God is without equal
Daily Renewal
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.
The LORD’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; He brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors.
When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.”
The LORD’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; He brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors.
When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.”
1 Samuel 5:1-7
The lyrics of one of my favorite songs poses the question: “Who can stand before the LORD God Almighty?” It asserts: “Our God is the lion, the Lion of Judah; who can stand before the LORD Almighty?” The plain truth is: No one can stand before the Almighty God because God is without equal! Anyone or anything that seeks to contend with God will only end up bowing before the LORD and being smashed up.
That was the lot of Dagon, the god of the Philistines. The power of God caused him to fall prostrate before the ark in a posture of worship. After he had been helped back to his feet, Yahweh caused his head and hands to be broken off. The breaking off of the head was symbolic of the fact that Dagon had been totally defeated through decapitation! The hands were broken off to underscore the fact that Dagon was incapable of doing anything in the presence of God Almighty. The Philistines were rather delusional in thinking that their god could be placed on an equal footing with God whose presence was symbolized by the ark of the covenant!
They realized that they had come into the presence of the only True Divinity who had the power to determine their fate! The only appropriate response they could give was: ”The ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us because His hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.”
Our God is truly without equal! He declares: “With whom , then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken Him?...He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers...He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this earth to nothing… “To whom will you compare Me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
So, who can stand before our God? Absolutely no one because He is peerless!
We can only stand before Him in worship! Would you bow in true worship now?
That was the lot of Dagon, the god of the Philistines. The power of God caused him to fall prostrate before the ark in a posture of worship. After he had been helped back to his feet, Yahweh caused his head and hands to be broken off. The breaking off of the head was symbolic of the fact that Dagon had been totally defeated through decapitation! The hands were broken off to underscore the fact that Dagon was incapable of doing anything in the presence of God Almighty. The Philistines were rather delusional in thinking that their god could be placed on an equal footing with God whose presence was symbolized by the ark of the covenant!
They realized that they had come into the presence of the only True Divinity who had the power to determine their fate! The only appropriate response they could give was: ”The ark of the God of Israel must not stay with us because His hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.”
Our God is truly without equal! He declares: “With whom , then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken Him?...He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers...He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this earth to nothing… “To whom will you compare Me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
So, who can stand before our God? Absolutely no one because He is peerless!
We can only stand before Him in worship! Would you bow in true worship now?