Station 7: The Ark of the Covenant is Stolen

Before reading, take a moment to tune into the Spirit.

Get comfortable where you are sitting. Feel free to light a candle or close your eyes. 

Take a few deep breaths and focus on the movement of the air gently expanding and contracting your lungs. 

Be still and know that this is the Spirit rushing through you.

When you are ready, begin by meditating on these words.

The Ark of the Covenant was stolen by Israel’s enemies, the Philistines in 1 Samuel 5. The Ark was a wooden box covered in gold that was made to house the presence of God. The Israelites would carry it in front of them into battle and leave victorious. 

The Philistines saw this and wanted that power for themselves. They brought the ark into the Temple to their idol Dagon. The statue of Dagon fell face forward in front of the Ark and smashed into pieces. 

I found this to be very relatable. There are things that I claim I can’t live without. People who I’ve worshiped before. But God challenges that. Only one person can have my #1 spot and that’s God. He shouldn’t have to share a pedestal with any other thing. 

Take with You

It’s weird that the Philistines were able to steal the Ark of the Covenant. There are plenty of stories where Israelites bumped into the box and died. What was God doing allowing the enemies to touch the sacred?

Isn’t it interesting how we can allow ourselves to dictate who should and shouldn’t have access to God? Much of religion is spent trying to protect God from our sin. But as we see in this story and in the narrative of Christmas, is that God willingly enters into it anyway. 

Jesus came as the second Ark. He was Divinity (gold) wrapped in Humanity (wood). He housed the very presence of God within him. Jesus wasn’t afraid to get dirty. In fact, he said things like “the Kingdom of Heaven is in you”. He even told parables about how we have to dig through the dirt to find this treasure. 

(1 Samuel 5)