When we think about the gospel we are often quick to jump to John 3:16 or some other New Testament reference.  It is easy for us to view the New Testament as the "gospel" and the Old Testament as "law."  While I understand the reasoning for this, the gospel is presented to us throughout the Old Testament and if we miss it, we will miss what the Old Testament ultimately about. 

The Old Testament is not a collection of "character studies" or "moral lessons" that teach us how we are to live or not to live.  The Old Testament is a narrative of people, events, and situations that are pointing us to a single man...Jesus Christ.  If we fail to see Jesus in the Old Testament narrative, if we fail to see the proclamation of the gospel throughout the pages of the Old Testament, we miss the entire point.  In light of the Incarnation, we are able to look back and see what the Old Testament narrative was telling us all along. 

Take for example 1 Samuel 4-5, the story about the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines.  We often teach this text as though we should be obedient unlike Israel, or to turn to God rather than the symbols of God, or how God is more powerful than Dagon (the Philistine god).  And yet to do so (though not inaccurate) would miss what this text is foreshadowing. 

Notice the elements of this narrative.

1)  A sinful, rebellious people (1 Samuel 2:12-4:4).  Israel is defeated in battle because they had disobeyed the Lord.  God had promised them in Deut 28 that if they obeyed He would grant them victory, but if they disobeyed He would deliver them into the hands of their enemies.  In 1 Samuel 2 we find the sons of Eli, who were leaders in the nation of Israel, are blaspheming against Yahweh and He tells Samuel that He is going to judge them for it.  As a result, Israel is defeated in battle with 4,000 men dead on the battlefield. 

2)  An external solution to sin (1 Samuel 4:3-9).  Rather than repenting of their sin, Israel turns to the Ark of the Covenant as their source of strength.  Rather than remembering what God had told them in Deut 28, they turn to a symbolic representation of God's presence for deliverance.  When the ark is brought from Shiloh, the nation rejoices with great shouting, so much so the Philistines become afraid and prepare for battle.

3)  The wages of sin is death (1 Samuel 4:10-11).   What was the outcome of this "sure thing?"  There are 30,000 soldiers dead on the battlefield.  The text shows us here how sin and rebellion always leads to death, something that goes back as far as the Garden of Eden. 

4)  God in captivity (1 Samuel 4:12-17).  As a result of their defeat, the ark of God (which represented the presence of God) was captured by the Philistines, taken to Ashdod, and placed in the temple.  The God of Israel was symbolically made to look humiliating as though the god of the Philistines was greater than Yahweh. 

5)  Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son (1 Samuel 4:19-22).  When word returns that the ark has been captured, not only does Eli die but his daughter-in-law goes into labor and delivers a son.  The text uses the same language that would later be spoken to a Jewish virgin, "Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son."  However, unlike Immanuel (God with us), this child was named Ichabod (God had departed). 

6)  But on the third day (1 Samuel 5:1-4).  The Philistines placed the ark of God before Dagon as an expression of victory over Yahweh.  The next day (day two) they find that Dagon had fallen over face-first on the ground.  On the following day (day 3), they find that Dagon has fallen over again, except this time his head has fallen off, a foreshadowing of the "crushing of the head" (Genesis 3:15) that our Lord would do to His enemy after walking out of a Palestinian tomb.

7)  An anointed King (2 Samuel 5:17-19).  A day comes when the anointed king of God (David), one who was marked out by the spirit of God, returns and defeats the Philistines (the enemies of God). 

8)  The presence of God with His people (2 Samuel 6:1-2).  The result of this victory is that the ark of God is returned to the people of God. 

The narrative is not ultimately about "don’t be like Israel."  It is not about "you need to be more obedient."  The narrative is pointing us to our need for a Savior.  We are a rebellious people (#1) who seek to earn our own salvation (#2) and deserve death (#3).  As a result of our sin God sent His son (#5) who was made a captive to the enemy of God (#4) and humiliated by a cross.  For three days it looked as though the enemy of God was victorious and that God was defeated, but on the third day (#6) Jesus crushed the head of the god of this world.  A day will come when this anointed King will come again to defeat the enemies of God (#7) and the presence of God will be with the people of God for eternity (#8).

What we see in 1 Samuel 4 is not just the telling of a historically event in the life of Israel.  It is not a story for us to glean moral lessons from to help us with our daily living. Rather, what we see in 1 Samuel 4 is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  
 

Pastor Wes