10/01/2024 - THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY

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So it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them.  1 Samuel 5.9

Despair gripped the Philistines. However, those men did not see that there was only one way to get rid of the punishment. This punishment was a way of shaming them, but also a blessing from heaven so that they would not perish eternally. They disregarded the fact that they could be blessed! It is unwise to tamper with the utensils of God’s house, for as Moses anointed them – and so do today’s pastors – there is a curse for anyone who tries to hinder God’s work.

What good were the Philistines’ well-trained army and the anakim giants if God is superior to any human creation? We should praise the Lord for His goodness, because even the Philistines would be graced if they turned to God in repentance and consecration. They surrounded Gath, but the good thing was that the men of that city felt in their bodies the evil they had done to the God of Israel and Heaven!

Shame on those fighters! They were hugged and kissed like heroes of the nation, but they realized that such homage was undeserved. In fact, they had brought death to that land, so something urgent had to be done. Because of their deeds, evil would be wherever the ark was. They were good in battle for only one reason: there was sin in Israel. That box they despised was decimating their people.

In fact, it was the hand of God that was hanging over anyone who dared to touch the divine utensils. Apparently, the plague of hemorrhoids only occurred in males, according to the verse quoted. The great men of the Philistines were at a loss as to what to say and how to act. Some readers of this study are unaware of the reason for their problems and pain. Surely, they have hindered the Lord’s work!

Imagine how furious the men of Gath were! Because of the princes’ wrong decision, they suffered from something they didn’t contribute to. Many people go from bad to worse because their parents sinned and opened the door for the evil one to enter their family and decimate it, as in the case of Achan (Joshua 7). Examine whether you have been the cause of something bad happening to your offspring. Jonah asked to be thrown into the water (Jonah 1:11,12).

When this prophet decided to abandon God’s plan, the sea raged in such a way that the sailors despaired. Although they were used to storms, the men were surprised by the storm, which seemed to be their doom. When they saw Jonah sleeping, they woke him up and told him to call on his God to calm nature. Then he confessed to being the cause of the storm!

There’s nothing better than a sincere confession, when the person takes responsibility for the chaos. In those days, there were no proctologists to help them. Since they didn’t know the Scriptures and noticed the worsening situation, they were bewildered. The solution was to return the ark to Israel!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares