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How
can we tell the difference between a real God and a false god? How can you
know that the God you worship is real? |
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The
Israelites and the Philistines both believed with great sincerity that the
Gods they worshipped were real. The Israelites thought that if they brought
the ark of the covenant with them into battle they'd win because their God
was the true and living God who made heaven and earth. When the Philistines
defeated the Israelites they were convinced that it was because their gods
were more powerful than the Israelites' God. So how can we know? |
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Let's
look at 1 Sam 4. "In those days the Philistines mustered for war against
Israel, and Israel went out to battle against them; they encamped at Ebenezer,
and the Philistines encamped at Aphek." Ironically Ebenezer means "stone
of help." Maybe the Israelites thought it would be a good omen for them
to camp by the "Rock of Help." Certainly, as they soon discovered, they
needed all the help they could get! |
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Then
the battle begins. The Philistines spread out and the Israelites are defeated.
4000 men are killed and the armies return to their camp. The Israelites
call a council of war to discuss this defeat and the first question that
comes up is 'Why?' 'Why has the Lord put us to rout today? We thought we
were fighting with the living God on our side and yet we've been decimated
by these pagan Philistines. What are we going to do about it?' |
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Then
someone has a bright idea. 'Let's bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD
up from Shiloh so he'll come among us and save us from the power of our
enemies.' What a great idea! If we want God fighting for us, then let's
get him here. |
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Now
can you see the problem with this approach? Can you see what's wrong with
their theology for a start? They understand God's presence and the ark as
being one and the same thing. They haven't really understood that the ark
is just a visual cue to help them understand God's presence with them. And
they think that if God is with them they'll win. They have what's really
a superstitious understanding of the presence of God with them. They think
that if the ark is physically present then God will be too and so everything
will be all right. |
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But
they also have a problem in their approach to working out the will of God.
In fact they don't stop to answer their own question, do they? They've asked
"Why has the Lord put us to rout today?" But they never stop to find the
answer. Instead they find their own solution to their dilemma. |
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Now
can I just say that they're not alone in that error. Lots of us take the
same approach when we encounter difficulties in life. We have a problem
so we jump in with the first solution that springs to mind. We don't stop
and ask God if he's trying to tell us something. We don't stop and ask God
if he has a suggestion for us. Instead we rely on our own ingenuity. And
sometimes we even revert to a superstitious approach just like the Israelites.
We think if only we change something in the way we've been acting everything
will be better. Or we try bargaining with God. Or we look for omens that'll
point us to the right way to go. Some people even use religious items, a
Bible or a prayer book, a cross, or a religious painting of some sort, almost
as good luck charms. |
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You
know, the Israelites actually had an alternative to this approach that we're
told about at the very start of the passage, but they didn't even consider
it. The passage begins with the statement "And the word of Samuel came to
all Israel." They have in their midst someone to whom God has revealed himself
and who's able to bring them a message straight from God. But they don't
even think of using him. |
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If
you think about it, we're actually better off than them, aren't we? We have
the word of God given to us in written form to teach us, to reprove us,
to correct us, and to train us in righteousness. And each of us has our
own direct line to God. We don't need to go through an intermediary. We
don't need a Samuel in our midst to bring us God's words. We can ask God
directly for guidance through his Holy Spirit who lives within us. We can
ask him to lead us and guide us as we read his word. We don't need to resort
to superstitious approaches. We have the Living God present within us waiting
to lead us and guide us if only we'll ask. |
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Well,
the Israelites try this bright idea of theirs. Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas
bring the Ark of the Covenant down from Shiloh and the strategy seems to
be working. When the ark arrives in the camp the army's confidence rises
tremendously. A bit like Muttiah Muralitharan arriving to play for the Sri
Lankans the other day. And as the Israelites' hopes rise the Philistines'
fall to the same degree. They know about this God of Israel who's already
defeated the Egyptians. And they're scared stiff. The Israelite Elders think
they've done it. This'll make all the difference! And so the fight resumes
next morning and unlike Sri Lanka vs Australia, this time Israel loses again
and this time 30,000 soldiers die! What's more, the ark of the covenant
is captured and Hophni and Phinehas are killed. Finally, when Eli hears
about it he too dies. |
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And
then we realise why God has allowed the Israelites to be defeated. He'd
already predicted what would happen back in ch 2. God was using this defeat
to punish Eli and his sons. The defiling of the Temple worship had an effect
not just on those who worshipped, or even on the corrupt priesthood, but
on the fortunes of the nation as a whole. The wife of Phinehas also dies,
in childbirth, and on her death bed names her son Ichabod, because, she
says, the glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured. |
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Well,
in fact the glory has departed from Israel not because the ark is lost but
because the worship of God has been corrupted by her husband and brother-in-law.
God has withdrawn his support because he's angry with the way worship has
being conducted. |
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But
in fact his glory isn't diminished. This defeat doesn't indicate any lessening
of his power. Nor does it indicate that his plans for Israel have ended.
As we discover as we read on, his power is just as strong as ever. And as
we read on we discover the difference between a real God and a false god. |
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The
Philistines think they've won this great victory because their god is stronger
than Israel's God. That's the way pagan people always think. The whole reason
for worshipping a god is so he or she will help you in times of trouble.
So they take the ark back to Ashdod where they place it in the temple of
their god, Dagon, as a trophy of war, perhaps even as an offering to him.
