1 Samuel 4 (view this passage)

nathan made this entry on February 19th, 2007
Topic(s): God's Will

"About this time Israel decided to attack the Philistines without consulting the Lord." Of course it comes as no surprise that the Israelites were defeated. They complained to God that He would let them lose, and then they came up with a plan they thought would surely give them victory. They decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant to help them defeat the Philistines. They remembered the stories of the past of how the Ark had helped them at Jericho, and how God had often spoken to them from the Ark to save them from their enemies. In this act, they did something that almost all of us are guilty of doing, even though we may not even realize it sometimes.

They treated God as another weapon in their war. They tried to use God as a tool for their success. They thought they could misconstrue God's promises to suit their own needs. They attempted to conform God's power to their will, instead of conforming their strength to God's will.

How many times do we ask things of God, in order that our own plans may come to pass? How often do we treat God as a formula; if we do certain things and say certain things then like magic certain blessings should come upon us. We somehow get the notion that if we press the right button God will obey us.

God is not another step in a get rich scheme or another key to success among 100 other keys. God  is not an "idol God" - one that we praise so that our own wishes may come true. Treating God in this way is an insult to His majesty and power. God is the author of the universe, and all glory belongs to Him. He holds they keys of life and death in His hand; there is nothing that is not in submission to Him.

Our actions and thoughts should show that we want God's will to be done and not our own. God's will is perfect, not ours. Our plans are subject to failure and defeat, but God's plans always result in victory. Because of their actions, over 30,000 Israelites were defeated and the Ark of the Covenant was stolen by the Philistines. Let's not make the same mistake. Let's not treat God as a tool for our success. Let's conform ourselves to His will alone.

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