Superstitions substitute ritual for relationship.
1 Samuel 6:1-9
May 2, 2010
Prelude to the Reading
You are probably familiar at some level with the “ark of the covenant” in Jewish history. As soon as the Israelites left Egypt, God gave them instructions to set up their sanctuary. Those instructions included the creation of the “ark” (Exodus 25), a small wooden box, about the size of a trunk, in which was placed the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s staff. The box was to be ornately overlaid with gold and two angels on the top, with rings on the side for inserting poles to carry the ark of the covenant.
At God’s command, when the Israelite people moved around in the desert the ark was carried at the front (Numbers 11). It also led the way through the Jordan River when they crossed into the land for conquest (Joshua 3) and was at the front of the march around Jericho when the walls fell down (Joshua 6). The ark always symbolized the presence and power of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
During the time following Moses and Joshua, when the judges ruled Israel, the ark had a temporary home in a town called Shiloh. Apparently something larger and more permanent than the desert tabernacle was built in Shiloh, because the high priest and others lived there and there are certain references to more permanent structures, like door posts. The high priest was the custodian of the temple and the ark.
As the book of Samuel opens, Israel’s high priest and judge a man named Eli. He is 98 years old when our story begins, having led Israel for a generation as its political and spiritual leader. He is described as very heavy and functionally blind (1 Samuel 4:15, 18). His sons do not follow his ways, nor apparently do the people obey God’s Word. We track the rise of Samuel as a transitional figure to Israel’s first kings, Saul and David.
Sometime between the Israelite conquest of Canaan and the time of our story, another group of people besides the Israelites attempted the settle the same area. Called “Philistines” in the Bible, their name eventually evolved into “Palestinians,” and you know well that the Palestinians and Jews are still in conflict.
The Philistines were coastal people who had moved from Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) to the island of Crete, then to Egypt, then to Canaan in search of a homeland. (Maybe the Egyptians, still bitter about the loss of their Israelite slaves, helped the Philistines choose their new home!) Like the Israelites, their intent was to kill or at least subjugate others who wanted to occupy the same territory.
The Philistines and Israelites met in one of many battles in 1 Samuel 4. Israel lost badly. Fearing that this might be a prelude to even more losses, the Israelites decided they needed some divine help. Some of them went to Shiloh and brought the ark to the battle front. Nothing bad had ever been associated with the ark of God – only positive stories of guidance and victory. It was sure to help.
The ark rallied the spirits of the Israelites, but it also became what we would call bulletin board material for the Philistines. They fought only harder, and slaughtered the Israelite army, including Eli’s two sons. The Philistine army also captured the ark of God. News of this caused Eli to fall off his chair and die (4:18).
The Philistines’ glee was short-lived. The ark was placed in the temple of their god, Dagon, supposedly a symbol that Yahweh was inferior to Dagon. But during the night, the statue of Dagon fell down as if bowing to Yahweh (5:3). They put him back upright, but the next night the same thing happened – only this time his head and hands broke off and lay on the threshold (5:4). Thus began a superstition – don’t step on the threshold of the Philistine temple.
Moreover, rats began to overrun the city where Dagon’s temple was, and diseases broke out – specifically tumors. The Philistines moved the ark to another city, but disease and death plagued that city as well.
That leads us to today’s reading, 1 Samuel 6:1-9.
Rituals, habits, and beliefs
It is only fair to warn you today that I plan to raise more questions than I answer in this sermon. It seems to me that sermons sometimes function like TV sit coms and dramas. We act as if a crisis or issue can be resolved in a neat little bundle in 30 minutes or less.
As the sermon title implies, there is a fine line between faith and superstition. What do we mean by superstition? Everyday examples abound. I looked up a web site with “Superstitions A-Z,” and found dozens – some of which are familiar and some of which I’ve never heard of. For example –
· It’s bad luck to put a hat on a bed.
· A 4-leaf clover brings good luck.
· 80% of high rise buildings do not have a 13th floor.
· Pulling out a white hair makes ten grow in its place.
· If your nose itches, someone is coming to visit. If it’s your right nostril, the visitor will be female; the left nostril means a male visitor.
Some of our superstitions are related to matters of faith. Let me mention a few that I have come across recently. In mentioning them, I want to say again that what we’re trying to discern here is “the fine line between faith and superstition.” So by mentioning these faith-based rituals, habits, and beliefs, I am not suggesting they are wrong. I am simply raising the question of the “fine line.”
· If I bury a statue of St. Joseph upside down in my yard, the house will sell sooner.
· I wear a cross or carry one in my pocket to keep Christ close to me.
· When friends are going through a hard time, I give an angel as a reminder that God is with them.
· If I begin my day with Bible reading and prayer, the day goes better.
· If I tithe my income, I never miss the money and all my bills are paid.
· I saw the face of Jesus in a potato chip.
· When I take communion, I feel closer to God.
· The picture of Jesus on my wall means that he is watching over my family.
