The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_samuel/4.htm

I’ve watched a couple of documentarites that think Rome has the Ark of the Covenant hidden away somewhere, while others say that Israel has it safe and sound somewhere and just keep it hush-hush so it doesn’t spark a big search. Others say that when Israel was carried off to Babylon, that the Ark was hidden from the Babylonians in a cave, but no one remembers where it was hidden.

I read about the Ark, but I certainly do not give it the attention it deserves.It is undoubtedly the most Holy remnant of Biblical time there is. God was very specific at how the Ark was to be built. The Ark contains the Ten Commandments, the tablets of stone on which the Commandments were written with the Finger of God Himself. It also contains a jar (probably a pottery jar from that period) of manna that God told them to keep to forever remind them of the time that God fed them while they wandered 40 years in the wilderness.

The Ark was so Holy, only the Levites were allowed to touch it. When they crossed the Jordan River right before the raid on Jericho, scriptures says that as soon as the first foot of the fir Levite carrying the Ark touched the waters of the Jordan, the Jordan stopped following, and allowed the Levites carrying the Ark, as well as the rest of the children of Israel, to cross over on dry ground. And as we will read in the future, a man named Uzzah just touched the Ark to steady it and was “killed”. And I don’t believe he was “killed” as much as it was that the Ark was so Holy, and so filled with the Glory of God, that Uzzah wasn’t righteous enough to withstand it. The Ark deserves much more respect and recognition than we give it, not that we should worship or bow down to it, but you have to admit that something built to God’s plans two or three thousand years before Christ that contains the tablets of the Commandments and a jar of manna, that’s pretty high on the list.

They’ve even made movies about searching for the Ark.

And some say the Ark was destroyed in one of the many battles Israel fought, but I don’t think so. I think God had much more respect and honor for the Ark than we do. The things in the Ark were kept to remind all future generations…not just the first ten or twenty, but ALL future generations of the children of Israel, so I don’t believe God would allow it to be destroyed.

Eli had much respect for the Ark, the children of Israel not so much. They went to battle against the Philistines, yet again,and were defeated. Scripture says they were puzzled, wondering how God had let them be defeated.Is it possible their faith in God had waned? Is it possible they forgot God and were relying on their own abilities? Whatever reason, they got the bright idea to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the battle field to give them the power to defeat the Philistines. And even though I just spent a good number of paragraphs boosting the importance of the Ark, the power to defeat your enemies doesn’t come from a Holy vessel. If you think a Holy vessel gives you power, that is no different than having an idol, and God certainly didn’t mean for the Ark to be an idol to the Israelites.

And they learned that the Ark didn’t give them power, and not only were they defeated again in battle, but the Philistines captured the Ark.

All I can think of is the new saying, “You had just one job, Carl.” The Levites were given the responsibility for caring for the Ark, it was kept in the Most Holy place in the temple, and now they’ve dragged it out to battle.

And not only was the Ark captured, but Eli’s two sons were killed in the war. And Eli was old and lost his sight, and was given the word from someone who fled the battle ground that his sons had died. But it wasn’t until the soldier told Eli that the Ark had been captured, that he fell off his bench, breaking his neck, and killing him.

And scripture says that Israel mourned.

The Ark was valued enough that Eli died hearing of it’s capture. The nation mourned when it heard the Ark was in the hands of the Philistines. Yet, they didn’t value the Ark enough to keep it secure and in their own possession.

They either used the Ark as an idol they thought would give them power, and while I don’t believe it was their intention, they ended up offering the Ark as a sacrifice in hopes of winning the battle.

Under the leadership of Moses, Israel was victorious in it’s battles. Under the leadership of Joshua, Israel was victorious in it’s battles (except in the battle of Ai after Achan sinned. Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Japthah, and Samson were all successful in their battles against the Philistines and Midianites, and Moabites and Ammonites. How were they successful? They had God on their side. They worshiped God and prayed to God for Him to be with them. Nothing in this chapter indicates that anyone conferred with God before battling the Philistines. In fact, some leaders don’t simply ask for God’s help, they ask for His advice; “Shall we go against the ________?”

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – Philippians 4:13. It doesn’t say I can do all things with Christ, or as a Christian, I can do all things, it says I can do all things through Christ. That means you go through God and Christ; conferring with Them, praying to Them, asking for guidance, asking Them to show you Their Will. And nothing has changed. We still need God in our lives. We need to pray to Him, to talk to Him, to have a relationship with Him. And if we go through Him when carrying out our lives, we will be successful. But it will be through Christ, and not through a cross we wear around our neck, or some beads were carry and count on, or through the Ark of the Covenant, but through Christ.

Remember Christ before you make any important decisions, and your life will be so much better. The answer He gives may not be what we want to hear, but it is what is best for us.