Chastisement and Discouragement
'Once
the Philistines had seized the Chest of God, they took it from Ebenezer
to Ashdod, brought it into the shrine of Dagon, and placed it alongside
the idol of Dagon.
Next morning when the citizens of Ashdod got up, they were shocked to find Dagon toppled from his place, flat on his face before the Chest of God. They picked him up and put him back where he belonged. First thing the next morning they found him again, toppled and flat on his face before the Chest of God. Dagon’s head and arms were broken off, strewn across the entrance. Only his torso was in one piece. (That’s why even today, the priests of Dagon and visitors to the Dagon shrine in Ashdod avoid stepping on the threshold.)' 1 Samuel 5:1-5 (MSG)
The future of the sanctuary city of Shiloh was uncertain. The heathen nation of the Philistines had won the battle at Aphek with a terrible massacre of all the priests. The news of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant caused the death of Eli the Prophet and High Priest. Because of their disobedience, everything was taken and the walls and sacred buildings were razed to the ground. The victors knew nothing of the God of Israel except fear. What next?
And yet God. His people were beaten down but not exterminated. For there were many who still trusted the Lord and then there was Samuel. What judgment would cause to fall, revival would soon enough restore. Israel, chastisement and discouragement comes upon us all in due time. Life is not easy. Yet, we know that you will get through this trial until the next valley comes.
For the enemies of God in all of their pride and their lack of shame will often be tempted to place the things of God that they capture alongside their other idols. Placing His holy symbols there as if they were trinkets, to be used for their own glory and blessings to bring them honor and this is not something one would want to do. But, they did it anyway as they did not know enough about the God of Israel to know any better. In their ignorance, and as if to say to the world, look at me, I won this battle, this is my victory prize, they brought disgrace upon themselves.
I can only imagine it now. How they must have felt. What they must have thought and said to one another. Look at us. We won the battle and now we can place the god of Israel in our shrine as our trophy. Here he is world. We have defeated you Israel and your god will bless us as he has done so for you. This god will give us the next victory mountain as well as everything else our hearts desire. Of course, the One True God is alive and had other ideas. As if we could place His Glory on a mantle. As if we did not know Him and yet thought we could demand His blessings. He is not a trophy and He never will be. He will not be mocked.
As the story goes, next day their god Dagon was found toppled flat on his face before the Ark of the Covenant. The Living God, will not reside in a box for any man and neither will He submit to a man-made idol. Never. Excuse given? Earthquake. And then the next day their god Dagon was again found toppled flat on his face before the Ark of the Covenant and this time with head and arms broken off and pieces strewn across the entrance of that godless place. Who is in who's hands now? Their chief idol was headless and handless as the God of Israel in all of His power showed them just how worthless their own god was. Just like so many before and after, in similar fashion, in an act of submission, the powerless always become broken and bow down to His authority.
Excuse given? None. Under who's authority? God! So troubled and superstitious were they, that their priests glued the pieces of their heathen idol back together, placed him back on the shelf and turned the entrance to their shrine into a holy site, which would never be stepped on again. After many tumors and turmoil, and rather than worship the God of Israel, soon enough they began looking to find a way to get rid of the symbol of the One True God in an effort to remove with it the heavy hand of God that was upon them.
God does have big hands. God has a sense of humor. I am encouraged by this story to stay near to the hands of God as He helps me to step across the entrance into the places He has put me in and to wait upon Him as He renews my strength.
Dear Father. I pray for spiritual authority over my enemies. I pray for Justice. I pray that You rise up again and destroy the spiritual powers and principalities that have the Church blinded by the things of this world in this country. Bless the things of You and break all of those things that we have established as idols in our lives that are not of You. Save Your people and let Your enemies be scattered. Let your Glory come upon all the earth on this day. Thank you Jesus. Amen.
Source: Biblegateway.com; Biblehub.com.
Next morning when the citizens of Ashdod got up, they were shocked to find Dagon toppled from his place, flat on his face before the Chest of God. They picked him up and put him back where he belonged. First thing the next morning they found him again, toppled and flat on his face before the Chest of God. Dagon’s head and arms were broken off, strewn across the entrance. Only his torso was in one piece. (That’s why even today, the priests of Dagon and visitors to the Dagon shrine in Ashdod avoid stepping on the threshold.)' 1 Samuel 5:1-5 (MSG)
The future of the sanctuary city of Shiloh was uncertain. The heathen nation of the Philistines had won the battle at Aphek with a terrible massacre of all the priests. The news of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant caused the death of Eli the Prophet and High Priest. Because of their disobedience, everything was taken and the walls and sacred buildings were razed to the ground. The victors knew nothing of the God of Israel except fear. What next?
And yet God. His people were beaten down but not exterminated. For there were many who still trusted the Lord and then there was Samuel. What judgment would cause to fall, revival would soon enough restore. Israel, chastisement and discouragement comes upon us all in due time. Life is not easy. Yet, we know that you will get through this trial until the next valley comes.
For the enemies of God in all of their pride and their lack of shame will often be tempted to place the things of God that they capture alongside their other idols. Placing His holy symbols there as if they were trinkets, to be used for their own glory and blessings to bring them honor and this is not something one would want to do. But, they did it anyway as they did not know enough about the God of Israel to know any better. In their ignorance, and as if to say to the world, look at me, I won this battle, this is my victory prize, they brought disgrace upon themselves.
I can only imagine it now. How they must have felt. What they must have thought and said to one another. Look at us. We won the battle and now we can place the god of Israel in our shrine as our trophy. Here he is world. We have defeated you Israel and your god will bless us as he has done so for you. This god will give us the next victory mountain as well as everything else our hearts desire. Of course, the One True God is alive and had other ideas. As if we could place His Glory on a mantle. As if we did not know Him and yet thought we could demand His blessings. He is not a trophy and He never will be. He will not be mocked.
As the story goes, next day their god Dagon was found toppled flat on his face before the Ark of the Covenant. The Living God, will not reside in a box for any man and neither will He submit to a man-made idol. Never. Excuse given? Earthquake. And then the next day their god Dagon was again found toppled flat on his face before the Ark of the Covenant and this time with head and arms broken off and pieces strewn across the entrance of that godless place. Who is in who's hands now? Their chief idol was headless and handless as the God of Israel in all of His power showed them just how worthless their own god was. Just like so many before and after, in similar fashion, in an act of submission, the powerless always become broken and bow down to His authority.
Excuse given? None. Under who's authority? God! So troubled and superstitious were they, that their priests glued the pieces of their heathen idol back together, placed him back on the shelf and turned the entrance to their shrine into a holy site, which would never be stepped on again. After many tumors and turmoil, and rather than worship the God of Israel, soon enough they began looking to find a way to get rid of the symbol of the One True God in an effort to remove with it the heavy hand of God that was upon them.
God does have big hands. God has a sense of humor. I am encouraged by this story to stay near to the hands of God as He helps me to step across the entrance into the places He has put me in and to wait upon Him as He renews my strength.
Dear Father. I pray for spiritual authority over my enemies. I pray for Justice. I pray that You rise up again and destroy the spiritual powers and principalities that have the Church blinded by the things of this world in this country. Bless the things of You and break all of those things that we have established as idols in our lives that are not of You. Save Your people and let Your enemies be scattered. Let your Glory come upon all the earth on this day. Thank you Jesus. Amen.
Source: Biblegateway.com; Biblehub.com.
Comments
Post a Comment