The respect one should have for the things of God is a lesson urgently needed today. We can begin with David’s treatment of the young man who claimed to have killed Saul. Upon learning of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, David and all his men mourned and fasted. In 2 Samuel 1:14, David asks the Amalekite man, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” The Bible tells us that David could have killed Saul two times before. But he refused to harm Saul because he was the Lord’s anointed. Respect such as this is uncommon in today’s world.
The Bible provides another example of respect for the things of God in the account of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant in I Samuel 4. The army of Israel had just made camp at Ebenezer. Prior to this, they had been severely beaten by the Philistine army. After this defeat, the elders of Israel asked themselves why God had allowed them to be beaten by the Philistine army; they then resolved to bring the Ark into the camp with them. The elders must have remembered how the Ark was carried across the Jordan River and around the walls of Jericho. They apparently expected similar results to lead them to victory. However, there was a difference between the people who carried the Ark in the days of Joshua and those who were taking the Ark from Shiloh in the days of Eli. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, moved the Ark because they were sons of Aaron, who, by law, were allowed to move it. However, there could not have been anyone further from the sacred things that belong to God than Eli’s sons. The account informs us that the Ark was captured. Eli and his sons all lost their lives on the same day, along with many more Israelites.
We have those in the church today who don’t respect the things that belong to God. The Lord’s Supper deserves more respect because it belongs to God, but how many times do we fall into the habit of taking the bread and drinking the juice without really considering what we are to do while partaking? In Corinthians, Paul gives us detailed instructions on behavior and the respect we should have while taking part in the Lord’s supper. How many Christians walk in darkness yet feel they have access to the Lord’s blood simply because they partake of the Lord’s supper every Sunday?
What good can the things that belong to God do for us if the proper respect for them is not there as well?