Loosing Your Ark

The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the presence of God in Israel.

God had not only commanded its construction, but topped it with the mercy seat.

This is where Moses would meet with God.

This was where the high priest would offer atonement for Israel.

This was where Zacharias was told his barren wife would bear John the Baptist.

This was the center of worship for all Israel.

After a battle where the Philistines defeated Israel, the people asked the elders why?

Then they decided, let’s bring the ark of the covenant to the battle.

THEN God will fight for us.

When the ark arrived in the camp, everyone rejoiced,

They knew they couldn’t loose,

After all, God is here with us, right?

1 Samuel 4:10–11 NKJV

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Most of us have something that is the center of our worship.

It may be a ritual or an icon.

It may be a building or a teacher.

But we have something around which our worship revolves.

What would happen if God took away that center?

If the person or the ritual was lost?

If the person were to die, or the building burn down?

What would happen to your faith?

Israel was defeated, while the Philistines celebrated.

1 Samuel 5:1–2 NKJV

Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.

The Philistines brought the ark home and put it in the house of their god, Dagon.

I’m sure they were feeling quite pleased with themselves.

After all, in their minds, they had just captured the god of their enemies the Israelites.

But God had other plans.

1 Samuel 5:3–4 NKJV

And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it.

That’s odd, the idol of our god has fallen down...

With its face to the earth...

Before the “idol” of Israel’s faith.

Oh well, we’ll just stand Dagon up where he belongs.

Until the next day,

When not only has their idol fallen before the ark,

But the head and both palms were broken off.

That seems odd, doesn’t it?

1 Samuel 5:6–7 NKJV

But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.”

Now tumors are breaking out upon the people.

Wait, haven’t we heard something like this before?

Yes, it was in Egypt,

And boy, it did not work out well for those poor Egyptians!

What are we to do?

1 Samuel 5:8 NKJV

Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away.

I know, we’ll send the ark to Gath,

Let them deal with this problem.

1 Samuel 5:9 NKJV

So it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them.

New city, same problem.

Tumors, tumors everywhere.

What are we to do?

1 Samuel 5:10 NKJV

Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!”

Oh No!!!! They’ve sent US the ark?

By the way the acted, you’d think their mother-in-law was coming to live with them.

1 Samuel 5:11–12 NKJV

So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

In Israel, the ark represented the presence of God,

And, as the Philistines learned, that is nothing to mess around with.

Today, we don’t have an ark of the covenant,

But God Himself has taken up residence in us.

1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Should it be any surprise that if we treat the temple, the ark, the presence of God within us in an unworthy manner, it would not go well with us?

If we treat the presence of God as a prize to be displayed,

As subject to our own idols,

Shouldn’t we expect a similar outcome to the Philistines?

We need to restore the presence of God to its rightful place.

1 Samuel 6:1–3 NKJV

Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.” So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”

All the Philistines could think to do was return the ark, the presence of God to its rightful place,

But they knew that would not be good enough.

They needed to make offerings for the trespass they had committed.

Thankfully, the offering for our trespasses has already been given,

All we truly need to do is make sure God’s presence is in the place He has called it to be.

So the Philistines come up with a reasonable trespass offering,

But they still want to test if what has happened to them is truly from God.

1 Samuel 6:7–9 NKJV

Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.”

I guess this is the Philistine’s version of Gideons fleece.

They decide their test shouldn’t be too easy.

Take a cart, hitch it up to a couple of milk cows, then take their calves away.

After all, every mother will try to stay with their child.

Then take the cart with the ark and the offering and let it go.

If it heads towards Israel, God did this.

If not, something else has happened.

Well, the Philistines got their answer..

1 Samuel 6:10–12 NKJV

Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.