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“The Lengths Of Grace” • 3.8.15 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- We have been following a narrative which began in chapter 4 and
the stunning defeat of the nation of Israel before the Philistines.
- The people of Israel foolishly presumed upon
their relationship to God, putting all of their trust in the token of His
presence, but not truly acknowledging His Lordship. This always leads to
disaster.
- But while the Ark is in Philistine
possession, God uses the opportunity to introduce Himself.
Intro.
• I Samuel 5:1-2 : "Then the Philistines took the ark
of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark
of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon." : This Philistines waged this war on
behalf of their god Dagon, who was held to be the Father of Baal.
- His image is debated among scholars, but has
long been believed to be half man to the waistline and half fish to the feet. Ashdod
is located on the Mediteranean coast, 30 miles away.
- You can almost imagine the frenzied scene, as
these pagans deposited the Ark of the Covenant into their temple beside Dagon's
image on their way to the victory celebration.
- In their minds, the God of Israel belongs
beside the image of Dagon, as only another among many equal deities, but
certainly subjected to Dagon in this moment.
- They had seen God's people fall to them in
battle. In their minds, this was obviously a defeat of their God. Consider the
implications.
- Israel's faithlessness and disobedience cost
them the lives of 34,000 of their own men.
- Now, they are responsible for stumbling the
Philistines into believing that their God is on the same level as a worthless
idol! Why is that a problem?
- Israel's life of blessing and security by the
hand of their God, should have caused Philistia to forsake their pagan deities
and join themselves to the reality of the Lord's care!
- Instead, they are bolstered in their empty
faith, believing that their god is equal to the real God! Gratefully, God is
too gracious to allow them to continue in that thinking.
• I Samuel 5:3-5 : "And when the people of Ashdod arose
early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before
the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in
its place again. And
when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to
the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken
off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of
Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in
Ashdod to this day." : As
with most ancient people groups people rose with the sun.
- As the temple began it's day with the
promised Ark Exhibit, the first entrants discovered Dagon on his face before
the ark! "That party must have really rocked last night!"
- They aren't immediately impressed by the fact
that Dagon is now fallen before the ark of the Lord. They had set the ark
beside Dagon and now it is prostrate before the ark of God!
- This will be the response of every being that
has ever lived! Every person will bow their knee to and every tongue will
confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ!
- God has given a very gracious warning to the
people of Philistia. He has said, "Your god cannot stand in my
presence." It's a generous and kind message.
- Unfortunately for them, they didn't
understand the implication so they simply put their image back in it's place.
Like most who are ignorant of God, they miss the obvious.
- Instead of dismissing Dagon, they look for
new ways to safely prop him up!
- It's sad when your god can fall and not get
up! A god that needs picking up, pulling along, or protecting is a god that you
can't afford to trust in!
- I need the God that can pick me up, pull me
along and protect me from the enemy of my soul!
- Luckily for Dagon, he had some nice
uninformed constituents who were willing to put him back in his place. That second
night however, was far worse for him!
- The Philistines discovered a headless torso
with the hands separated from the body that next morning! It was a certainly a
grisly scene for crime scene investigators to piece together!
- The picture is clear: Dagon is completely
subjugated to God. He has thoroughly dominated Him. Why has God done this? For
the same reason that He did not come to the Israelite's defense.
- He will not let them trust in that which is
less than Himself! He reveals Himself as the authentic God, worthy of
Philistine worship! How did they respond to this grace?
- They interpreted this as some sort of
inter-deity worship service! The priests refused to walk on that threshold,
believing that the ground was too sacred!
- Instead of bowing their knees to the reality
of the true God, they priests simply made up a ritual to appease the God of
Israel, religiously rationalizing it away. It didn't work!
• I Samuel 5:6-9 : "But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod,
and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
And when
the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, 'The ark of the God of Israel must
not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.' Therefore they sent and gathered to
themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, 'What shall we do with
the ark of the God of Israel?' And they answered, 'Let the ark of the God of Israel be
carried away to Gath.' So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away. 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." : Please note that first phrase in
verse 6. Dagon's hands had been cut off, but the hand of the Lord was
heavy upon the people of Ashdod!
- God's hand is not short that He cannot save
and neither is it short that it cannot afflict! His hand was heavy upon them
that they might turn themselves from their idolatry.
- He begins graciously, but then turns up the
heat. That had happened with the Israelites.
- They lost 4,000 men in their first battle
with the Philistines. They should have gotten the message and repented. Instead,
30,000 more yielded their lives when the brought out the Ark.
