All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
Read 1 Samuel 4:1–7:17
1. The men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it.
2. The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them.
3. Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
4. So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord.
5. Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 1 Samuel 7:1-5
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Tourists and travelers purchase memorable souvenirs from the places they visit. What are your favorites? Souvenirs connect us to a place and an experience; they become hooks for our memories. Souvenirs also prove that we’ve been to a specific place, and they can be excellent discussion starters.
This reading highlights a bit of souvenir collecting—the Philistines grab a priceless Israelite treasure, and the Israelites build a collection of choice Canaanite items. In neither case are the souvenirs harmless, as you’ll soon see. The Israelites took their collectibles from the inhabitants that they were to have driven from Canaan, clearly violating God’s command. As you read, look for God’s lesson about collecting the wrong kind of souvenirs.
This passage also has a lesson about listening to God, and it contains reminders about God’s power.
As the Israelites began to inhabit Canaan, they were supposed to destroy all the idols they found. Instead, many people collected the idols, brought them home, and included them in their worship. They were clearly disobeying God because he had warned them to avoid idols (see Exodus 20:4). Samuel saw the Israelites’ sin and urged them to get rid of their foreign gods (1 Samuel 7:3).
Today’s idols don’t look like the ancient gods of wood and stone, but they endanger us just as much. Whatever holds first place in a person’s life is, in fact, that person’s god. Money, success, material goods, pride, or anything else can be an idol if it takes God’s place.
The Lord alone is worthy of our service and worship, and we must let nothing rival him. If we have “foreign gods,” we need to dethrone them, giving the true God his rightful place.
What idols vie for control of your life? What should you do to keep God in first place?
