Interesting story from 1 Samuel 5. It's a dark time in Israel's history. The last few judges have been scoundrels. Eli, the chief priest, is a priest in title only and has lost control of his wayward sons who too are scoundrels. The Philistines are knocking on Israel's door for a fight. War is nothing new for Israel at this point in time. They've won most of the battles they've fought, but just for good measure, they send for the Ark of the Covenant. You know- a little extra holy magic from their god in case it is a tough fight or things take longer than expected. And the result is surprising for the Israelites but not surprising for those of us who have the benefit of reading the story- they get routed. Severe loss of life. And to add insult to injury, the Philistines take control of the Ark and bring it back with them. A dark, dark day for Israel.
And yet, how surprised could they have been? They had been living far apart from God. Their spiritual leaders were anything but spiritual leaders. They had a history of military success. They had once known God but now God was just a token for them- a symbol of things that gone well in the past but now had no meaning in day to day life. When times got tough with an army coming in, they quick proclaim faith in the token God, as they had done before, but a token God is powerless. They saw God- and the Ark that contained him- as a Genie they could run to when things got tough. But as soon as life settled down and prosperity returned, they put the genie back in the bottle and the ark back in the museum.
It goes without saying, but how often do I do that? How often do I call on God only when I need him? How often do I treat God as if he was a genie or Santa Claus- useful for when I am in need, but when good times return, there's no need anymore?
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