly attachment is evident everywhere. When these kinds of arresting attachments form, I’ve noticed a couple common themes. One is that in each attachment that is not to God, tolerance is formed. A person is able to experience fully the thing/ identity to which they are attached–the mystery is taken from it. In the two examples I previously mentioned, eventually the amount of consumption will become unsatisfactory and a person will feel like they need more and more. What is so amazing about God is that, we are always in a place of awe and discovery of Him. We, therefore experience true freedom without burdensome bondage in God because we can never know God so completely that He is not more than enough in any situation. In 1 Samuel 5-6 the philistines try to harness God’s mystery. Silly Philistines :)… Today, I am inspired by God’s unharnessed glory– His mystery that keeps me in awe. My spirit is freed when I live in a state of discovery of My Creator!
Well said, amen!
Wow, such good insight! So very true! I love the contrast to God with the observation there will always be mystery remaining.
As a new mom, let’s be real. I LOVE BOXES! Beautiful, colored tubs to organize the clothes that my son is quickly growing out of- washed, folded, organized by size and placed into clear, light blue tubs for easy viewing, set aside for our next child. I like to organize things, then place them in various containers (hellloooo Container Store!), and if I am truly honest with myself- I find comfort in putting God into pretty little boxes as well.
Often I find that I take comfort in religion. Rules, standards, guidelines all give me a very clear cut description of what I should be doing and how I should be living and my Type A personality loves that. When I read about the ark, what it held, what it meant to the Israelites- I totally get it! An ornate box that carried articles of faith that was a visual representation of Gods’ covenant with them, sign me up!
But in reality, through Jesus, all my boxes have been busted. Faith and relationship can be hard, but it’s messy and beautiful all at the same time. It forces me to trust, to hope, to hold on with all of my might to what is unseen. Boxes are comforting. But what Jesus Christ did for us at the cross is breathtaking. May I toss aside all of my pretty boxes and the ideas and emotions within them.
May I run, full speed into the arms of Christ and have a messy and deeply incredible life walking with Him.
Yes. Raising my hand right here!
Amen!
Amen!!! And I love the container store. I’m about to go next week and I can barely contain (ha!) myself!!!!
“That’s what Jesus does for us. He carries us into the presence of our God, in all His holiness.”
This statement took my breath away. It left me speechless with wonder and amazement. Thank you, Jesus for dying for me and making access to the One that the angels sing about – “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
Thank you Lord for accepting me and allowing me to be in your presence. Thank you for removing all labels from the boxes I’ve put myself in and put you in. Thank you for removing the chains that tie us down from experiencing all that you are and have for us
http://Www.in-due-time.com
Yes. Amazing truth.
Challenged to think about the boxes I put God in! One is definitely the box of routine–within my daily life I’ve made space for God, but sometimes I don’t give Him much more. A second is my upbringing/worldview–I realize that my life has been pretty easy, so it’s easy to follow God. I’m asking Him to challenge the way I see the world/people!