So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
(Philippians 2:1-3 ESV, to be continued)
I Samuel 5
Yahweh Sabaoth
§Ashdod was one of the 5 major cities of the Philistines and was on the Mediterranean Coast (the Philistines were a seafaring people).
§The Philistine god Dagon was a vegetation god of grain, fish, and/or fishing. He was represented as a merman/ fish looking god.
§Although the Israelites and the Philistines had made the fundamental mistake to think of the Ark of the Covenant as an idol, Yahweh is still the supreme being and will not hold second place to any idol.
The Philistines thought that they could take the Ark and worship it just like any other idol, but Yahweh doesn’t play that game.
§When the Ark is left alone for the night in the temple of Dagon, Yahweh demonstrates that just a mere idol cannot stand up to him.
§The Philistine people decide that maybe it was a mere coincidence that Dagon was found on the ground, face down in front of the Ark, so they decide to sit him back up to where he started.
§When left alone for another night with Dagon Yahweh Sabaoth decides to pass his judgment on the idol Dagon, and smash him on the ground. The Philistine people knew what this meant- their god had lost.
§Not only was Dagon destroyed, the city contracted the Plague- they were in a panic with painful tumors.
§When the Plague of tumors terrified everyone in Ashdod they decided to send it along its way to the next Philistine city- Gath. Later on in the book of Samuel we come across two mighty warriors that do battle and one of them was from Gath (David of Bethlehem and Goliath of Gath).
§The Plague followed the Ark to Gath so the men of that city sent it along its way to Ekron.
§As what should come as a complete surprise the plague of tumors follows the ark so the people in Ekron want nothing to do with the Ark of the Covenant.
§The lesson to take from this is not that the Ark the object that is great- it is that the God who owns the Ark is great and obtaining a holy object through improper means can never bring blessings with it.
§Ashdod was one of the 5 major cities of the Philistines and was on the Mediterranean Coast (the Philistines were a seafaring people).
§The Philistine god Dagon was a vegetation god of grain, fish, and/or fishing. He was represented as a merman/ fish looking god.
§Although the Israelites and the Philistines had made the fundamental mistake to think of the Ark of the Covenant as an idol, Yahweh is still the supreme being and will not hold second place to any idol.
The Philistines thought that they could take the Ark and worship it just like any other idol, but Yahweh doesn’t play that game.
§When the Ark is left alone for the night in the temple of Dagon, Yahweh demonstrates that just a mere idol cannot stand up to him.
§The Philistine people decide that maybe it was a mere coincidence that Dagon was found on the ground, face down in front of the Ark, so they decide to sit him back up to where he started.
§When left alone for another night with Dagon Yahweh Sabaoth decides to pass his judgment on the idol Dagon, and smash him on the ground. The Philistine people knew what this meant- their god had lost.
§Not only was Dagon destroyed, the city contracted the Plague- they were in a panic with painful tumors.
§When the Plague of tumors terrified everyone in Ashdod they decided to send it along its way to the next Philistine city- Gath. Later on in the book of Samuel we come across two mighty warriors that do battle and one of them was from Gath (David of Bethlehem and Goliath of Gath).
§The Plague followed the Ark to Gath so the men of that city sent it along its way to Ekron.
§As what should come as a complete surprise the plague of tumors follows the ark so the people in Ekron want nothing to do with the Ark of the Covenant.
§The lesson to take from this is not that the Ark the object that is great- it is that the God who owns the Ark is great and obtaining a holy object through improper means can never bring blessings with it.