Unpredictable God of Israel
This is part of a series of studies from my research trip to
We stood at Beth Shemesh looking out towards where the Philistines had camped 3 miles away and had stolen the ark of the covenant. What struck me about this story was that even though God was present with the Israelites in the form of the ark of the covenant, they still lost the battle and the ark was stolen. (1 Sam 4:5-10)
Why did God allow the Philistines to defeat the Israelites and steal the ark of the covenant? It doesn’t make sense, but if you read on, you will see this was not the end of the story. It appears God had other plans.
I can imagine the Israelites despair and confusion, “why did God let this happen?” and how abandoned they must have felt. It reminds me of my own journey, maybe it reminds you of yours.
How many times in our lives do we think God got it wrong, that we’ve been abandoned, that the presence of God has left us? But if we look a little closer, maybe after our difficult time is over or has subsided, we may see that God had a different plan. This was not the end of the story for the Israelites and the ark of the covenant. And your story isn’t over either!
In the end, after the ark was stolen, more Philistines perished with the ark in their camp due to tumors and God’s power was present and revealed in a way that it couldn’t have been if He allowed victory over the Philistines to begin with.
So even though you may be feeling abandoned by God and that He got it wrong, just wait… your story isn’t over! Don’t try to figure Him out, just trust that He knows what He is doing! And rest in that!
Lots to think about, huh? What are your thoughts on this story and how does it parallel your life?
