Journey Thru The Bible! (1 Samuel 4 - 6)

Click on the above Scripture to read today's exciting text!

Prior to Samuel's influence on the nation of Israel, the Philistines had taken the nation into slavery (4:9)! They had just killed over 4,000 Israelites in an all-day skirmish, and now they were ready to wipe them out if necessary. As we read the following story of what happens to the Israelites and the Philistines, we learn some very valuable lessons for us today!

Here are a few thoughts...

1) NEVER think that a "symbol" of God can get you out of trouble! The Israelites were living in defiance to God. Their lives were anything but obedient to God. They had corrupted themselves by worshipping other gods, the Benjamites had resorted to homosexuality, and the list goes on! Now, in the heat of battle, they become desperate! And, just like all of us today, when things seem to be going haywire, we turn our hopes and hearts back to God! It's as though we put God up on a shelf until we desperately need Him. He's kind of a "good-luck charm."

So...in hope of turning things around, the Israelites send some priests to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God's presence. As the Ark was being brought into the Israelite army campground, the soldiers began to shout - so much so that the Bible says, "their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake!" When the Philistines heard their shouts of joy, they panicked!

But, Israel made a HUGE mistake! While God had proved His presence between the cherubims on the Ark at other times, this time He had left them up to their own ruin. The Israelites had abandoned God - their lives being a testimony to that fact! Now, they mistakenly thought that bringing in an "image" or "symbol" of His presence would be "the good-luck charm" they needed to win the battle. This horrible miscalculation about God ended up costing Israel some 30,000 soldiers!

People all over the world make the same mistake TODAY!

I remember working as a body guard for a local Kansas City boxer back in the late 70's and seeing a few of the other boxers over the years wearing a cross around their neck. I remember many times that prior to climbing into the boxing ring, they would kiss the cross as though it some significant power to help them! I always thought, "How sadly mistaken they are to think that by kissing a gold cross - a symbol of Jesus and His death on the cross - would do any good!"

Today, you'll see people wearing crosses or having statues of Mary or possessing a Saint Christopher medal hoping that somehow by having them they'll receive protection or good fortune. Today's story ought to show everyone that that's NOT the way God works! You can have 1,000 crosses around your neck, but unless you live a life that is holy and in complete obedience to Christ, you're a fool to think God is obligated to help you!

Well, the Israelites find this out! They are nearly slaughtered out of existence! God wasn't about to help them, even though His Ark was among them. The Ark had NO POWER, God did! The symbols we cling to have NO POWER, God does! If you want God's blessing, then you need to bless Him with the holy and pure life you live!

2) God will get the glory...no matter what! God had explained to Israel very clearly that the only reason He chose them to be His people was for two reasons: 1) His obligation to fulfill the covenant He made with their ancestrial father, Abraham, and 2) He wanted to use Israel as in instrument to declare Himself to the world! God wanted Israel to become world evangelists! God's desire has always been to reach the world and to have the entire world know about Him! That's the purpose of the Millenial Reign of Christ for 1,000 years shortly after the Tribulation Period! The whole world will KNOW that He is God!

After the Philistines kill 30,000 soldiers, they steal the Ark and bring it into their cities. But God, in an act of love, causes them to realize that HE IS GOD! God does something very unusual - He causes the kings and the residences of each of their 5 cities to develop rapidly growing tumors. This unusual act (plus the breaking of the god Dagon) causes them to reach an undeniable conclusion that the God of Israel is THE ONLY TRUE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE!

In fact, they create 5 gold tumors and 5 golden rats (representing the 5 kings and the 5 cities of the Philistines) as a way "to show honor to the God of Israel" (6:5).

It's amazing what God will do to get our attention and bring our focus upon Himself! One of the best tools He uses is OUR HEALTH! We see so many examples of this in Scripture! Do you remember what Jesus said to the crippled man at the pool of Siloam in John 5:14? He told him, "“Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”

3) God hears the prayers of the unbelievers! God is omniscient - which means He's all-knowing. God is omnipresent - which means He's present everywhere. Combining these two realities along with many, many Scriptures within the Bible, we know that God hears EVERYONE when they pray! But, is He obligated to answer them according to what they pray? No! But, out of His mercy and grace, He often does!

Today's text is a good example. He responds to the request of the Philistines to bring the calves (who are pulling the cart which holds the Ark of the Covenant) into the land of Israel. Since they honored Him in the best way they knew how, God delivered them from His hand of judgement and the tumors stopped!

Well, that's all I have time for today. I hope this ministers to you in someway! Tell someone else about this blog! Have a GREAT DAY in the Lord!