Know Him

Time went by until 20 years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel began to seek YHWH. - 1 Samuel 7:2

Twenty years after the ark of the covenant was returned by the Philistines and left in Kiriath-jearim, the Israelites began to seek the Lord.

TWENTY YEARS!

Samuel had been a prophet and priest to the people for two decades and then became their judge. Why then did it take so long for the people to come around?

When Israel first went into battle with the Philistines, they sent a team to Shiloh to obtain the ark of the covenant and bring it to their camp. They believed that the ark would guarantee God's presence, but (as we have already seen) it did not. They were soundly defeated by the enemy and the ark was captured. No doubt, Israel's idea of who God was and how He worked was severely compromised and they were confused. Their spiritual foundation had crumbled and, apparently, it took 20 years to rebuild to the point where they even knew they should believe.

The false "god of their own understanding" had to surrender, to die, to the true God of the universe. There was no other way to move forward, and there still never is.

God wants you to know Him, not your culture's comfortable idea or opinion of Him, and until you come to that understanding and surrender to this truth, you will never know redemption. It will take as long as is necessary, but it need not take forever. Know Jesus.

God does not play dice. - Albert Einstein