Readings for today: 1 Samuel 4-8
Today’s reading is critical for us to understand in light of our current cultural moment. Far too many Christians are treating their faith like magic. They are treating Jesus like some kind of magic talisman that will save them from the virus. Over the weekend, I saw interviews with Christians attending church in large numbers in Louisiana which is now one of the epicenters of the disease. When the reporters asked them why they felt safe attending worship, the answer was almost always some variation of “I’m covered in the blood of Jesus so I’m protected.” In addition, I’ve seen post after post on Twitter of scamvangelists claiming to “defeat” the coronavirus with a prayer or a declaration or some other weird act that makes no sense. (I even saw a guy pretend to “spit” on the virus! Smh.) I think God must be doing facepalms on His throne in heaven.
Consider this story from our reading for today. “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." So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, "What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "A god has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight." So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” (1 Samuel 4:3-11)
The people of Israel were unwilling to confront their own sin. Unwilling to reflect on their own unfaithfulness. They were unwilling to confront the real reason for their defeat at the hands of the Philistines. Instead, they attempted to turn the ark of God into some kind of magical totem to strike terror into their enemies. They tried to use the ark of God for their own purposes. To further their own agenda. Hophni and Phinehas were corrupt priests. Ungodly leaders for Israel who disdained the worship of the Living God. They had no fear of the Lord so when they brought the ark into battle, they were utterly defeated. It was an empty shell without the Lord’s presence. It held no power of its own. God refuses to let His name be abused. He refuses to let His power be co-opted for human ends. He refuses to share His glory with another.
Every time we treat our faith like magic, it will fail. Every time we attribute some power to the “blood of Jesus” rather than Jesus Himself, we will be let down. Every time we try to make prayer an incantation of some kind or claim some sort of special power for our words simply because we say them in the “name of Jesus”, we are committing a grave sin. We are taking the Lord’s name in vain. We are declaring things in His name He has not declared. We are refusing to humble ourselves under His mighty hand. We are refusing to repent and fall on our faces before the Lord. We are trying to use God for our own ends. For our own purposes. To further our own plans. And God will not be mocked. He refuses to allow His name to be abused in such ways. He refuses to let His power be co-opted by religious charlatans. He refuses to share His glory with another. Including you. Including me.
So what should we do? Does this mean we shouldn’t pray for a cure? Ask God for a miracle? Cry out Hosanna…Save us, O Son of David? Of course not! God invites His people to pray for all these things and more! God delights when His people approach His throne of grace with confidence, trusting Him to work according to His divine purposes. God engages His people in their pain and suffering, bringing comfort as only he can bring. God draws near the broken-hearted and crushed in spirit. God is with us. God never leaves us or forsakes us. God promises He will protect us - whether in this world or the next. He has us in the palm of His hand. As long as we pray in faith. Faith that God is for us. God is with us. God knows what’s best for us. We can trust God to answer according to His will and ways which are always perfect. But always keep in mind this world is not our home. This life is not what God intends. God has something far better prepared for us in eternity and that is what He is working towards in each of our individual lives. So we must trust Him. Even if He withholds healing in this world, we know it’s because He has something better prepared for us in the world to come. Even if He doesn’t put an end to this plague on our timeline, we know it’s because He allows suffering for a season in order to draw all people to Himself. So keep praying for a miracle and resist the temptation to turn your faith into magic!
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 9-12