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Meditative Reflection
A Life of Regrets

“When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel for forty years.” (1 Sam. 4:18)

The last words about the life of Eli (in 1 Sam. 4:18) are one of the saddest commentaries on a person’s life in the Bible. Based on these words, if one were to write his epitaph, it could well be: “A life of Regrets!”

The Bible ties Eli’s death directly to the news of the capture of the Ark of God. As a priest, it was his duty to serve before the Lord, whose presence was symbolized by the ark within the Holy of Holies. Perhaps, we should say His presence was more than symbolized, but revealed through the Ark because He would reveal His will through the priest who came with Urim and Thummim. As it was, because of Eli’s sin, “the word of the Lord was rare, there were not many visions” in those days (1 Sam. 3:1). His sin reached a climax as he allowed the elders to take the Ark from the Tabernacle, not only condoning the superstition of the people, but definitely allowing entrance into the Holy of Holies which was only accessible on the Day of Atonement with the blood of sacrifice by the High Priest (Leviticus 16). Therefore, tying his death to the ark is definitely a direct indictment of his failure as the High Priest.

A less direct but equally serious indictment is the mention of the fact that he fell backward on his chair because he was heavy. That echoes the charges brought against him by the man of God, “Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts (which belonged solely to God)”? (1 Sam. 2:29). In other words, he served God for his own sake, and worse, basically for his stomach (Phil. 3:19).

However, the last words carry the most significant indictment for a leader: “He had led Israel forty years.” Forty years is a long time. As the Book of Judges ends with this sad commentary, “In those days, Israel had no king, everyone did as he saw fit” (Jdg. 21:25), Eli’s failure as both the high priest and the judge was more than obvious.

As he sat on the chair, wondering what was happening in the battlefield, this old man knew his end was coming. His heart must be weighing heavily about the sins of his own sons and the inevitable judgment they would face. “What have I done as a father?” His heart would be weighing heavily too about the Ark. “Why didn’t I stop them from taking the Ark? What if it was captured? What if it was even destroyed?” His heart was full of regrets!

As it turned out, all his fears were realized! Ah! They are mistakes in life that one cannot afford to make!

Meditative Reflection
Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me

“But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face, on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.” (1 Sam. 5:4)

The action by the Philistines speaks volume about the desire for people to worship and appease all deities. With the overwhelming victory over Israel, it is not inconceivable that they attributed such a success to their own principal deity, Dagon. But it is interesting to note that they did not destroy the ark, nor put it aside in some warehouse, but they put it inside the temple of Dagon. It was an act of respect and a desire to include the God of the ark as one of the deities they would worship.

To their surprise, this God of Israel demonstrated not only that He is greater than Dagon, but also that He would not co-exist with any other gods. The Philistines learned first-hand the meaning of the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3).

Unfortunately, as the gospel spreads across the world, we have seen over and over again that the church does not demand the same singular worship of our Lord from so-called converts. Many have included the worship of their deities and idols into the worship of Jesus Christ, some have also incorporated their desire to worship images into Christianity. The result has been not only a loss of the true worship of Jesus Christ, but also the weakening of the power of the gospel. If we care to look at all the nations that embrace a syncretized form of worship of the Lord, we will see that they have continued to be enslaved by corruption, poverty and totalitarian rulers. It is absolutely futile to seek to reform such societies, unless they first get rid of all their idols and images and worship only Jesus Christ “in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:24).

Meditative Reflection
God does not Change

“Who can stand in the presence of God? To whom will the ark go up from here?” (1 Sam. 6:20)

Reading a passage like the return of the ark of God from the Philistines several thousands of years away from the event and its setting could cause one to wonder why God chose to act in such a fearsome fashion, both against the Philistines and against His own people in Beth Shemesh. Part of our puzzle has to do with how we overlook the holiness of God which is so prevalent in our society.

We have to bear in mind always that culture does change over time and from place to place, but God is not obliged to change to suit our culture, or any culture. In fact, He does not change, because He is God.

As we reflected yesterday, the Philistines experienced first-hand that there is no other God but the Lord and He does not and cannot co-exist with any other gods, because there is simply no other god besides Him! It was a pity that the Philistines, like the people in the region of the Gerasenes, chose to ask the One True God to leave their territory (Mk. 5:17).

As much as the pagan priests and diviners did not know the Law of Moses, they did understand that the Philistines had angered God and needed to present a guilt-offering, except that they treated the Lord as any pagan deity and offered gifts of gold which obviously could not atone for their sins. But it was enough for the Lord to be glorified and He presumably stopped the plague that He inflicted upon them. However, it does not mean their sins were atoned for.

The people of Beth Shemesh, on the other hand, rejoiced to see the ark’s return. It was, I believe, not only because they understood that the glory of God had returned to Israel, but also that they were so privileged to be among the first to welcome the ark back to Israel. What puzzles us though is why God would smite seventy men among them to death! The celebration quickly turned into mourning. Was Israel no different from the Philistines then?

