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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, July 1, 2023
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Philistines and the Ark Bible Verse:1 Samuel 5 (ESV) "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 upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors. When the men 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 upon us and upon Dagon our god.” So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?” They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel. But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy upon it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven." Message:
The Septuagint adds information, that the tumors appeared in the groin of the sufferers. Both the Septuagint and Latin Vulgate add that Ekron and Ashdod were overrun with rats. Taken together, it sounds possible that they were affected by an epidemic of bubonic plague; since the Black Death of the Middle Ages often resulted in mortality rates of 30-50% in cities, one can understand just how terrible the affliction would have been: “Death had filled the city with panic.”
Dagon, an idol with a man’s head and a fish’s body, is consistent with the scant evidence that the tribe had originated as a seafaring people akin to the Phoenicians. Statues, the common form of gods at the time, proved no match for the true God. His wrath at the lack of reverence for the ark struck down the Philistines even worse than the terrible destruction of Israel’s army.
And thus, Israel was saved from potential total destruction, physical and cultural, by God himself. God would allow the backsliding Hebrews to be punished by enemy armies again and again throughout history, but lack of reverence for the Lord himself, He would not tolerate.
Meditation : Prayer : O God and Father of all, whom the whole heavens adore: Let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you, and men and women everywhere love you and serve you in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray,Amen |
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