- Here, God has decimated and humiliated Dagon.
Instead of responding with reverance and receiving that knowledge
appropriately, the Philistines continued to trust in Dagon.
- God continues to press the issue. He will not
be ignored, so He turns up the heat, continually pressing down upon them!
- Verse 6 tells us that He devastated
and scourged them with tumors or as the KJV puts it, "emerods!" The
DBY translates this word "hemorrhoids," which agrees with
Rabbinic tradition.
- God's hand is recognized as having been harsh
with them and their god!
- Their first measure of protection was to move
the ark to Gath, the neighboring city to the south which was home to giants
like Goliath and his 4 brothers!
- It's possible that they simply believed that
God was angry with Ashdod's men, as they defeated Israel. "Maybe this God
will be placated if we take Him somewhere less offensive!"
- Moving the Ark to Gath only made things
worse, as the plague moved with the ark, affecting everyone, from the palace to
the poorhouse!
• I Samuel 5:10-12 : "Therefore they sent the ark of God
to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried
out, saying, 'They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us
and our people!' 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
back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.' For there
was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very
heavy there. And
the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of the city
went up to heaven." :
Ekron is about as far away as you could get and still be in Philistine territory.
- By this time though the Ekronites made sure
to register a protest having zero faith that things will go better for them. The
ark had to be returned! It could not remain in Philistine territory!
- The presence of the Lord brought great
trouble, a severe disquiet among the Philistines! Men cried out to heaven,
calling out for relief from their physical trial!
- They decried their condition, but would not
cry out to the God of Israel! They only wanted relief of their physical pain,
which was severe.
• I Samuel 6:1-9 : "Now the ark of the Lord
was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And
the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, 'What shall we
do with the ark of the Lord?
Tell us how we should send it to its place.' So they said, 'If you send away the
ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to
Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to
you why His hand is not removed from you.' Then they said, 'What is the
trespass offering which we shall return to Him?' They answered, 'Five golden
tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the
Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. Therefore you shall make images of
your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give
glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from
your gods, and from your land. Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened
their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people
go, that they might depart? Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have
never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home,
away from them. Then
take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you
are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send
it away, and let it go. And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth
Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know
that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.'" : After 7 months, there is no
repentance, no calling out to God. Let's just find the best way to rid
ourselves of it!
- This reminds me of when Jesus
came into the region of Decapolis, exorcised a man from a Legion of Demons, and
then allowed the Demons to go into a herd of swine.
- When the men of that region heard
of what he had done, realizing that He was responsible for killing the bacon
that they would have taken home, they asked Him to leave! (Mark 5:1-17)
- The Philistines didn't want to
change their lives or give themselves to the God of the Ark of the Covenant.
They just wanted to be physically relieved because the physical is all they
care for!
- In typical religious fashion, the
decision is made to return the ark with 5 golden rats and tumor representations
on a cart pulled by young cows.
- They are pretty sure this is the
Lord who had afflicted Egypt all those years earlier and these pagans decide
that they aren't going to make the same mistake of keeping God locked up!
- They are going to give in, but
are going to be sure that it was God, so they propose this test. If the cows go
toward Beth Shemesh, Israeli territory, it was God. Otherwise it was just plain
bad luck.
• I Samuel 6:10-18 : "Then the men did so; they took two
milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with
the gold rats and the images of their tumors. Then the cows headed straight
for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went,
and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the
Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. Now the people of Beth Shemesh were
reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw
the ark, and rejoiced to see it. Then the cart
came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone
was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt
offering to the Lord. The Levites took down
the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles
of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered
burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord. So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they
returned to Ekron the same day. These are the
golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for
Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; and the golden rats, according to the number of all the
cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities
and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set
the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of
Beth Shemesh." :
Any doubt that they had was eradicated as they watched the cows make a beeline
to Beth Shemesh and the field of Joshua!
- Understand what is happening here. These are
cows which are new mothers, asked to bear a load for the first time, going to a
place that they didn't know about.
- They have the ark on a cart, as well as the
box of golden rats and tumors to carry. The Bible tells us that they headed
straight for Beth Shemesh, lowing all the way!
- They were unhappy with their work, but they
went nonetheless! In this whole story, this is first time that God is glorified
as God!
- The people of Israel were in rebellion
against the Lord and the people of Philistia refused to bow their knee to the
Lord. Who obeys Him, even with some level of protest? The cows!