Of course, Israel was, in fact, different from any other people. They were the People of God. But God does not change! His holiness does not change! I am sure, upon the return of the ark, the Levites among them would have told them how to treat the ark solemnly. I would not be surprised that the Levites would have quickly covered the ark, and so for some of the people to “look into” it was a blatant act of contempt! Death, as a result, was unavoidable, and so was their mourning. However, there was a big difference. It was a one-time event and there was no continuous plague that afflicted them as it did the Philistines.

As the people of Beth Shemesh said, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?”, they had come to understand that as much as they were the Chosen People, they were still sinners who had to approach God by following the prescribed decrees of the Law of Moses. Thus, their sending away of the ark was also quite unlike the Philistines’ way, in that they recognized that ark of God should be returned to its proper place in Shiloh — the designated place for worship, and Kiriath Jearim “was the nearest large town on the road from Beth Shemesh to Shiloh” (K&D, 408).

Meditative Reflection
Repentance Must be Accompanied by Action

“So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtorehs, and served the Lord only.” (1 Sam. 7:4)

Indeed, it would only be natural that the ark of the Lord be returned to Shiloh and be placed inside the tabernacle as soon as it was sent backed by the Philistines. Instead, we are told that it stayed in Kiriath Jearim for some twenty years, without any explanation.

However, the result of it staying in Kiriath Jearim was reported; the Bible says “all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord” (1 Sam. 7:2). In other words, if the ark was returned right away to Shiloh, the people would have taken it for granted and they would have simply continued with their life and lifestyle, which was “everyone did what they saw fit” (Jdges 21:25).

Now, as they appeared not to be able to go to Shiloh every year to worship and present their offerings in the absence of the ark, they recognized that they still lived under the wrath of God. This aroused in them a general desire to return to the Lord, or a sense of remorse or regret. Unfortunately, a sense of remorse or regret is not repentance at all. Samuel knew it very well, and thus seizing their willingness to have a change of heart, he helped them to express their repentance in solid terms in Mizpah.

We learn a great lesson from their expression of repentance which included the following:

- Getting rid of all their foreign gods and in particular the idols of Baal and the Ashtoreth poles. When we read about their mourning and their desire to seek after the Lord, we would have automatically assumed that they would have gotten rid of these idols completely. As it turned out, all through these 20 years of so-called change of heart, there was absolutely no desire or action to cut off their ties with idols. This is also true of us: Our repentance is necessarily manifested in renouncing whatever things or people who have occupied God’s supreme place in our hearts.

- They poured water out before the Lord: This denotes an “inward dissolution through pain, misery and distress” of penitence before the Lord (K&D, 411, citing Ps. 22:14, Lam. 2:19). Such an inward dissolution was accompanied by fasting. David followed his inward dissolution in Psalm 51 with these words, “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (51:17).

- Public confession that “we have sinned against the Lord” (7:6) — keeping confession private is hardly a biblical model.

You might have noticed that in the initial call to repentance, Samuel did not make any animal sacrifice. It is very likely that he understood that the Law decrees that they could only offer sacrifices in the prescribed place which was Shiloh (Lev. 17:9). However, God is not a legalist after all. In the absence of the ark, Shiloh was not the prescribed place, and due to the urgent need to face their enemies, Samuel knew that forgiveness could not be complete without the shedding of blood. As a result, as the people did their part to put repentance into action, Samuel was obliged to offer a suckling lamb as a sacrifice to seal the pardon from God.

This highlights the fact that forgiveness is ultimately grace. We can repent all we can; if not for the blood of Christ, we can never be forgiven and be reconciled to God. Therefore, since Christ has died as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Let’s repent with getting rid of all our idols, pouring our hearts out in brokenness and contrition, and confess our sins publicly (at least to someone we know, and especially to those whom we have offended).

Meditative Reflection
Being Like the World

“Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Sam. 8:20)

Not too long ago, the people mourned over the departure of the ark of the Lord from them (7:2) and committed to repent and serve the Lord only under the leadership of Samuel (7:3). Well, perhaps it was quite some time ago already. Since then they enjoyed great peace and prosperity under Samuel (7:13-17). Indeed, comfort and ease have a way of lulling us into spiritual insensitivity and robbing us of our sense of mission. The people had obviously taken peace and prosperity for granted and forgotten about who they were: “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, a people who belonged to the Lord.

Now, they had the luxury of wanting to be like the nations around them:

- They wanted to be as aggressive as the other nations and they were not satisfied with only occupying the Promised Land.

- They cared less about God being feared by the nations, but rather that they be feared as a nation.

- They wanted more than a defense force assembled only when they were attacked, but a well-trained and equipped army.

