Advanced Level, Block 6—Struggling with a Kingdom
Week 53
The Ark is Lost
Point to Emphasize: There is a consequence to the way we live; we should hold on to what is precious.
Reference Reading: 1 Samuel 4:2-11, 17, footnotes 31, 111
Memory Verse: But if any one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God… (James 1:5a)
Story Sample
Today we are going to talk about something the Israelites lost, something that was very important to them—the Ark of God (the Ark of the Covenant). This happened during the time that Samuel served in the temple.
The Ark of the Covenant, as you may remember, contained in it the manna, the law, and the budding rod of Aaron. The Ark was where God met with His people. It was kept in the tabernacle and whenever the tabernacle moved, the Ark was moved with it. In those days, the Ark was being kept in the city of Shiloh.
But the Israelites had become careless and no longer trusted in God. They weren’t concerned with meeting with God. In their heart, they forsook God but outwardly they held on to the things of their Jewish practices that were part of their routine. Since they had forsaken God, God also had forsaken them.
The Israelites were fighting with their enemies, the Philistines. In one battle the Philistines had done a lot of damage to the Israelites and had struck down 4,000 of their men. They wondered why this had happened, so they made a bad decision. They remembered the times that they had been victorious in their battles against their enemies. In these battles, the Ark had gone out before them as Jehovah had directed. They thought that the victory was won because of the presence of the physical Ark (rather than the presence of God). They did not realize that the wise thing to do would be to go to God. But instead, they acted foolishly. They had this superstitious idea that if they brought the ark from Shiloh, they would win the battle. By taking the ark into the battle, they were trying to force God to do something for them. But this was not according to God and God resented this.
When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had taken the Ark from Shiloh and brought it to where they were fighting, they were frightened. The Philistines thought that God had come into their camp to defeat them because they knew that in the past there had been many victories given by God while the Ark was with the Israelites. But they did not realize that the Israelites had done this on their own without praying to God about it first. So, the Philistines encouraged one another to rise up and fight. And in the end, the Philistines slaughtered 30,000 soldiers of the people of Israel. On top of that, the Philistines captured the Ark from the children of Israel. The Israelites lost not only the Ark but also everything that was related to God as well as God’s presence with them. They had lost something very precious.
What is really precious to us now? [Discuss with the children about what is precious to them—some things are so valuable to us that we are really at a loss if we lose them.] Material things that might seem precious (like a new computer or phone or bike) and could cause temporary excitement; but in the long term, they hold no value. What is really precious that you may not have realized is to be in a family and to have friends that love God. If you were to reject the way your parents, siblings, or friends that love God live, there can be a real consequence. You could lose your precious relationship with them. [Ask some that are older (high school or college-age or maybe even an adult) to visit the meeting that day and talk to the children about the consequences of the choices that they made at this age and how it has affected them. Some may credit their friends for keeping them in among God’s people, and some may regret that they didn’t keep those relationships and it caused them years of suffering. They will tell you what their friendships with other children of families who love God have meant to them as years have gone by.]
Everything that we do has an outcome. As with the Israelites, they chose not to go to God concerning their battle with the Philistines but to use the Ark, which was so precious to them at one time, in an improper way. And the outcome was that the Ark was taken from them by their enemy. If we choose to give up the things that are precious to us, like our parents, siblings, and friends, there could also be the outcome that we would lose something precious. Let’s all choose to hold on to the precious things!