· If I write my prayer and place it in the Jerusalem wailing wall, it will be answered.
· God protects us with his guardian angels.
Return of the lost ark
I hope that list has you thinking. Perhaps it will keep you reflecting, praying, and talking long after this sermon is over. What got me thinking about the subject of faith and superstition was the story of the ark of the covenant, especially as it plays out in 1 Samuel 4-6.
Let’s start here. What is a superstition? It’s something we believe or do because of ignorance, fear, or a false connection between cause and effect. Take, for example, the “lucky tie” you wear when your favorite sports team plays a game. If they win, you keep wearing the “lucky tie” because you believe somehow it contributed to the win and will help the team again.
This is why the Israelites took the ark of God into battle in 1 Samuel 4. At Jericho, the ark led the way and the walls fell down. False conclusion: the ark caused the victory.
As 1 Samuel 6 unfolds, we see a blend of superstition and “faith” on the part of the Philistines. The common set of religious assumptions all over the world at that time was that so-called “gods” were limited in their power to one place. They also had specialties. The Canaanite god, for example, was Baal, whose specialty was storms and fertility. Canaanites assumed the same was true of Israel’s “god,” Yahweh.
Dagon was the chief Philistine god. His specialty was supposedly grain and agriculture. But that did not mean the Philistines scoffed at the legitimacy of the Israelite god, Yahweh. From their standpoint, he was to be understood and respected in reference to Israelite interests.
The Philistines knew they had offended Yahweh by keeping his ark in their territory. They had suffered the consequences in their own temple and in their plague. After a few months of trouble with no end in sight, the political leaders consulted the Philistine religious experts (6:1-2) to come up with a plan.
Everyone agreed the ark had to return home (6:3), but what was the proper way to do so? They wanted to do so in a way that would “pay honor to Israel’s god” (6:5). So they decided to send the ark back on a cart and include some golden offerings – models of tumors and rats.
There was some resistance to this plan, because the priests asked, “Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did?” (6:6). Apparently some of the leaders thought the gold offering was unnecessary.
An additional twist on the plan was to send the cart on its way with two mother cows who had recently calved. When released with no direction, their instinct would have been to return to their calves. Their “lowing” along the way (6:12) indicates that the mothers were longing for their babies, but their feet kept walking toward the border town of Beth Shemesh in Israel.
As the story continues in chapter 6, the people of Beth Shemesh saw the ark coming on the cart and were thrilled. I kind of feel bad for the cows, since the response of the town was to cut up the cart for food and sacrifice the cows to God. In their defense, they probably felt that was the greatest honor the cows could have.
This was a town full of priests and Levites, so they also knew that a longer sacrifice was in order (6:16). The Philistines watched the festivities, satisfied that they had solved their plague-problem, and went home (6:17).
There were still irreverent people in Beth Shemesh, however, whose curiosity apparently got the better of them. They had to open the ark and get a look. Seventy of them died, and the town decided they didn’t want to risk a Philistine-like plague, so they sent the ark to yet another town, where it stayed for 20 years. King David eventually brought it to Jerusalem and his son, Solomon, built a magnificent temple where it stayed until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
What happened to the ark of the covenant then and whether it is still around (or where) is a subject of ongoing speculation. I think Indiana Jones may still be looking for it. But that’s a different story.
Three losses
Before we get to the “fine line between faith and superstition,” maybe we should ask what’s wrong with superstition. Most superstitions seem to be rather harmless. Why does it matter whether you keep a rabbit’s foot in your pocket or refuse to walk under a ladder? For that matter, what is God’s big hang up with idols? What harm does it do to have a statue or some other physical object that gives some comfort and hope in a dark time?
I thought of three losses when we embrace a false god to bring us luck or watch out for us. Perhaps you could add others.
Loss of awe. We cheapen God if God alone is not enough. During our recent “home project” and process of moving stuff from one room to another, I came across a video tape that had our son’s name on it along with the name of his high school girlfriend. I think it may have been from a prom or some similar event.
I immediately knew what to do with it. It went in the trash. I didn’t have to ask Phil. He told me several years ago that any pictures or memorabilia connected to that relationship could be tossed. He’s married now, and there are no rival loves from his past that matter.
If he had said, “Keep a few of those mementos around,” what would that say about him? It would say there is a piece of his heart that doesn’t fully belong to Mary Catherine. It would say he might need a fall back if this marriage doesn’t work out. It would say he is not exclusively, uniquely committed to Mary Catherine.
False gods have the same meaning. God is not enough for us if we also need lucky charms or superstitions.
Loss of faith. The use of unreliable sources of help will also dilute our confidence in God.
