Thursday, 29 April 2021
But when they got up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. -1 Samuel 5:4
Behold, Dagon had fallen!
Every time the Bible uses the word ‘Behold’, God has done something marvelous to pause and regard. (For example- 1 John 3:1 ‘Behold, what manner of love the Father has given to us…’). Similarly, this is a marvelous way to see God's absolute triumph over every power of evil. This is the victory that the writer is drawing our attention to.
The situation is very grim as far as the people of God are concerned. They had been absolutely defeated in the battle with the Philistines. The Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the enemy and brought into their territory. The Philistines kept the Ark of God in the temple of their god - Dagon. They did not know about the God of Israel. When the keepers of this Ark of the Covenant (Israel) utterly failed to keep the Ark in safe custody, God Himself intervened. He is the God of the whole universe and nothing is impossible for Him. God showed the Philistines who the real God is and that what they worship is nothing but a mere graven image of devil.
The devil is a defeated foe. God was revealing to the whole world, how the final war with the devil will be. He fought it on the cross of Calvary. If we look from the outside, Jesus dying on the cross was an apparent defeat. But on the contrary, He was really crushing the head of devil. He came forth victorious on the third day, rising from the pit. Similarly we see here, the image of Dagon was cut off from its place and was lying on the floor with its head and hands severed. What a picture of God’s victory to bear in our hearts! This is how Jesus struck a heavy defeating blow to Satan on the cross of Calvary. It paved the way for all of us to be eternally free from the bondage of sin and death.
This very thing can happen in each of our hearts. Every graven image that stands against the light of the Gospel will be brought to subjection. Jesus will cut it down with His Word - the powerful double-edged sword. Every thought will be brought to captivity and obedience to Christ and His glory. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Further, we read in this chapter, The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and He terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. (1 Samuel 5:6) For some, the Ark of the Covenant - Jesus is a blessing but to the others (unbelievers)- He will be one who will become their Judge. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) Let us be those who will have this fragrance of the Gospel as a fragrance from life to life. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear Father, search my heart and remove
anything that stands against Your will.
In Jesus name. Amen.
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