? The house of Israel has forsaken the LORD their God, who rescued them from Egypt and brought them into the land of Canaan to give them an inheritance. Jehovah God did not hesitate to let his glory suffer, so that his ark was taken away, and finally ended the evil of Eli's family. Glory left Israel, because the ark of God was taken away, and the voice of sadness and despair of the dying people resounded throughout Israel.
? The Philistines took the ark of God from Eliezer to Ashdod and put it beside Dagon their god. Dagon, a male mermaid with fishtail face, is the "patron saint" of the Philistines. The Philistines may think that the God of the ark of the Covenant of the house of Israel also saved and protected Israel, so they put it with their Dagon. Maybe they think this god is not as good as their Dagon now! I thought of the next morning, and I found Dagon fallen before the ark of the Lord. I thought it was a coincidence, and the next morning was even worse. Dagon's head and hands were broken on the threshold, leaving only the stump of Dagon. Ashdod and all the people around Ashdod suffered from hemorrhoids, so the ark of the Covenant of the Lord was carried to the cities of the Philistines, namely Gath and Ekron. Not only did people there get hemorrhoids, but many people in the city even died of panic. The whole land of the Philistines is like the original land of Egypt (Exodus 12:), which is extremely fearful and chaotic. It is said that they "shouted to the sky together." So it was when the house of Israel was taken captive because of the ark.
? It can be seen that the God of Israel is a God who hates evil. When the voters of the God of Israel do not respect him, abandon evil and obey his command, "the glory of the Lord will leave", and the house of Israel will fall into despair, pain, humiliation and failure. This is a constant law during the trial. Unfortunately, hundreds of years have passed, and God's people have not learned these lessons and learned from them. This is not our lesson today!
Of course, God is a jealous God. The Philistines may think that they were lucky enough to "capture" the ark of God, and then they will understand that the Lord's God was not "captured" because of "incompetence" or "weakness". When the "hand of the Lord" fell heavily on them, the Philistines finally saw the extraordinary talent of God and finally understood that the God of Israel was "not to be despised".
? Dear friends, Paul also said, "Christ is not weak in your heart, but powerful." He was crucified because of weakness, but he still lives because of the power of God ... "(2 Cor. 13: 3-4) We can say that because of our sin and our death in sin, Christ Jesus was also "carried away". When Jesus Christ, the son of God, died on the cross, the world was dark, and the curtain in the temple split in two from top to bottom. Who would have thought that God was willing to save those who believed in him in ways that people thought were stupid? This is the wisdom of God. (before forest 1. 1: 2 1) On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead and proved that he was the son of God with great power, and God's salvation was completely achieved. Hallelujah! God's rich wisdom and knowledge, how unpredictable his judgment is! How hard it is to find his trail! Who knows the heart of the Lord? Who is his consultant? (Rom。 1 1: 33-34) Jesus was handed over to people for our transgressions; Resurrection is to prove us right. Hallelujah, all praise, praise and glory belong to the true God of Israel forever and ever. Amen!
Dear, God bless you!