NOT IN A BOX

 1 Samuel 4:12-22
"How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another" (Isa. 48:11b).

NOT IN A BOX
Norayr (Norman) Hajian
Whitehorse, Yukon
Territory Canada
Pastor
Church of the Nazarene

Things could not get worse. The Israelites had been defeated. not once, but twice. Eli's sons were killed in battle. But perhaps the worse news of all was the ark had been captured by the Philistines. This was too much for Eli. He fell backward, broke his neck and died. His daughter-in-law came to the only possible conclusion:"The glory has departed from Israel" (1 Sam. 4:22a).

The question everyone was wondering was "Were was God in all this?)

The reality was that Gog was teaching them a lesson.The Israelites came to depend on the ark instead of God. The people had put their trust in a physical object instead of the unseen God who provided for them through many years. By allowing the ark to be taken, God provided the opportunity for the people to really put their trust in him.

God's presence does not rest within an object, even a sacred object. God's presence rest in our relationship with him. It's not a question of whether we have God in our presence, but whether God has us in his presence.

You cannot shut God up in a box nor squeeze him into a crucifix. He makes his home in holy hearts (Harold Bonner).

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