“But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.[b] 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.
As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” 11 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it[c] will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.” 1 Samuel 5.9-12
To put it in good ole boy West Texas vernacular, “God ain’t messin’ around!”
The Philistines were in over their heads. As I wrote previously, the power was too great, and so was the disrespect they showed for the Presence of the Lord. After sending the ark to a second Philistine city, Ekron, the death, illness, and panic continued, if not worsened. “Send it back to the Israelites,” they cried, “or it will kill us and our people.”
The Philistines had finally had enough. We read in Exodus 40:34-35: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” This was when Moses set up the tabernacle of the Lord with meticulous care, and God’s presence came and rested on the ark. The Philistines did not realize what they were getting into when they captured and carried the ark back as a prize of war.
Much can be learned from these encounters about dealing lightly with the Lord and His presence. Especially today, when God’s presence dwells within believers and moves freely by the power of the Holy Spirit—we are never far from God.
Even though we may not always feel His presence, we cultivate our awareness of Him through worship, faith, discipline, and discipleship. We who trust Jesus as Messiah have been given this gift of the Spirit to our bodily temples (1 Cor. 6:19-21). We are now carriers of this precious presence of our Lord.
And so, it is ours to enjoy and to share. A life with God is not to be taken lightly! Once we commit ourselves to Him, we must be all in. Christ becomes the focus of all our joy and adoration, our life and our purpose. To be against God is a disaster, as the Philistines discovered, but to be with Him is life, love, and purpose.
It’s a Sunday, and I am in the nation’s capital, on my way to visit monuments to our great country. Many of those will be marked with signs and tributes to God Almighty for the greatness of His love, grace, and blessing upon our nation. We want to be a nation that honors the Lord. Like Israel when they got it right, the USA must return to the Lord and honor Him fully.
But our honor begins with an individual and then collective response to His love. We must receive it and then return it to God. We must walk in a way that leads to life eternal with Jesus as our King and the Lord as our God.
“O Lord God, You are good and worthy of our praise. We honor and love You. We praise Your name. Make our nation great once more, that we might acknowledge You and love You fully. Come now, Holy Spirit, allow us to walk in Your ways so the world might know that You are the way to salvation. For You are good, and Your love endures forever.” Amen