Do you remember the Peanuts character Linus sitting in the pumpkin patch all night on Halloween waiting for the Great Pumpkin? He creates a sign that says, “Welcome, Great Pumpkin.” He believes the Great Pumpkin comes only to those who truly believe. You must not say “if he comes” but “when he comes” in order to get toys from the Great Pumpkin on Halloween. Linus said famously, “There are three things I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”
What’s wrong with that ‘superstition’? The Great Pumpkin disappoints, year after year. When the good luck charm disappoints, we extend that disappointment to God also. No, God doesn’t always “come through” in the way we expect, but he is absolutely worth of our trust. Still, if other objects of our faith let us down, we may lose confidence in God also.
Loss of credibility. A few weeks ago I started reading a book by Chet Raymo, a professor of physics and astronomy at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. He writes a weekly column in the Boston Globe on science and nature. The title is Skeptics and True Believers: The Exhilarating Connection Between Science and Religion.
I’m not finished with the book, but I haven’t yet found “the exhilarating connection.” Mostly Raymo seems to undermine faith with science. One of the ways he does so is by link various beliefs all in the same category. Which of these do you believe in – geese that lay golden eggs, prayer, the shroud of Turin, horoscopes, the uniqueness of Jesus as the way of salvation, aliens, angels, the coming of Christ, heaven and hell?
Raymo weaves back and forth among these topics as if they’re all equally deserving of skepticism. And maybe they are – as I said, I haven’t finished his book to see where he’s going with this. But when we as believers that God created the world and that Jesus his Son came into the world, died, and rose again – when we also ‘knock on wood’ and choose our ‘lucky number’ for buying lottery tickets and take the horoscope page seriously, people like Chet Raymo have a lot less reason to respect our faith.
It’s not just Chet Raymo. What about the family members we pray for, the friends we invite to church, the co-workers who see a cross around our neck? Don’t you think our attempt to share Christ with them loses something when it’s coupled with cheap superstitions?
Reading the fine line
Then how do we tell if our beliefs and practices are rooted in superstition or faith? Where do we discern that fine line? Here are some good questions to ask ourselves about our rituals and beliefs, even those related to faith.
Are irrational fears controlling my life? A good way to tell if superstition is running my life is to look at the list of rituals in my life – spiritual or otherwise – and be honest enough to ask what would happen if I missed some of them. What if I can’t find wood to ‘knock on’? What I forget to say a mealtime prayer? What if I’m assigned a room on the 13th floor of a hotel? What if I’m buying a house and learn the last occupant died in the home?
If fear is in charge of my decisions and routine, faith is not.
Is there a biblical command or principle behind this symbol? The Bible itself sometimes uses physical objects or sacred rituals to boost faith. The ark of the covenant was itself God’s gift and his directive. It wasn’t wrong for the Israelites to make an ark or to put it in a temple. They were obeying God when they did so.
The same is true of the elements of communion or the rite of water baptism. There are a limited number of specific ways God has given us a tangible way to hold on to him and point us to him. Going beyond those ought to at least make us ask more questions.
Am I attempting to manipulate God? Isn’t this what the Israelites were doing when they took the ark into battle? They had lost once to the Philistines because their priorities were all wrong and they weren’t following the Word of God. Now they figured if they took the ark with them into battle, God would be obligated to help. They sort of pictured Yahweh in heaven saying to himself, “Well, I can’t let the ark get into pagan hands, so I’d better help my people win this one.”
God will not be manipulated. Sometimes we even use prayer in a superstitious way. It’s like a formula that’s supposed to back God into a corner. If I pray with a sincere heart in Jesus’ name, God has to come through for me. God never has to come through on our terms on our demand. He is God, and that’s all we need to know.
Have I substituted ritual for relationship? Those of us who have been married for a long time know how easy it is for marriage to become an exchange of favors. One person makes the bed, the other mows the lawn. One takes out the trash, the other washes the cars. One balances the checkbook, the other vacuums. You scratch by back, I rub your feet. Marriage may well include all those rituals, which are ways of nurturing the relationship in daily life, because you’re doing things for “us,” not just “me.” But if marriage is only an exchange of good deeds, it doesn’t fulfill that deep need for loving and being loved.
Sometimes faith becomes no more than a collection of rituals. Go to church. Find a Bible study. Do a good deed. Read the Bible. Pray. Fast. Give. Even those healthy spiritual disciplines can easily function like “an exchange of favors” in a marriage. When that happens, they take on more of the quality of a superstition. I’m doing my part so God needs to do his part.
The antidote is a regular reminder that the rituals are means to an end. The goal is a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father.
Keep talking
As I said in the beginning, this sermon may leave some unanswered questions. I did not set out to solve all the issues I raised. Hopefully what we’ve done is to get you thinking, praying, discerning, talking. Talk about this over lunch today and through the week.
When I say, “Good luck,” am I trusting in faith or superstition? Do I treat the sacraments (baptism and communion) as if they were automatic conduits of forgiveness? When I teach my children and grandchildren about Santa Claus or the Easter bunny – does that foster faith or superstition? Is there anything potentially harmful about pictures of Jesus, cross jewelry, guardian angels, praying to saints, knocking on wood?
I’m leaving that up to you to discern. Amen.