I Samuel 4:3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
God Will Not Be Kept in a Box
Are you superstitious? By “superstition” I mean the fear of the unknown and a faith in magic, or the idea that certain things bring good luck. Athletes are famous for this. Some people making millions of dollars keep a pair of “lucky socks,” or a lucky rabbit’s foot, or some other item they hope will bring them good luck. Politicians can be very superstitious. Their actions can be governed not by rationale or faith in God but by sheer superstition.
It is important to recognize that there is a big difference between being dependent upon God and merely being superstitious. Dependence upon God is when we realize that God controls us. Superstition is thinking that we can control God by our actions.
This is no new danger. When Samuel was a judge in Israel, Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and Israel was smitten before them. I Samuel 4:3 says, “And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines?” That was a good question. They were God’s people, and it was God’s enemies whom they were fighting. The problem was that they did not have a good answer. The solution they gave to their problem was, “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that when it cometh among us it will save us out of the hand of our enemies.”
What is interesting is the response to the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines. When they heard the noise of shouting in the camp of Israel at the coming of the Ark, they were afraid, and said, “God is come into the camp. Woe unto us!” As it turns out, the Philistines defeated Israel and took the Ark of God. The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain, and the glory was departed from Israel. The problem was not that the Ark of the Covenant was stolen from Israel, but that God was far from Israel. Israel was not living in submission to God.
Superstition is the idea that we can keep God in a box. That is literally where Israel was. While God’s specially manifested presence was with the Ark of the Covenant, the Ark of the Covenant was not some “magic” object that brought Israel power. God was the power of Israel. Those who seek to control God are as superstitious as the pagans. There was little difference between Israel’s attitude toward God, as evidenced by their words and actions, and the Philistines attitude towards God, as evidenced by their attitudes and actions.
The relationship that brings power is when God has us. We don’t control God; God controls us. We don’t appease God in order to control Him; we please God when we allow Him to control us. When God has control of me, I can have the confidence that I’m doing the right thing and going in the right direction.
God will not be kept in a box. We are not to be superstitious. We are to be dependent upon a living God who hears prayer, responds to repentance, and gives us grace for the day.