Shout to the Lord, but check your heart
Similarly, the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines in I Samuel 4 shows the hazard of doing all the right religious things except righteousness. First, the battle was joined as normal, and the Israelites were trounced. Perhaps thinking back on their history, they decided they needed the presence of God among them, so they went and got the ark of the covenant, thinking that if they got the ark, the God “who dwells between the cherubim” would come with it. However, the chapter before, God had voiced His displeasure with Eli and his wicked sons, the very sons who were to carry the ark into battle. In fact, God had promised to destroy them.
The children of Israel, though, didn’t worry too much about the sin in the camp—after all, they had the ark! They were so pumped and so confident that “all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook.” Even the Philistines heard about this revival and about the ark, and they trembled with fear, knowing the history of the Israelites’ God. They said what we want people to say about our church services: “God has come into the camp . . . Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.” So what happened? The Israelites got trounced, the priests got killed, the ark of God got stolen, and Ichabod (“the glory has departed from Israel”) was born when the terrible news came home.
The religious rationale, the ark, the shouting, the history, the fear in the enemies’ hearts—none of that made a difference when Israel was under judgment for sin. When we sin, we set ourselves in opposition to God, and that rebellion is something God cannot leave alone or bless. James’ words could be a great summary for this pattern throughout the bible, as well as the solution: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? . . . Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (4:4, 8-10).
Chapter 2.16: Does the Bible Tell Us to Put Evil People Out of the Church?