It Was a Disastrous Defeat

Author

Wes Schaeffer
January 16, 2020

From today’s reading…

It was a disastrous defeat,

in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.

The ark of God was captured,

and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.”

In 1 Samuel 4 today we see what happens when you leave God behind.

When it was a little too late, the Israelites decided to use the Ark of the Covenant as a talisman or party trick in a futile effort to pull their bacon from the fire. (I know they were Jews and don’t eat bacon, but I’m a Catholic Southern boy and love bacon, so I’ll stick with that analogy.)

They were fighting in Aphek and after they lost the first battle against the Philistines they decided to make a 65-70 km round trip to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh so they could…flaunt it? Hide behind it? Wield it like a battle-ax or tactical nuke?

Mind you, there was no bullet train or private jets or Autobahns back then, so this would’ve been a long, dusty trip that would’ve taken days if not weeks to complete.

Meanwhile, they had to hunker down and wait, which I suppose gave them time to bury their 4,000 comrades who were lost in the first battle.

Nothing like burying your friends to make you question your life’s journey and purpose.

As I read this I can’t help but wonder why did they leave the Word of God, the Bread of Life, and the rod of the shepherd behind?

Did they think they didn’t need God? That they could take on their biggest challenges alone? Navigate them via their own mind and willpower?

How’d that work out for the Israelites today?

How’s it working out for you?

Keeping God in sight and in mind is the only way to…

Stay the course. Keep the faith. Endure.