Today’s Scripture Reading (November
27, 2012): 1 Samuel 5
It is the
hyperbole of bad guys everywhere. It usually follows the words of the hero, who
is often gripped in agony when he says something like – “if you are going to kill
me, then just get on with it.” And the proper bad guy response seems to always have
been – “if you do not do what I say then I will make you wish that you were
dead.” The belief of the antagonist is that it is possible to hurt someone so
bad that they will no longer wish to live. But the human spirit is strong – and
inflicting pain on the person only rarely makes them wish that they were dead.
For that to happen, there has to be a corresponding lack of hope, because ultimately
it is really only the absence of hope that can make someone want to end their
existence.
As the Ark
of the Covenant made its rounds among the cities of the Philistines, death was
common. But those that did not die were inflicted with tumors. And part of
Samuel’s message here is to stress the reality of the situation. This was not a
psychosomatic malady. The effect of the Ark on the Philistines was tangible.
People may be scared to death, but it was just not just death that the Ark
brought with it. The Ark brought pain, and the pain that the Ark brought was
accompanied by a loss of hope. The God of the Ark had fought a fight with the
gods of the Philistines, and the Philistine gods had lost. And if the gods had
lost, then what hope was there for the people.
The Ark
moved from place to place. The story was never different. The tale of the Ark
in Philistia was always pain and death. And so, the response of the people was to
cry out to the heavens – their heavens. The cry went up into the real above,
but there was no one there to hear the cries. The gods had left them in their
greatest moment of need. The message was clear. No one could stand up in front
of the God of Israel. And no one can.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1
Samuel 6
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