Why would the Israelites think it was a good idea to carry the Ark of the Covenant into battle? Perhaps they were recalling that it was carried with their forefathers when they marched around Jericho. Or perhaps they were following a pagan custom of bringing in the big guns by carrying an image of their god to the battle. In any case, this wasn’t from God, and it wasn’t God’s help they were seeking. Their actions present a lesson to us, that we can’t elicit our desired action from God by invoking His name in error. He promises to be found by those who will seek Him, not His blessings. If we are seeking Him, we must do so His way; a true seeker will be seeking to understand what that way is. Psalm 145:18 says “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
God taught the Israelites that the Ark required special handling. It resided in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle, a place where only the High Priest could enter only one day a year, and at great peril. Why didn’t God’s presence strike them down when they came for the Ark? It appears that God’s glory had departed from it. Isn’t it sad that no one seemed to miss it? Is it possible for us New Testament people to miss the departure of God’s glory?
God’s people weren’t able to retrieve the Ark, but God didn’t need their help. Not only was it returned, but the Philistines were judged in the process so that they knew Gods’ power. Do you suppose that God still wants to show His power in the world so that all will know Him? Isn’t that what our witness for Him is supposed to accomplish?
The people mourned and sought after God. Mourning accompanies a true seeking after Him, because separation caused by sin is what necessitates seeking after God. Meeting Him makes man aware of the awfulness of his sin. Have you ever suffered with the knowledge of how awful your sin is? Such knowledge is a true gift from God, as unpleasant as the experience is, for it drives us to Him with a greater understanding of our helpless need for a Savior. Samuel’s instructions to the seekers were to put away the foreign gods, direct their hearts to God, and serve Him alone. A true seeking of God isn’t limited to words, but will be evident in our actions.
God warned them what the outcome of having a king would, be, and we will read about the fulfillment of that warning. Why couldn’t His people live according to His plan, continuing to seek and serve Him, and asking for Him to supply the leaders they needed? The answer is that if man was capable of doing that, we wouldn’t have needed a Savior! As it is, Jesus our Savior has released us from our enslavement to sin and self, making it possible for us to live in submission to God. We need to trust Him and pray for His will to be done! Otherwise, we can be caught off guard by the enemy who deceives us into thinking that we can live according to our own plan without suffering the consequences God warns us about – like the Israelites did.