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Fire in my Bones Youth for Jesus

It was nothing but a symbol | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 06, 2023 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 6, No. 30

“When the ark of the LORD’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?” When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!” So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” (1Sam 4:5-11NIV)

Why did the Israelites bring in the Ark of the Lord’s covenant into the camp on the occasion mentioned in our opening bible text? They brought it in because they thought doing so would give them victory over their enemies, the Philistines. And did things go as they had expected? No! On the contrary, they were soundly defeated by their enemies. Not only that, the Ark of the Lord’s covenant that they had brought in to save them was captured and taken away by their enemies.

Why? What went wrong? Well, the problem was that those Israelites made the mistake of misrepresenting the Ark of the Covenant for God Himself. And notice that even the Philistines, their enemies, also made the same mistake. When they heard that the Ark of the Lord’s covenant had been brought into the camp of the Israelites, they were sorely afraid. That was because they felt that God Himself had stepped into their camp and would fight for them.

But somehow, they managed to encourage themselves to fight and fight hard, even if it meant confronting the God of the Israelites. And their courage and bravery paid off. They defeated the Israelites, captured the Ark of the Covenant and took it away to their land, believing that they had captured the God of the Israelites. And did they really capture God? No! But they had to learn the reality about that in a very hard way. (Cf. 1Sam 5-6)

In any case, my point is that the Israelites made a mistake at that time to misrepresent the Ark of the Covenant for God Himself. That was why they tried to use it like a charm to defeat their enemies. But they were wrong. That Ark was not God. That Ark was only a symbol of God’s presence. It, therefore, means that if God Himself was not with them and on their side, the presence of His Ark with them would mean nothing.

Now what God with them and on their side at the time? No! As the account shows us, God was very angry with the people at the time because of their idolatry (1Sam 7:2-4). To make matters worse, their leading priests, the sons of Eli, that were supposed to set them right were also altogether corrupt (1Sam 2:12-17). Yet these men believed that as long as the Ark of the Lord was with them, God was with them. That explains why they were confident to take this Ark into the camp of the Israelites on the day of battle, believing that it was God they were carrying there and that He would surely perform.

But to their shock, God did not perform that day. And He did not perform because He was not with them. All they had with them was a symbol of His presence, not His presence. So, they lost their lives even though they had a symbol of His presence with them. What a shame!

Unfortunately, there are still many like the Israelites of that time who have no understanding that God is not a religious symbol or item but a real person. Therefore, they always expect Him to move on their behalf, irrespective of what they are doing with their lives or their attitude towards His word, just because they are carrying some religious symbols or items around. But they are simply joking.

See, God will not do anything for anybody just because they are carrying bibles, anointing oil, anointed handkerchiefs, anointed water or some crosses around. Those things are merely religious symbols and items, having no power of their own to do anything to or for anybody. So, God can do without them any day and anytime. And even if He decides to use any of them, He will only do so to the degree that the one handling it functions according to His word. If the person using it will not take His word seriously and act on it, he will soon enough find it utterly useless to him.

So, if you are one of those whose trust is in religious symbols and items instead of in God, you have set yourself up for constant defeat. That is because instead of seeing God move on your behalf in the face of life’s challenges, it is your symbols that you are going to be seeing moving. And of what help will those moving symbols be to you, then, if you are not shown mercy by God? Of no help whatsoever!

Likewise, if you are one of those who believe that once you carry certain religious symbols or items around, things will always work together for your good, regardless of what you do, you are simply preparing yourself for sudden destruction or defeat. Remember that the Ark of the Covenant, which was a symbolic presence of God with His people, could not save the sons of Eli when they really needed salvation. And why should it save them? After all, it was nothing but pieces of wood decorated with gold.

In like manner, what you too are carrying around, whether it is made of gold or silver and regardless of who prayed over it for you, is nothing but an item. So, it won’t be able to play the role of God and save you on the day of battle, if God Himself does not save you. And will God want you to save you in your hour of need, with or without your religious symbols or items? It all depends on how seriously you take Him and His word and what measure of mercy He decides to show you. I counsel you, then, to take Him seriously instead of relying on some symbols, for in doing so is real salvation.

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