Secret Places

A Short Reflection on the Ark Narrative in 1 Samuel 4-7:1

"God, in preliminary displays of power over the forces of evil, so often worked in secret. From the prostration of Dagon (1 Samuel 5) to the resurrection of Christ, he worked in the dark of night.

But there is coming a day, a DAY, when the enemies of our Lord will be vanquished and his power brought to light. The smoke will rise from their destruction as an eternal memorial to the greatness of God, who works for the sake of his name on behalf of his people.

He continues to work in secret until that day. But he does stoop to whisper in the ears of those who have been given ears to hear so that they might have eyes to see what emerges from the dark.

Perhaps he created the dark and secret places as his workshops. The womb, the tomb. The deeps of seas and space. And the most hidden place of all, the human heart."

(I am grateful for Walter Brueggemann, who manages to tug at my sleepy perspective with his imagination.)