Fidelity
The Israelites learned a valuable lesson today. Just because you have the Ark of the Covenant in your possession does not mean God is going to give you everything you ask for. Especially if you have not been faithful to God. Eli’s two sons were not faithful. Matter of fact, they probably had no faith at all.
As we often see in the Bible, the parents were of great faith, but the parents may not have been knowledgeable parents in sharing the faith. For example, you might be very good at some tasks or knowledgeable about faith. However, you may not be the best at sharing or explaining. Try as hard as we might we just cannot get the point across. Eli’s sons fell away from the faith. They thought just having the Ark with them would automatically give them power to win the battle. It did not. Thirty thousand men died in that battle.
Being faithful to God must be on a deeper more intimate level. Do you know people who have to wear their favorite shirt or socks when their team is playing? They think that if they do not do everything just right, they will cause their team to lose. Or if a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter and it is in the bottom of ninth and an announcer makes mention that it is a no-hitter you have jinxed the pitcher. Do you really think you can change the outcome of the game by a smelling old sweatshirt or saying something? Neither will what you wear or say affect your relationship to God if you have not been faithful. Expecting God to do your bidding when you want it is absurd.
God is always faithful; He is always there for us. Are we always there for God? Jesus asks the man He cured of leprosy to not spread news of this cure to others. The man went out and spread the information everywhere. Now stop for a moment. Was the cured leper really being faithful? In truth, did He follow the instructions of Jesus? Faithful means following God’s directions no matter what they are.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and if the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen