May we be those who are not usurping God; rather, may we be those who live and pray for God’s economy and are according to His heart, having a normal church with Christ as the center and content.
The move of the Ark in the Old Testament was a picture of God’s move on earth in Christ; when God doesn’t intend to move and man usurps God by forcing Him to move (as the Israelites did with the Ark), He will not go along, but if we pray and live and are persons according to God’s heart and for His economy, we will have God’s move.
It is fascinating and enlightening to see the history of the Ark and the tabernacle in 1 and 2 Samuel, how it portrays the desire of God’s heart, the desolation of the church, and the recovery of the church for God’s testimony, His expression (Exo. 25:9-10; 26:26-30; 40:38).
The people of Israel, who have lost God and forsook Him, were fighting the Philistines and were being defeated, so their elders had the superstitious thought to bring out the Ark so that God would give them the victory. This didn’t help, however, for they were utterly defeated and the Ark was captured.
The Ark could fend for itself quite well, and the Philistines were subdued to the point that they had to send it back.
When the people of Israel saw the Ark, they didn’t handle it well and some people died; the Ark ended up in the house of Abinadab for twenty years.
No one had the thought of uniting the Ark with the tabernacle.
Then David came, and he had some realization when he became the king; he tried to bring the Ark to the tabernacle, but the Ark was not handled properly, so it ended up in the home of Obed-edom for three months. His house was blessed because of the Ark.
Then David brought it in the proper way with the priests carrying it; however, he didn’t bring it into the tabernacle but into a tent that he had pitched for it – it’s very close, but not exactly what God wanted.
Then the history continued with Solomon who, after he became king and offered a thousand burnt offerings, God appeared to him in a dream and asked him what would he like to have. Solomon asked for wisdom.
And after waking up from his dream, the first thing he does is to go to the Ark, which was in Gibeon (not sure how it got there from Shiloh), and then he prays and receives wisdom.
Shortly after that, he began to build the temple and, as soon as the temple was built, he transferred the Ark to the temple.
Then, the glory filled the temple. You can read this entire history with many more details in 1 and 2 Samuel; it is fascinating and also inspiring, especially if you consider this from the point of view of God’s economy.
The history of the Ark with the tabernacle is a type of church history, portraying the desire of God’s heart, the desolation of the church, and the recovery of the church for God’s testimony, God’s expression.
The Normal Church is the Expression of Christ, but the Church became Degraded and Lost the Reality and Presence of Christ
The Ark was the content and center of the tabernacle; this signifies Christ as the center and content of the church as God’s tabernacle, God’s house, for God’s corporate expression (Exo. 25:22; 40:21; Col. 2:9; Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Tim. 3:15).
In the first stage of its history, the Ark was in the tabernacle; this signifies that the normal church was the expression of Christ, and Christ was the content of the church (Exo. 40:34-35).
In its normal situation, the church is the expression of Christ, for the church as the tabernacle contains Christ as the Ark and therefore is the expression of Christ.
However, the Ark eventually was separated from the tabernacle, which signifies that the church became degraded and lost the reality and presence of Christ (1 Sam. 4:1 — 7:2).
In the first stage of its history, the Ark was in the tabernacle; this signifies the normal church as the expression of Christ.
However, when the Ark leaves the tabernacle, the tabernacle becomes Arkless, being void of God’s presence.
When the church is degraded, when degradation creeps in and saturates the church, the church loses the reality and presence of Christ.
It is possible to have the church without the presence of Christ, just as the tabernacle was without the Ark.
It is possible to have a Christless church; the Lord in Rev. 3:20 was outside the gate knocking to come in – the church did not have Christ as its center and content.
May the Lord save us from having a Christless church.
The Ark typifies Christ as the embodiment of God and as the presence of the Triune God with His people for the carrying out of His economy to establish His kingdom on earth (Josh. 3:3, 10-17).
The Ark led the way to cross the Jordan River and took the lead to circle around Jericho.
Similarly, Christ in the church is the One who takes the lead to do everything, and we follow Him.
May we be in a normal church today, the church filled with the expression of Christ, where Christ is the content and the center, and where we follow Christ as our unique Head and Leader.
Just as the Ark was in the inner chamber of the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, to be the center of the tabernacle and the place where God’s people meet with God, so today Christ is in our mingled spirit to be our center and content, the very place where we can meet with God.
When we come to Christ, contact Christ, enjoy Christ, and touch Christ, we are in God’s presence; His blood cleanses us and appeases God, and we and God can have peace and harmony.
There is no church life without Christ; there is no church without Christ. Christ is the center and also the content of the church, and He is the very place where we can meet with God, be acceptable to God, receive God’s speaking, and be infused with God.
The place where God speaks is Christ; Christ is God’s oracle, just as the Ark was the oracle of God in the tabernacle.
May we daily come to Christ, take Christ as our center and content, and remain in the Lord’s presence as we live our Christian life and church life.
May we be saved from going through a routine in the church life without Christ as our center and content. May we be saved from living a Christless church life.
Lord Jesus, we take You as our content and center for the church life to be the expression of Christ. Amen, Lord, we come to You to meet God, be infused with God, and have God’s speaking. May the church life be filled with Christ and may all the saints take Christ as their content and center day by day. Save us from living a Christless church life. Save us from doing things without contacting the Lord. Oh Lord, we want to be one spirit with You by remaining in the organic union with You. Keep us enjoying Christ as the embodiment of God and as the presence of the Triune God so that we may carry out God’s economy to establish His kingdom on earth.
Not Usurping God but Pray, Live, and be Persons According to God’s Heart and for His Economy
![And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Jehovah struck us down today before the Philistines? Let us take for ourselves the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah from Shiloh that it may come into our midst, and [thus] save us from the hand of our enemies. So the people sent [men] to Shiloh, and they took up from there the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah of hosts who is enthroned [between] the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 1 Sam. 4:3-4](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/And-when-the-people-came-to-the-camp-the-elders-of-Israel-said-Why-has-Jehovah-struck-us-down-today-before-the-Philistines.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Jehovah struck us down today before the Philistines? Let us take for ourselves the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah from Shiloh that it may come into our midst, and [thus] save us from the hand of our enemies. So the people sent [men] to Shiloh, and they took up from there the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah of hosts who is enthroned [between] the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 1 Sam. 4:3-4")
In their superstitious thinking, the elders of Israel thought that, by bringing out the Ark of God on the battlefield when they were fighting the Philistines, the Lord will give them the victory (1 Sam. 4:1-8).
The elders usurped the ark in their superstition for their fighting against the Philistines, and this issued in their defeat and the Ark being captured.
The move of the Ark was a picture of God’s move on earth in Christ as His embodiment (Psa. 68:1-8); however, during Israel’s fighting with the Philistines, God didn’t intend to move.
We should not try to move the Ark if the Ark doesn’t intend to move; it offends God to the uttermost if we usurp Him for our purpose.
May we take the Lord as our King, our Lord, our Head, and our Husband.
The children of Israel had no thought of or concern for God’s economy; their bringing out the Ark to battle the Philistines indicated that they were usurping God, even forcing Him to go out with them for their safety, peace, rest, and profit.
We shouldn’t think that it is the people of Israel that do this, not us; many times we do the same.
We may intend to do this and that during the weekend, since it is good weather, so we ask God to bless us.
We may pray for our health or our children; we may pray for our son or daughter’s application for a school, for our job, for this and that related to us.
But do we ask God concerning His desire, or do we force the Ark to go where we go? Do we inquire of God first, or do we just ask for His help and blessing?
It is possible for God to allow us to go somewhere or do something, but there is no glory for God; there may be glory for you or for your family, but not for God.
Eli’s grandchild was born when Eli’s daughter-in-law heard her husband and father-in-law died, and he was called, Ichabod, meaning, no glory.
When the Ark of God is taken and the glory departs, there is Ichabod, no glory. We don’t want Ichabod situations in the church life or in our personal Christian life.
In principle, we usurp God whenever we pray for our prosperity without any consideration of God’s economy. Oh, Lord!
Instead of usurping God, instead of forcing Him to do what we want Him to do for us to benefit us, we should pray, live, and be persons according to God’s heart and for His economy.
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pray for the things that we need, for our problems, for the situations in our family or around us, or for the things that concern us and our family; rather, we should pray for all these things, but have a consideration for God’s economy.
We are not like the people around us, trying to get some benefit and to have a better life for themselves and those related to them.
We are the voluntarily consecrated ones, the Nazarites of today, who seek God and want His economy to be carried out.
We need to pray like Hannah; she realized she needed a child, but she also saw that God was poor in the priesthood and needed a priest, so she prayed for her need to meet God’s need.
We or someone related to us may be sick, and we may pray for healing; our prayer, however, should not be in the way of usurping God.
Instead of usurping God through our prayer, we should pray for our health by having a consideration of God’s economy; we should ask the Lord to reveal to us what is in His heart concerning us.
May the Lord enlighten us concerning this so that we may pray according to God’s heart, live for His economy, and be persons according to God’s heart and for His economy on earth today.
Lord Jesus, we are here on earth for You. We are not here for our health, our prosperity, our family, or our work; we’re here for Your economy. We want to pray, live, and be persons according to God’s heart and for His economy. What is in Your heart concerning us, dear Lord? We open to You. We are children of God, sons of God, born of God with His life and nature: reveal to us what is in your heart concerning us for Your economy. We give ourselves to You, Lord, to be the Nazarites of today who are for Your economy. Amen, Lord, may a vision of Your economy govern us in our life and prayer today. Save us from usurping You for our prosperity or benefit; make us those who pray for and live according to Your heart and for Your economy!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ricky Acosta, and portions from, Life-study of 1&2 Samuel, msgs. 3-4, 22 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization Study of 1 and 2 Samuel (2021 winter training), week 4, entitled, The History of the Ark and the Tabernacle.
- Hymns on this topic:
– The ark of testimony too / Was but a type of Thee; / In it the law of God was placed, / But God in Thee we see. / The ark, in type, was made of wood / And overlaid with gold; / It typifies Thee as a man, / Who God in full doth hold. (Hymns #194)
– As was the temple to the ark, / Receptacle and resting-place; / So Christ the Church’s content is, / And in the Church, Christ’s dwelling-place. (Hymns #821)
– You need the Nazarites to turn this age. / Move in me to turn my heart and consecrate. / Save me from all selfish seeking, search my heart. / Set me free, make every bondage break apart! / I need You, but You need me too, / To do what You want to do. / Rekindle all of my love for You, / To be a voluntarily consecrated one. (Song on, Consecrated One)
