Week of June 5, 2016: The Ark Was Captured

Session Title: The Ark Was Captured
Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 4–5
Big Picture Question: Why was the ark of God important? The ark reminded the Israelites of God’s promise to be with His people.
Key Passage: 1 Samuel 2:35

Unit Christ Connection: God used people and visual elements in history to give us pictures of Christ.

The ark of God (also called “the ark of the covenant”) was an incredibly important symbol in the lives of God’s people. Not only was the ark the original container for the Ten Commandments, it symbolized God’s presence with His people.

God would speak to Moses from between two golden cherubim on top of the ark, which was called the mercy seat.

The Philistines were a near-constant threat to Israel during the time of the judges. Under the leadership of Samuel, the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. But the Israelites were defeated because of their sin.

The elders of Israel realized that it was God who allowed them to be defeated. God hadn’t fought for them against the Philistines. So they did what seemed logical; they took the ark—the symbol of God’s presence—and carried it to the battlefield. But the ark was not a good luck charm. Not only was Israel defeated, the Philistines captured the ark.

With the victory, the Philistines concluded that their god, Dagon, was better than the God of Israel. They moved the ark to Dagon’s temple, where God showed His power over Dagon. As the ark moved between Philistine cities, God afflicted the people and made them sick. Though the Philistines won the battle by capturing the ark, God afflicted them to show His power over their god. God received glory through the Israelites’ defeat. This points to the victory of God’s Son on the cross. The people thought they had stopped Jesus by killing Him on the cross, but by His death, Jesus saved the world and brought glory to God