So often the things we think are for our good, the things we think we’re safe with, turn out to be the very things that destroy us. And so often it’s our own doing. It’s our lack of purity and reverence and sacredness when it comes to handling the deep things of God.
In First Samuel, simply having the Ark of the Covenant in possession was thought to be the goal. The Israelites viewed it as instant victory and carried it with them into battle. Not successful. The Philistines took it home thinking it would be a good luck charm. It wasn’t.
The ark was holy, it did grant victory, it did bring blessing, it did carry with it the presence of Jehovah. But only to those who handled it in obedience and righteous fear and trembling. Those who disregarded its utter holiness, treated it casually or reached out to steady it in careless disobedience experienced the opposite effect. Chaos and death. God’s justice instead of His mercy.
Today that ark no longer carries His presence. We have become His dwelling place. I have become His dwelling place. Do I take this lightly? Do I treat this with anything less than utmost humility and trembling reverence? My body houses God. In a way, it seems to have lost a lot of its incredible power. We’re no longer struck dead when we approach God with sin in our lives. We reach out with filthy hands to touch Glory and we survive. We go about our loose living.
We have passed by His Almighty God-ness but carried Him around like a good luck charm. We’ve brought Him home with us but still have idols standing upright in the same room. We like Him nearby in difficult situations but He’d better reward us with victory. We’ll take His mercy, please, but none of that harsh judgment we’ve heard stories about. We join hands and dance around the ark, singing songs about the ark, praying to be blessed by the ark.
But someone somewhere is weeping Ichabod. The glory of God has departed.
We don’t notice. We’re making too much noise trying to convince ourselves His presence is reality when really it’s His absence that is. Oh God forbid that we become golden boxes of emptiness. We need to have our pride turned to utter brokenness. We need to first beg Him to flood us with His very Spirit, then teach us to live in such a way that His holiness is not forced to vacate.
Holy God, I know I am not worthy but may You Who are indwell me. I know I am not a perfect habitation but may You Who are Perfection teach me to walk uprightly before You. I know I am not clean but may You Who are Purity wash and recreate me. I am Your ark. Be in me a glorious Example. Live through me Your life.
