The Ark of God – Taken and Returned
What
shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? 1 Samuel 5:8
Hymn 105: Enter
Into God’s Presence
The Lord’s Prayer
(Luke 11:2-4)
Psalm 61 –– Lead me to The
Rock …
Bible
Readings:
·
The
Ark Taken to Battle: 1 Samuel 4:1-18
·
The Enemies’ gods Worship
Jehovah: 1 Samuel 5:1-8; 6:1-3
·
The Ark Returned and Sanctified: 1 Samuel
7:1-6
·
God’s
Blessings are Boundless: 1 Cor 5:17-21
·
A Peculiar People: Romans 9:1-5, 26-28
Summary of Readings
§
The
Tabernacle was a place where God met with His People – a figure of His Spirit
for us to dwell in as we travel through the “wilderness” of life in this world
§
The
Ark of the Covenant signified God’s Presence, and He appeared as a Cloud in the
daytime and a Pillar of Fire by night over the Tabernacle
§
Although
God had emphasised the Holiness of the The Ark, and only certain of the Priests
or carers were to touch it, the people thought that having God’s Presence close
would help them in battle
§
We
can imagine Eli’s deep concern when The Ark was taken from the Holy of Holies to
the battlefield; when the news of its capture was heard Eli was mortified!
§
God
continued to show His authority over other gods in such a way that even
unbelievers were forced to believe
§
When
The Ark was returned to its rightful place, and treated in the way commanded,
the custodians were blessed
§
The
evil in us causes us to reject God’s Presence in our lives, but He will receive
us back if we personally turn our lives and follow His commandments
§
God
is Holy and wants us to be wholly holy - in spirit and soul and body - as we
await the outpouring of His Spirit in the Latter Days, and the return of Jesus
Christ to this earth to establish the Kingdom promised to Israel.
Hymn 100: Nourished
by Living Bread
Message
Hymn 96: Return to
God’s Favour
Doxology
