1 Samuel 4: When the Enemy Captures Your Ark

"And the ark of God was captured." 1 Samuel 4:11a

In 1 Samuel 4, we see a great story of Israel depending on the ark of God rather than God himself. After a defeat by the Phillistines, the Israelites take matters into their own hands and attempt to win the battle apart from depending on God. They take the ark to the place of the next battle, and the Phillistines end up defeating them again, taking the ark with them.

But what's the point of this wacky story for us, as we read it thousands of years later? This morning, I would like to propose to you three applications from this story that I hope you apply to your life today.

Firstly, we ought not to take matters into our own hands. If you read the narrative of 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites are not once seen calling out to God. Rather, even amidst their defeat, they take matters into their own hands and try to win the victory on their own. Without consulting God, they move the ark of the covenant, thinking that that would deliver them. However, it did not deliver them, because they took matters into their own hands instead of turning to God.

Secondly, we must trust God rather than God's gifts. The Israelites put full dependence upon the ark of God rather than God himself. In the end, this surely brought them great defeat because they idolized the gifts rather than worshiped the Giver. They failed to rely upon the one who had been faithful to them before, but rather trusted in a dead ark rather than a living God.

Thirdly, we must remember and take to heart the sovereignty of God. This story clearly teaches us that the only victory in this world is the victory that God has appointed. The Israelites could not override God's plan for their defeat, no matter how hard they tried. Instead of calling out to God and trusting him amidst distress, they neglected the sovereingty of God and placed their hope in their own plans. In the end, this brought them great defeat.

So, have you taken matters into your own hands this morning? Have you trusted in God's gifts rather than in God himself? Have you forgotten God's sovereignty? If so, I encourage you to apply the story of 1 Samuel 4 to your own life, that the enemy might not defeat you. Amen.