- For those that studied the book of Jonah with
us, you'll remember that the unbelievers glorified God, as did the great fish,
the plant and even the godless Ninevites!
- Jonah, the prophet of God was the sole
holdout! Instead of going to Ninevah as he was told, he went in the opposite
direction.
- When he could have stopped the waves by
turning around, he asked to be thrown into the sea! In this story, it's the
cows that show what it's like to be in right relationship to God!
- The Philistines saw this and knew it was God
that plagued them! I'm certain that they were relieved to see the ark go. At
the same time, God's people rejoiced!
- The cows just stopped when they came into
this field and the men knew what to do. The Levites bore the Ark off of the
cart on their shoulders and laid it on a large stone.
- The makeshift altar saw the first burnt
offerings, the cows that brough the Ark home, and sacrifices in Israel for 7
months.
• I Samuel 6:19-I Samuel 7:2 : "Then He
struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and
seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great
slaughter. And the
men of Beth Shemesh said, 'Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up
from us?' So they
sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, 'The Philistines
have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.' Then the men of Kirjath Jearim
came and took the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and
consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. So it was that the ark remained in
Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of
Israel lamented after the Lord." :
The joy coinciding with the return of the ark was short lived.
- Beth Shemesh was a city of Levites, which
makes this incredibly curious. God specifically stated that the Ark was never
to be seen, much less touched, much less looked in!
- For some incredulous reason, the people
couldn't bring themselves to reverance the word of the Lord and looked into the
Ark! Most believe that the text should read that 70 of 50,000 died.
- Still, the danger, no matter how it was
justified, was too great to ignore, yet they did! And even if it was simply 5
people that died, it was a senseless tragedy!
- God's people naturally lamented ther loss and
asked the right question: "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord
God!?" This is THE issue of the Old Testament.
- God is so other, so Holy, that apart from
innocent blood sacrifice appeasing His righteous moral outrage, no person can
stand there, which is why the Priesthood existed in the first place!
- In looking into the ark, they ruined the
type. The Ark was the piece of furniture that symbolized God's throne.
- The writer of Hebrews tells us that the ark
held three items: The golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded and the 10
commandments. (Hebrews 9:4)
- These three items came to be as a result of
Israel's sin. Manna was given to the people when they complained against God's
provision. (Exodus 16:33)
- Aaron's rod, a dead piece of wood, blossomed
into a living piece of wood when the people rebelled against God's authority
through Moses and Aaron. (Numbers 17:10)
- The 10 Commandments were actually the second
pair of tablets that came to be when the people of God threw a debaucherous
idolatrous orgy in the wilderness! (Exodus 32)
- These physical reminders of the case against
the people of Israel remained in the box! Gratefully, instead of looking at
that which aroused His wrath, God looked at what appeased it!
- On top of the box was a cover called
"the Mercy Seat." One time a year, the High Priest would enter alone
into the Holy Of Holies and sprinkle the blood of an innocent on behalf of the
guilty.
- This would "atone" for their sin
and allow the High Priest to stand and minister in His presence, as well as
allow the people to remain in right standing with Him.
- Interestingly, when the Greeks translated the
word "mercy seat," they translated the word, "hilasmos" or
"propitiation" referring to satisfaction of wrath.
• I John 4:10 : "In this is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
- Jesus is the mercy seat! He is the living
testimony that God's wrath has been appeased on behalf of those who have
believed upon Jesus Christ! Once the ark was re-covered, things were safe.
- The ark came into Kirjath Jearim, where
Abinadab, "the willing Father," set apart his son Eleazar, "God
has helped" to keep the ark. The Father and the Helper!
- He set him over it to guard, to keep watch
over the ark so that there would be no further loss of life. The ark remained
there for 20 years and Israel lamented after the Lord!
- Finally, we are getting somewhere! The people
are lamenting their condition and looking out after the Lord! God has them
right where He wanted them in the first place.
Conclusion
- God has done everything He will do to bring
you to Him. He will smash your gods and will bring you to your knees, but will
still go away if that's what you want!
- He has paid the price, not with the blood of
bulls and goats, but with the blood of His own Son Jesus Christ. If you
believe, His blood will be your atonement.
- But the scary thing is that if you refuse, He
will refuse to apply it to you! And you will stand before a God who instead of
looking at what appeases Him, will look at what arouses His wrath!
- His blood covers and takes away the offense
of our sin and when that cover is in place, you find a willing Father in God
and sufficient Helper in the Holy Spirit!
- It's no wonder that the people began to yearn
for Him. His kindness leads to repentance!
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