1 Samuel 5: 1-8
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from
Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it
beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was
Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took
Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But the following morning when they
rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the
Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold;
only his body remained. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon
nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold. 6 The
Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought
devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors.[a] 7 When the people of
Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must
not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” 8
So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What
shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?” They answered, “Have the ark of
the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.
Title: The Wrath
of God
Message: God is the
LORD of all. He is displeased by idolatry. Having captured the ark of God, the
Philistines set it at their god’s – Dagon – temple. Apparently the act angered
God that He destroyed Dagon and brought forth affliction upon the people.
Hence, the Philistines agreed on bringing back the ark to where they got it (1
Sam. 5:11).
Promise to Claim: Our God is
a living God. He responds to our prayers. He performs miracles. He provides our
needs. He rewards deeds that please Him and punishes acts against His will. Our
God protects us from the enemies and vengeance is His. The Philistines took the
ark and placed it beside Dagon – a god who’s not capable of doing anything because
he’s merely an object. No Israelite was there to take back the ark and so God
protected it. He demonstrated His might by making the Philistines witness the
destruction of their god and letting them experience illness.
Command to Obey: Let us
keep God’s commandments. Let us meditate on His words and manifest them in our
lives. Let us not worship objects. Let us worship the real God, the one who created
us all, the one who can perform miracles, the one who will judge us all.
Warning to Heed: God abhors
idolatry, so let us prevent ourselves from worshiping idols. Vengeance is God’s.
Application: I will
heed God’s instructions. I will keep my faith in Him.
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