“How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has TRAMPLED THE SON OF GOD underfoot, WHO HAS TREATED AS AN UNHOLY THING THE BLOOD (Jesus shed His blood to pay for our sins) OF THE COVENANT that sanctified them, and who has INSULTED the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people. It is a FEARFUL THING to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:29-31)
Hophni and Phinehas (Eli the Priest, sons) were sleeping with the women who helped out at the sanctuary. And were doing all kinds of evil things. They took the Ark of the Covenant into battle when the Philistines attacked Israel. And the Philistines CAPTURED THE ARK. “The Philistines had carried the ark into the temple of their god Dagon. They set it down beside the statue of Dagon. The next day the statue of Dagon…had FALLEN ON ITS FACE in front of the ark of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 5:1-3) So they put Dagon back in its place. “But the following morning when they got up, they saw the statue of Dagon. There it was, lying on the ground again! It had FALLEN ON ITS FACE (the second time) in front of the ark of the LORD. Its head and hands had been BROKEN OFF. Only the body of the statue was left. Its head and hands were lying in the doorway of the temple.” (1 Samuel 5:4)
The next few days were terrible for the Philistines they woke up with boils, tumors, or severe, bleeding hemorrhoids. “The Philistines realized that their affliction was from the God of Israel, and they rightly associated their suffering with the stolen Ark of the Covenant. But they wrongly assumed a change of location would help. They sent the Ark to Gath, another Philistine city. At Gath, God “smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.” (1 Samuel 5:9). “So they called all of the rulers of the Philistines together. They said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away. Let it go back to its own place. If you don’t, IT WILL KILL US and our people.” The death of so many people had filled the city with panic. GOD’S POWERFUL HAND WAS PUNISHING THE CITY.” (1 Samuel 5:11)
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD ALMIGHTY; THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY.” (Isaiah 6:3)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham