THE SHOWDOWN: For two mornings the Philistines would find the Dagon statue laying facedown "before the Ark of the Lord". The third morning, Dagon was only a "stump" - his hands and head had snapped off in the threshold! The head represents human reasoning and the hands represent human ability and strength. Both are conditions of the flesh and must be purged from us by the Presence of God (the Ark).
RESTORATION OF THE ARK: The 5-Lords of the Philistines (our five natural senses) sent an "offering" that was unclean and painful. They put it all into a "new cart" with two milk cows "tied" to it, representing bondage to the flesh. Although their calves were back at the Philistine barn, the cows went against nature away from the barn, "lowing as they went", to Joshua's fields. Seventy priests of Beth-shemesh looked at the open Ark and died. They didn't want the Ark either!
KIRJATH-JEARIM: The men brought the Ark here, where it lay neglected under Saul, the last 20 years of which Israel "lamented after the Lord". God was at work, however, getting people into place - in His timing.
REPENTANCE: Samuel was unaffected and unhindered by the sin around him. His ministry is timely. After the people repented, Samuel would pray for them (7:3): Their repentance:
(1) "Return unto the Lord with all your hearts". (repent, come back, turn back)
(2) "Put away strange gods." (discard your substitutes for God)
(3) "Prepare your hearts unto the Lord". (make things right with God and your "victims")
(4) "Serve Him only.” (bind yourself to Him by depending on Him for everything.)
THE ENEMY: When the Philistines heard about their repentance, they attacked because the "flesh hates God." (Rom 8:7) The enemy was defeated by "the blood of the Lamb."
RESPONSE: Hemorrhoids are a CURSE! Now I have proof! Don't toy with God. You can't put Him in a box. He triumphs over the flesh - that's a good thing!
JOHN 6:1-21
CONTEXT: All John wrote was to "bring men to the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that in believing in him they might have life." John wants us to "BELIEVE". Make a decision to give ourselves to Jesus as our Master and Friend. To live God-centered lives instead of self-centered. He shows Jesus confronting unbelief in all its forms.
PASSOVER FEAST: Passover was "nigh" (v.4). In the original Passover, Israel was fed by God with manna. Jesus repeats that miracle here with bread and fish. Then, just like Israel crossed the Red Sea, Jesus came walking on the water.
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING: When the people perceived that Jesus was THE Prophet spoken of by Moses, they wanted to "take Him by force and make Him a king." Their unbelief was because of self-interest: they were interested in EXTERNAL THINGS. They wanted to USE HIM for their own selfish ends. They were empty, blind, selfish, unrepentant. Except the disciples, who obeyed Jesus and took their ship into the water to cross to Capernaum - a test of obedience. He was King of their HEARTS.
RESPONSE: Jesus showed Himself to BE the manna, to BE what our hearts should feed on. And there will always be people who come to church for what they can get. Just this morning, on our way to church, my husband talked about how we choose what church we attend and join. It is not based on convenience, its location, or anything like that. We go where we hear our shepherd's voice. (John 10). When the pastor begins talking, we will recognize the voice as belonging to our shepherd. We join a church for identity, accountability, a place to practice responsibility and service. Not for what we can get. I have even known people who leave a church because they didn't get anything out of it! Our church should be gathered around Jesus, not us! JESUS CAN'T BE USED.
PSALM 106:13-31
THEY FORGOT: (v.13) Forgetting how God does things causes us to be presumptuous. Presumption with God is when we go ahead of God, asking Him to come with us and bless our efforts, not waiting for Him to bring His plans and purposes to pass. When He gave them what they wanted because of their whining and insisting (quail), He gave them "leanness of soul" with it. They became self-destructive and diminished. They could no longer fulfill their purpose for being. And so they complained against their leadership ("the saint of the Lord"), and they got into idolatry (worshipping substitutes instead of being dependent on the Lord).
THEY FORGOT: (v.21) First they forgot how God does things, then they forgot God Himself! God was fed up! Only Moses saved them! (v.24) They complained about the Land, they didn't believe God any more, ate sacrifices to the dead, provoked God to anger. Next time Phinehas saved them.
PROVERBS 14:32-33
Killing us is NOT the worst thing you can do to a Believer in Jesus! We already count ourselves as dead (Col 3:3). The more knowledge of Holy Things you have, the more modest and unassuming it makes you. The more you know, the more you know that you don't know!
RESPONSE: We forget because of neglect. Neglect comes from apathy. When we care about someone or something, we think about it. Just like in the book of John, we "remember" God when we need something!
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