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Word from Nairnshire
by Sandy Shaw
They thought they had God in a box. Whatever made them think that, and why?
The people of God had experienced a significant defeat. The Philistines defeated the Israeli army.
They wondered why they had been overcome. The defeat made their hearts sink. They should have known why!
It was the result of their sin, their disobedience, and their appalling behaviour at Shiloh.
They panicked. Bring the Ark. Bring our God in a box.
This is terrible. They thought the symbol was all that was necessary.
The Ark was not a charm or talisman. It was only a symbol to remind the people of God, and what God had done for them in the past.
In this chest were the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded.
It was simply a symbol, but an important symbol, quite similar to the symbols of bread and wine.
They had a false misleading deceiving trust in the symbol.
We must never confuse symbol with reality.
Having the Ark in their midst was not the same as enjoying the presence and power of God.
Did the Ark ever exist? Well, Hollywood expends millions of dollars searching for this ‘lost Ark’. Some of us happen to know exactly where it is!
In the ensuing battle, thousands were lost and the Ark was seized by the Philistines. The Ark should never have been there in the first place.
During this whole campaign there is no consultation with Samuel, and no communication with God, and the consequences were disastrous.
This scenario can explain a lot, as to what may happen to us as individuals, and as a nation, and why such things happen.
Man was more concerned with the Ark of the Lord, than the Lord of the Ark.
Sandy Shaw
Nairn Christian Fellowship
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Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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