“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.’” – 1 Samuel 4:3
The nation of Israel had descended into a sinful, sorrowful state. The religious leadership was rotten to the core and undermining everyone’s faith. So, God tried to get Israel’s attention through a military defeat. However, the leaders of the nation didn’t learn their lesson. In fact, they didn’t even ask what lesson God was trying to teach! They just came up with a way to try and manipulate God into giving them victory. They decided that if they sent the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them, everything would be OK. It wasn’t!!!
The Bible promises that God disciplines those He loves. If you’re a Christian, then God loves you, which means He will discipline you if you get off course spiritually and fall into sin. That discipline will be uncomfortable and may come in a variety of forms. Learn the lesson of the Israelites… when you’re out of God’s will, you can’t fix that by trying to appear more religious. You can’t fix a wrong heart by displaying more religious symbols or objects. You can’t manipulate God into action by using holy objects or sacred activities to compensate for an unholy life. Such hypocrisy only deepens your guilt! It was true then and it remains true today.
When God is trying to get your attention because of some sin in your life, listen to Him! Don’t just double-down on religious practices or put on a more holy appearance. Seek the Lord in prayer until you understand what He’s trying to teach you. Ask God to reveal your sin to you. Then repent of it, rejecting it completely and confessing it to God. Ask His forgiveness in the name of Jesus. God will always forgive you when you do (1 John 1:9). Change your heart and how you live your life, don’t just put on the appearance of religion. #FollowJesus