- They wanted a structured government that offered hierarchical status and power.

- They wanted grandiose palaces and victory parades.

- They wanted a fair chance to be kings themselves one day.

All these would not have been possible, if they continued to be ruled by judges like Samuel and governed by theocracy. They were even willing to forsake their freedom in order to be like other nations. This is why God said that their request for a king was a rejection of Him as their king.

We should not be too quick to condemn the Israelites, because we are very similar to them in many ways. Comfort and ease plus a lack of persecution could lull us also into spiritual insensitivity and loss of a sense of mission. Without a sense of mission, we will tend to focus on ourselves: Being dissatisfied with our God-assigned lot; usurping glory that should be God’s; being hung up on the size of our church; wasting time on administrative structure and bylaws; being overly concerned with the appearance and perception of the church and hungering for power and recognition. In fact, we might be worse than the Israelites. At least they were honest enough to admit they wanted to be like the world!

Meditative Reflection
A Great Beginning

“But I am a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” (1 Sam. 9:21)

I believe that Saul was genuine in his immediate response to the calling by God communicated through Samuel. In a way, he was totally unprepared for this sacred calling. We learn nothing about his spiritual condition prior to this calling. The only thing we know about are his external qualities:

- He came from a family of standing and likely of means (9:1).

- He was an impressive young man without equal which probably pointed to him being very tall (9:2).

This description appears to be a rather sarcastic affirmation of the kind of king the people wanted: One just like the kings of the nations around them.

However, his concern about the worry of his father (9:5) gives us a glimpse into the inner quality of Saul in that he was kind-hearted and he loved his father. In other words, he was a people person — a rather unusual and precious trait for a future king.

Although he might not know the Lord yet and was certainly unprepared mentally and spiritually to be the first king of Israel, his immediate response to the revelation of God’s calling revealed his humility: “But I am a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” (1 Sam. 9:21).

Since he never knew he would be chosen his response was not a prepared speech, but an instant response. Yes, his father might be a man of standing and his household might be well off, it was still nothing compared to being chosen to be the future king of Israel. Benjamin, indeed was the smallest tribe of Israel and was almost wiped out into total extinction (Jdg. 20:46-48).

As much as the request for a king was wrong and God’s heart was grieved by their rebellion against Him, He was gracious and was giving them a king who was kind-hearted and humble. It was indeed a good beginning for Saul and for the nation. However, as we shall find out later, a good beginning does not necessarily guarantee a good ending — his humility soon gave way to presumption and arrogance once he assumed power! This is the reason why we should never put our hope in any man or woman, especially a politician!

Meditative Reflection
God Molds His Servant

“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.” (1 Sam. 10:6)

The people basically forsook God and wanted a king in His place who would lead them to go out before them and fight for them (8:20). In other words, they did not want to rely on God to fight for them, but to put their trust in horses, chariots and princes (Ps. 20:7, 146:3). How foolish they were!

Yet, our God is such gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love (Ps. 103:8); He still wanted to lead them through a king after His own heart. Therefore, as unprepared as Saul was for the task, He was determined to mold him as He did all the servants of His. God still does, because He is the Almighty God who can accomplish His will in spite of His servants, but He desires to mold them into not only useful servants but ones who understand His heart.

This was why he chose to anoint Saul, first in a private setting, so that he would not be overwhelmed by public pressure and would have time to process this sudden calling.

As Saul really did not know Him or at least not well personally, God asked Samuel to give him three signs on his journey home. The signs were primarily meant to assure him that the calling was genuine and that God was in complete control of his situation:

- The affirmation of the finding of the donkeys would have put his worry for his father at ease, so that he could focus on processing this sudden calling.

- The giving of the loaves by the men on their way to worship at Bethel further affirmed him as God’s choice. However, God’s message was also clear that to be a king in Israel was totally different from being a king in the nations — it was a sacred trust at par with the status of a priest. The King was to serve the people on God’s behalf. Both the leg given to him by Samuel earlier and the loaves given by the three men served to emphasize this important point.

- However, the last sign was totally different from the first two in that in order to be a king after God’s own heart, Saul had to be a totally different person. In most instances in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, the coming of the Spirit upon a person is usually a result of repentance (Acts 10:47). It appears that the Spirit operated a bit differently in the Old Testament in that He would come upon a person to empower him to accomplish the task of God. The judges are typical examples (Jdg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6, 19; 15:14 and 16:25).

However, in the case of Saul, it was made clear that the coming of the Spirit upon him was not just a one-time empowering, but meant to bring about a change inside him. That is always God’s desire for His servants! This is God’s desire for you and me today as well! But the Holy Spirit operates in us in a very different way from evil spirits. Evil spirits seek to take away our will and control us, but the Holy Spirit will only gently nudge us into loving submission, as the Song of Songs puts it so beautifully, “Daughter of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” (Cant. 2:7)