1 Samuel 5 & 6: The Hand Of The LORD
Verse of the Day: (5:6) But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
1. Hand (5:1-12)
So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. (5:11)
The hand of the LORD can do anything and there is nothing that He cannot do. God can save every man made in His image yet He makes man to decide for himself his own destiny. If man chooses to believe in his Creator, then his soul shall live forever with Him in glorious heaven, however, if man rejects Him, then his soul shall be cast into fiery hell. God uses His believers to share His salvation plan so that all may come to know Him. God’s ark was now with the Philistines because Israel had rejected Him, and therefore He allowed the Philistines to overcome them and took His ark to their own city. There the Philistines set God’s ark beside their god, Dagon, thinking that Dagon was greater than God’s ark. However, the hand of the LORD not only destroyed Dagon leaving it a stump, but He also destroyed many Philistines, and inflicted the rest with tumours. (Luke 1:37)
2. Heal (6:1-18)
And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. (6:3)
The Philistines’ priests commanded the Philistines to return God’s ark to Israel, together with jewels of gold in a new cart pulled by 2 female cows when normally it was pulled by the male ones, so that they would be healed of their tumours. Subsequently, the hand of God miraculously moved His ark, pulled by the cows, toward Israel, and away from their own calves at home, and against their maternal instincts. When Israel saw God’s ark, they celebrated with great joy. Indeed, if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
3. Holy (6:19-21)
And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? (6:20)
Not only God destroyed the Philistines, He also took the lives of 50,070 men of Bethshemesh because they looked at His ark when only the High Priest could look at. (Leviticus 16). Though we can never fully understand why God slayed the multitude in one day, yet we believe that He is a holy God, and He shall judge the sins of man. Indeed, we are only saved by God’s grace when we believe in Him by faith. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that Your hand protects me until the day You promote me.
