In I Samuel 4, the Philistines have attacked the Israelites. The Philistines were one of the greatest enemies to Israel during this time. In this episode, Israel makes a big mistake. They do something which we are quick to criticize them for, yet we do it sometimes as well. They put God in a box—literally. This is one of the worst things we could ever do, and it’s very dangerous to our Christian lives. So let’s go through this story and see what we can glean from Israel’s great blunder.
Read verses 1-4.
Notice that Israel was losing the battle—already 4,000 men had been killed. So out of desperation, the elders bring out the ark, thinking that will save them. Notice verse 3—“it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.”
The Israelites were putting their trust in the ark, not in God! They should have cried out to God for help, but instead they bring out a box.
How do we put God in a box? It’s simple: we limit God or confine God to a way in which we think He should work. We choose to only bring God into our lives when it is convenient.
Are you guilty of hiding God in your life and only bringing Him out when you really need Him? I think we’ve all done that before.
Read verses 5-8.
The morale of the Israelites went up as they shouted, and the Philistines were even afraid, remembering what God had done to the Egyptians.
When we put God in a box, it often makes us feel better, but only for a brief time. It doesn’t last, as we will see.
Read verses 9-10.
The Philistines are afraid, but they choose to encourage themselves and fight back. The Israelites lose, and 30,000 men are killed! When we put God in a box, we will always lose. God is not a genie in a lamp who you can summon at a moment’s notice to help you. God wants to be your ever present help, your constant companion. If you only pull God out when you really need Him, He might not answer.
Read verse 11.
The Israelites lose the ark! The very object they were trusting for victory was stolen. Their little trick did not work. God is not a magician nor a genie, so don’t expect Him to act like one.
However, that’s not the end of the story. Let’s look at I Samuel 5. Read verses 1-6. Question: why did the ark do nothing for Israel when they needed it, but then it was a curse to the Philistines? The ark was a curse both to Israel and to the Philistines. We learn here that God does not play by your rules; He does not do what you want Him to do.
When we put God in a box, we are limiting His work in our lives. Have you put God in a neat little box that you can tie with a bow? God doesn't belong there. He deserves to be Lord of your life--meaning no box!
A great example of restricting God is seen in Psalm 78. Turn there for just a moment. Read verses 17-19. The Israelites saw God bring them out of Egypt, yet they doubted that He could provide food for them. Read verses 40-41. Their sin and their unbelief limited God. As a result of this, look at verses 59-64. They were punished. You know you’ve put God in a box when you talk like the Children of Israel: “God can do this, but He can’t do this.”
We see here that God’s working in our lives is dependent on our faith. If we have a heart of unbelief or doubt, God cannot work. Jesus said it like this in Matthew 9:29: “According to your faith be it unto you.”
What do you get when you put God in a box?
—God’s potential is limited
—God’s power is limited
—God’s promises are limited
—God’s purpose is limited
—So what DO you get? All you get is God’s punishment
What kind of box have you put God into?
—Is God confined in a crisis box?
—Is God confined in a prayer box?
—Is God confined in a church box?
Have you put God in a box of your own will? Ex: Matt. 7:7-8. Quote and explain.
You cannot manipulate God! Does God break His Word? No, yet God will not bend His Word to your will. Don’t leave out God’s sovereignty. When we act like we are sovereign, we’ve put God in a box.
CONCLUSION
We need to remember how massive God is. King Solomon makes an amazing statement in I Kings 8:27: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?”
The biggest box in the world cannot hold God, yet how often we confine and restrict Him. We need to see God as Isaiah saw Him in Isaiah 6:1, “…high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.”
Consider Ephesians 3:20—“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…”
Throw away the box and let God be God. If we would not confine God, then He would be free to work. God doesn’t want to work just in your life, He wants to work through your life.
How powerful is God? Isaiah 40:15 tells us, “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.”
Verse 22 of the same chapter says, “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.”
Psalm 18:2 shows us the power of God: “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
Notice all the “my’s”—He is a personal and powerful God! Yet all of these can be restricted if we put God in a box. If you choose to limit God, then He will be none of these for you. You’ll have a powerful God who is trapped within your own confines. Is God sovereign in your life, or limited? I want God to be in complete control in my life.
Have you put God in a box? Is something holding Him back from performing what He desires to do in your life? Let’s make sure we have the right perspective of God. It’s time to throw away the box.
