“And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.’” 1 Samuel 4:3
Every year, a valley near my home floods when its rivers overflow their banks. And every year, there are news reports of some dude who drove around the flashing detour signs to take the fastest way home. It rarely turns out well. Although driving around those barriers is tempting when you’re in a hurry, it is ill advised. The inconvenience of driving those few extra miles may prevent you having to be rescued from the top of your submerged vehicle, or worse, recovered from the debris once the flood has subsided.
In this passage from 1 Samuel, Israel recognized on the one hand that it was the Lord who handed them their painful defeat against the Philistines. On the other hand, they wouldn’t let their hearts be informed by what God was saying to them. Their goal was to stop the bleeding, not to incline their ear to hear what God was saying. They took matters into their own hands: instead of letting their defeat push them toward the Lord, they used the ark of the covenant as a sort of lucky rabbit’s foot to help them accomplish their agenda.
The reason it’s so important for us to understand exactly what is going on in their story is so that we can see how much of our life we live in our own story, instead of God’s. God informs us in the book of Hebrews that our penchant for avoiding pain can cause us great harm:
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11
There are two important truths this verse teaches us:
- Sometimes God uses painful events in our lives to get our attention so that he can address sin and foolishness in our hearts.
- God’s intent is that this pain will redemptively warn us so that we avoid any additional and unnecessary painful consequences of the trajectory of our hearts away from him.
God’s desire is that we would be trained by the measured pain he allows us to endure, and thus avoid more devastating pain down the road. His promise is that when we listen to his voice and, by grace, repent of our sin and foolishness, he will produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness in us.
Israel drove around the flashing lights of the detour sign and attempted to use the ark of the covenant to regain the upper hand. But God would not be thwarted in his merciful intent to discipline his children. As a result, Israel suffered a resounding defeat, and their enemies captured the ark.
What is the posture of a disciple of Jesus who desires to be trained by God’s discipline? This disciple asks:
- Father, are you speaking to me in this circumstance?
- Holy Spirit, would you please expose what is grievous or foolish in my heart?
- Jesus, how would you have me respond to this painful circumstance in a way that reflects your life in me?
