…the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. (I Samuel 4:7-11 ESV)
Empty Ritual
Rituals are wonderful, helpful, meaningful things.
But sometimes rituals have the adjective, “empty” before them.
Eli’s sons, Eli and Hophni, were self-appointed Ark-carers. Not only had they not followed the Biblical instructions for Ark interaction, but they had no actual relationship with Jahweh God. They had proven themselves pagan in thought, word, and deed.
So while the Israelite army made a lot of noise when the brothers brought the Ark to the battle site, the Ark was not a sign of the presence and blessing of the Lord.
And so the ritual of the Ark, while usually meaningful, powerful, and awe-ful, was empty.
And the Philistines won that battle.
It is not enough to read God’s words… but reading His Word is profound.
It is not enough to be in the room while the Lord’s Supper is consumed… but eating His bread and drinking His wine allows us to know His presence.
It is not enough to splash water on a human… but acknowledging and clinging to God’s promises in Baptism is life-changing.
Rituals with Emmanual are never meaningless or empty.
But empty rituals, without the reality of God, are meaningless.
And it all centers around Jesus. He brings truth to worship. He brings meaning to our celebrations. He brings focus to our activities.
He makes His rituals full!