God's Warnings Through His Providences. 05/31/2015(Morning thought)

1st Samuel 5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.  3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.  4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

This passage of scripture teaches us how God warns nations and individuals of impending destruction through His providential working in the literal world. In the passage above we see where the ark of the covenant was taken in battle by the Philistines, who then presumed to place it next to their idol god Dagon, an idol that was made of half man and half fish, or the equivalent of what we know as the little Mermaid. Now, it is true that the Philistines were obviously not aware of the sacredness of the Ark, nor of the grave sin they were committing by placing it next to Dagon, and so, the Lord in His mercy gave them ample warning by His providential work, in smiting Dagon in the dead of night.

The following morning when the priests returned they found their idol lying flat on his face before the ark, something that had never before taken place. This first warning raised some eyebrows, but the natural tendency of human nature to reason away the most undeniable evidences, caused them to put back their idol in its designated place. But the following morning when they opened the temple doors, they found Dagon badly mutilated, and this time his hands and legs were amputated, and again, he was found lying face down before the ark.

These were the warnings of God through His providential work, cautioning the Philistines not to proceed with keeping the ark in their possession, for deadly destruction was right around the corner. But again, human pride prevents them from returning it to the land of Israel, for by so doing they would be greatly humbled. What follows next contains very great instructions for us who are living in the 21st century, for the providential working of God is across the land, warning us of impending doom, if the ark containing His sacred law is not returned to its rightful place in our lives. Let's read:

1st Samuel 5:8  They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.  9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.  11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.  12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

In our day the same ark containing the sacred law of God has been removed from its rightful place in society, and instead, the laws of men have taken precedence. In other situations, Dagon and the Ark have been placed together on the same pedestal of our hearts, for many people adhere to some of God's laws and some of "Dagon,s", in a vain attempt to serve two masters. But The God of heaven has declared that He is not going to share His glory with graven images, and for this reason, the many Dagons which we now serve are soon to be badly mutilated by the terrible judgments that are soon to be revealed.

It is therefore of critical importance for us not to trifle with the warnings given in God's word, against tampering in any way with His sacred law, because the history of the Philistines was written so that we may make straight paths for our feet. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which cautions us against hardening our hearts, when The Holy Spirit brings conviction with startling clearness to our minds, bidding us to turn from our evil ways and live. Let's read:

Hebrews 3:7  Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,  8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:  9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.  10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.  12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.  13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!

The Importance Of Obedience. 05/31/2015 (Evening thought)

2nd Samuel 6:6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.  7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

This passage of scripture teaches us the importance of strict obedience to all the commands of God, with no "good" excuses for violations being acceptable. In this instance it was Uzzah who knew of God's instructions concerning the ark, but who deliberately touched it, in order to keep it from falling. The commands concerning the handling and transport of the ark were given to the Hebrews in writing, and it was a well-known and established statute, that no one but the Levites were supposed to transport it. And even they were not permitted to touch it directly, but were instead ordered to put supporting rods through the rings on its side, by which four men could then lift it. Let's read:

Exodus 25:10  And they shall make an ark of shittim wood".... 12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.  13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.  14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

1st Chronicles 15:2  Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever.

Thus it was, that very specific instructions were given for the transportation of the ark, and these were to be meticulously followed, even though other circumstances may have caused disobedience to seem necessary. The question then is, what were they supposed to do if they saw the ark falling to the ground? Should dire circumstances then trump obedience in favor of saving the ark from falling? Or should they stand by and let it fall? The answer to this question is of critical importance, for it has serious implications for our relationship with God, and what we are expected to do in similar circumstances.

Uzzah should have let the Ark fall to the ground, if this was permitted by God, for the Shekinah glory of God's presence dwelt inside, and He is more than able to keep Himself from falling. The same response will ring true if we are faced with a situation, in which an emergency has come up, and we are tempted to use our tithes and offerings for uses other than that for which they are intended. The tithe is sacred and should not be touched for any reason, for God has reserved this for Himself, and there is no emergency that will warrant its use for that which it has not been designated.

A thorough understanding of this principle of obedience is very important, for it will play a big role in the very near future, when God will give specific instructions to His people on how to navigate the many spiritual minefields that will be set for the feet of the righteous. When Moses was about to return to Egypt to do battle with satan, he had followed the bad advice of his wife Zipporah, and had not circumcised his son. This then caused an angel to be sent his way with a sword drawn in his hand in a threatening manner, and Moses then and there got the message. If Moses was permitted to go on satan's enchanted ground with any disobedience hanging over his head, the devil would have torn him in pieces and shredded him like wheat, because God's protection never covers willful disobedience, never!

In our own experiences it is therefore necessary for us to cultivate a disposition to obey implicitly all the instructions of God, without turning to the right hand or to the left, for our very survival depends on it. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this sacred truth, and it is the will of God that our minds be conditioned by the renewal of His Holy Spirit, to obey a plain, "Thus saith The Lord". Let's read:

1st Samuel 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.  23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry"....

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. "Good night" and God bless!