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But
the next day when they return to the temple, what do they find? "There was
Dagon, fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD." Whoops!
Quickly pick him up and put him back on his stand. And the next morning
when they come in it's even worse. Not only is Dagon lying face down before
the Ark in a position of worship, but his head and his hands are broken
off and lying on the doorstep, as though they've been thrown away. |
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Mulder
and Scully would have had a field day with this one wouldn't they? How could
this happen? The Philistines have defeated the Israelites and captured the
Ark and now the Ark or at least the God who lives in the Ark appears to
have destroyed the statue of Dagon. |
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But
it doesn't stop there. Not only is Dagon thrown down, but strange things
begin to happen to the people of Ashdod. They experience disasters of various
kinds, described here simply as things that terrify them. The people break
out in tumours, or boils, painful growths. |
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It
doesn't take them long to work out what's going on. This is one of those
coincidences that people of those days understood. The ark of the Lord has
been brought to Ashdod. People have been suffering ever since. Conclusion:
we need to get rid of the ark. And so their superstitious minds lead them
to a true conclusion. They shouldn't have stolen the ark of the Lord. Having
this sacred object that represents the presence of the God of Israel in
their midst, as their captive so to speak, is a dangerous thing. So what
do they do? They send it off to Gath, where exactly the same things happen.
So they then send it off to Ekron. |
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Well,
now the word has got around. The people of Ekron have heard what's happened
in Ashdod and Gath so they want nothing to do with it. They cry out. "Are
you trying to kill us as well? Send it back where it came from." They at
least understand the source of the problem and know what the only solution
is. They can't overcome the God of Israel so at least send him back where
he belongs. |
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Now
I want you to notice something here. The Israelites thought that if they
brought the Ark with them into battle then God would be with them and they'd
win. But it didn't work like that. So was that because God wasn't present
with them? No. What happened when the Ark was taken off to Ashdod? God went
with it. God had chosen to use the Ark as a symbol of his physical presence
on the earth. So when it was moved from city to city he went with it and
the plagues moved from place to place. So why didn't the presence of the
Ark help the Israelites win their battle? Was it perhaps because the battle
was determined by what God wanted to achieve, not just by his being there?
That particular battle was the means by which God would bring his judgement
on Eli and his sons, so they were always going to lose it. |
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Now
sometimes I think we wonder whether God is with us when things go wrong.
Sometimes we think that maybe God has left us; that we're suffering because
he's abandoned us. Maybe we feel guilty about something and think that God
has left us because of our sin. But the fact that things go wrong doesn't
mean that God isn't there. There may be all sorts of reasons why God allows
things to happen, that we're not even vaguely aware of. |
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Let
me ask you another question. Why are you a worshipper of God, if that's
what you are? I think that's a very good question for us to ask ourselves
regularly. Are we in it for what we get out of it? The Philistines worshipped
their god Dagon because they thought he brought them victory or wealth and
prosperity. The Canaanites worshipped Baal and Asherah because they brought
fertility to the soil. Certainly some of the Israelites thought it was good
to have God on their side because he'd bring them victory. But what about
us? Do we worship God for the reward of heaven? Do we worship him because
we know he'll look after us when we're in trouble? Do we worship him because
we hope he'll give us prosperity? That's certainly the message of some parts
of the Christian Church. Or do we worship him simply because he is the true
and living God? Because when he speaks the things he says happen? Because
when he's present all other gods fall down before him? |
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I
was talking to someone the other day about why I believe that Jesus is the
only way to God. I could have talked about this passage couldn't I? You
see there are lots of gods in this world. There are the gods of other religions.
There are the gods of politics and the gods of commerce and economics. Here
in Australia I think we're well acquainted with the god of pleasure and
self-indulgence. But none of these are truly God the way our God is. None
of these can be relied upon to do what they promise the way our God can.
I was reading the Age just last week and there was a report on the performance
of Australian Super funds. These are the saviours of our age. These are
the vehicles for our security as we all move towards old age. These are
the product of the god of economics that's been so dominant over the past
20 years or so. Well, super funds in Australia alone lost about $38 billion
last year. That's following losses of about $18 billion in the last financial
year. So much for the god of economics! |
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But
when God is captured by the Philistines what happens. They discover what
a powerful God he really is. The idol they've been worshiping falls down
before him. Then he breaks off it's arms and head. He causes the people
to suffer terrible diseases and even to die. And there's nothing they can
do about it. He's so beyond them that all they can do is to send him somewhere
else until at last they come to their senses and send him back to the Israelites
where he belongs. |
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God
is not someone we can control. He won't just do our bidding. But he will
do what he promises. As we'll see as we continue on this study of 1 Samuel,
God has great plans for Israel. He'll establish them in the land as he promised
to Abraham and to Moses. He'll show himself to be the true and living God
by the way he brings his people success and victory over their enemies.
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So
too, we can rely on him to do what he promises. You see, it's good that
God offers us the reward of heaven. It's good that God promises to be with
us and to lead us. That's a sign of his love and grace towards those he
loves. It's something he does because he knows the sort of people he's created.
But the reason we worship him is not because of the reward. It's not because
of what he might do for us. It's first and foremost because he is the one
true and living God. Because before him all other gods fall down. Because
before him and his son Jesus Christ, every knee in heaven and on earth will
bow down and every tongue confess that Christ is the Lord to the glory of
God the Father. |
