“And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the
camp. And they said, Woe unto us! For there hath not been such a thing
heretofore”–1 Samuel 4:7.
Israel was out of gear with God. The people had forgotten the Most
High, and had gone aside to the worship of Baal. They had neglected the
things of God; therefore they were give up to their enemies. When
Jehovah had brought them out of Egypt, he instructed them how they
were to live in the land to which he would bring them, and warned them
that if they forsook him they would be chastened. His words were very
plain: “If ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto
me; then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will
chastise you seven times for your sins.” In fulfillment of this threatening,
the Philistines had been divinely permitted to make great havoc of the
idolatrous Israelites, and to hold them in cruel slavery.
The only way for them to get out of their trouble was to return to God,
who, by his judgments, seemed to say. “Hear ye the rod, and who hath
appointed it.” The only cure for their hurt was to go back with
repentance, and renew their faith and their covenant with God. Then all
would have been right. But this is the last thing that men will do. Our
minds, by nature, love not spiritual things. We will attend to any
outward duty, or to any external rite; but to bring our hearts into
subjection to the divine will, to bow our minds to the Most High, and to
serve the Lord our God with all our heart, and all our soul, the natural
man abhors. Yet nothings less than this will suffice to turn our captivity.
Instead of attempting to get right with God, these Israelites set about
devising superstitious means of securing the victory over their foes. In
this respect most of us have imitated them. We think of a thousand
inventions; but we neglect the one thing needful. I may be addressing
some who, at this time, are passing through sore trial, and who therefore
think that they must have forgotten some little thing in connection with
the external religion, instead of seeing that it matters little what outward
observance they may neglect, so long as they do not possess the faith,
without which it is impossible to please God. They forgot the main
matter, which is to enthrone God in the life, and to seek to do his will by
faith in Christ Jesus. Get right with God; confess thy sin; believe in Jesus
Christ, the appointed Saviour; be reconciled to God by the death of his
Son; then all will be right between thee and the Father in heaven. We
cannot bring men to this, apart from the Spirit of God.
In this sermon I shall have to show you how often, and in how many
ways, men seek other methods of cure than the only one, namely, to take
the case to God. They heal their hurt slightly. They cry, “Peace! Peace!”
where there is no peace, and adopt a thousand devious devices rather
than accept the only remedy provided by the Great Physician for sin-sick
souls. Instead of seeking to become right with God, these Israelites
thought that, if they could get the ark of the covenant, which had been
the symbol of Jehovah’s presence, and bring it from the tent of Shiloh
into the midst of their camp, they would them be certain of victory. So
they sent and fetched the ark; and when it came into the came, they were
enthusiastic as if their banners already waved over a victorious; they
lifted up their voices so loudly, that the earth rang again with their
shouts, while the Philistines, hearing their exulting shout, and finding
out the reason, were greatly afraid. With fearful hearts, and trembling
lips, already counting that all was lost, their enemies turned to one
another, and said, “God has come into the camp. Woe unto us! For there
hath not been such a thing heretofore.”
In considering this subject, we will think, first, of the great mistake
which both Israel and the Philistines made. In the second place, we will
consider the great truth of which their mistake was a caricature. God
does come into the camp when his people go forth to fight in his name;
and when he really comes, the tide of battle is turned. When I have
spoken on these two things, I shall close, as God shall help me, by
speaking upon the great lessons which lie almost upon the very surface
of the narrative.
I. First, then, let us consider THE GREAT MISTAKE which both
Israelites and Philistines made. The Israelites, instead of seeing to God
himself, went to Shiloh to fetch the ark of the covenant. The ark was the
sacred place where God revealed himself in the days when his people
truly served him; but it was devoid of power, without the presence of him
who dwelt between the cherubim. The Israelites were mistaken, for they
shouted long before they were “out of the wood.” Before they had won
any victory, the sight of the ark made them boastful and confident. The
Philistines fell into an error of a different kind, for they were frightened
without any real cause. They said, “God has come into the camp;”
whereas God had not come at all. It was only the ark with the cherubim
upon it; God was not there.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
