Welcome to the book of 1 Samuel! Every Wednesday and Friday, I post my thoughts from one chapter of 1 Samuel – today is chapter 6. Read 1 Samuel 6 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you hear from God with what I see and hear. God’s Word is alive and active. We won’t often and don’t need to see the same things!
If you are new to reading the Bible, I encourage you to read my post, How to Understand the Bible. It shares 5 tools to reading the Bible so you understand it. You can also go back and read through the story of Joseph and his family and all of Luke with me.
Culture Clash
Chapters 5 and 6 is a comparison in cultures – one that fears God and that doesn’t. The Philistines didn’t worship or fear God, so when the Ark of the Covenant came into their possession, they treated it like a trophy to display. Because of their lack of respect for God, they were plagued with disaster.
Now compare that with the reaction of the Israelite town that the Ark was returned to. When it randomly (from their perspective) came rolling into town, they immediately built an altar and made sacrifices to God – ones that were pleasing to Him.
At the same time the people of Israel weren’t perfect, and they were actually even more ignorant than the Philistines. They allowed their curiosity in the Ark to overtake their fear and respect for God. When they are punished for their naive but arrogant action, they have the same response as the Philistines, “Get this thing out of here!”
The people of Israel had a very simple faith.
What does your faith look like?
From faith to relationship.
Faith in Jesus is a vital marker (not the starting point), but it can’t end there. God calls you, me, all of us into a deeper place- relationship. God wants a relationship with each of us,. When we have a true, vibrant relationship with God, we understand what to do when He appears in our life.
What is the state of your relationship with God? Is your faith a simple belief but growing? Do you have a deep, rich and cultivated faith from years of investment? Is it cold, dusty and in need of serious attention?
I encourage you to take stock of your relationship with God, and no matter where you find yourself, continue to grow.
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