May 11, 2024 – 1 Samuel 5:6-12
May 11, 2024 – 1 Samuel 5:6-12
6
The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he
terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its
territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they
said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is
hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and
gathered
together
all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark
of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be
brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel
there. 9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of
the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted
the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on
them. 10 So
they
sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people
of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of
Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 They sent therefore and
gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark
of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill
us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole
city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did
not
die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
God
was relentless as he dealt with the Philistines. He showed them the errors of their ways in
taking the ark and punished them. Now
they wanted to get rid of the ark thinking it would free them of their
misery. But, they continued to worship
Dagan and refused to seek God. Are their
matters in your life that weigh you down and keep you from a closer walk with
Christ? If we’re honest with ourselves,
most of us struggle with issues that take our eyes off of Christ. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his
wonderful face, and the things of life will grow strangely dim, in the light of
his glory and grace.” What a wonderful reminder this hymn gives us as we seek
God’s heart and face, and strive to glorify him in our daily lives.
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