Ordinary people, extraordinary God – The Philistines discover God is awesome
1 Samuel 5:1-10; 6:1-9
- There is no God like Jehovah – The Philistines assumed that the God of Israel is the same as their God, Dagon. They placed the Ark in front of the statue of Dagon. God broke the rule of Dagon and showed that the Philistine God was powerless. Yahweh means “I am”. He showed that He is above all gods and is Almighty. He is not to be put alongside any false god. Every knee must bow before God Almighty. Philippians 2:9-11 says that God has exalted Jesus and every knee will bow before Him.
- Don’t mess with God – It is a fearful thing to face God. Evil has real power. There is a battle going on between good and evil. Do not mess with the devil, but do not mess with God, He has greater power. The Philistine victory over Israel turned sour very quickly. God’s heavy hand broke out wherever they sent the Ark. They could not contain or control God Almighty. We cannot use God to our advantage. We cannot contain or control God. We cannot twist His arm to do our will or for our benefit.
- The Philistines don’t want God with them – They remembered what God had done to Egypt. They saw what God was doing to them and they were desperate to get rid of God. They thought they could appease God with their offering. They did not want to appear to admit defeat. The cows showed that there is no coincidences with God. We need to recognise that God is at work in our world today. The Philistines knew it must be God at work if the cows took the Ark back to Israel.
- Respond with worship and sacrifice – Israel worshiped and sacrificed to God when the Ark returned to them. They used the cart and the cows to sacrifice to God. How will you respond to God Almighty today?