“And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god” (1 Samuel 5:7).
TEXT — 1 Samuel 5:1-9
Message
The Almighty God will not condone sin among His children, neither will He accommodate iniquity or being taken for granted by the enemies of the cross. It is dangerous and damning to play games with the Almighty. Those who dare Him will not be held guiltless. The Philistines had just defeated the erring Israel in a battle. Feeling triumphant, they carried the Ark, the symbol of God’s presence, away to their land. They ignorantly and presumptuously equated the Ark of God to the image of their idol, Dagon. Therefore, they put the Ark in the house of Dagon. How daring!
Although God was not pleased with Israel and He allowed their enemies to conquer them, it did not mean He had become weak and powerless. He would not take the desecration of His holy name from the heathen! His judgment started first on Dagon, their god before the people themselves suffered their share. He smote them with haemorrhoids.
History tells us of Bernard Shaw, who, while smoking, puffed out some smoke into the air and said “God, that’s for you”. He died at the age of 32 of lung cancer in a horrible manner. The man who built the ship, ‘Titanic’ said in an ironic tone, “not even God can sink it”.
However, the Titanic never reached its destination. Marilyn Monroe, an actress, flatly told Billy Graham who wanted to preach to her, “I don’t need your God”. A week later, she was found lifeless in her apartment. Christine Hewitt, a Jamaican journalist and entertainer said the Bible was the worst book ever written. In June 2006, she was found burnt beyond recognition in her car! Whatever else you do, please do not take God for granted, for the righteous Lord will surely defend His name.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
