“And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to
Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we
shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a
chance that happened to us.” (1Sa 6:9 AV)
The event of which this verse speaks is the smiting of the men of
Philistines with emerods in their secret parts.
The Ark of the Covenant was captured in a war because of the rebellion
of God’s people. It was placed in the
temple of the god Dagon of the Philistines.
The LORD smote their idol in the midst of this temple. Furthermore, the men of Philistines were
inflicted with painful boils in places one does not wish to be inflicted. They concocted a plan to return the Ark to
Israel with offerings attached to it. If
the boils disappeared when the Ark was returned, they would then know the God of
Israel and His Ark was the cause of their affliction. But the question arises. To what end?
If it is proven God and the Ark was the cause of judgment, what are they
going to do? If they are enlightened to
discover the God of Israel conquered Dagon, and was the cause of their
affliction, what then? Merely return the
Ark? Is that sufficient?
This reminds me of patients who treat the symptoms without
addressing the disease. A patient may have a life-threatening condition brought
on by lifestyle choices, and their solution is to address the symptoms alleviating
the pain, all the while rejecting the cure. We do the same in our walk with God. We suffer from our disobedience. We address the pain caused by that
disobedience on a case-by-case basis. We
seek relief from the worst of the consequences and learn to tolerate the more
menial. We forsake that which is causing
the greatest amount of damage but neglect the underlying cause of it all. When it came to the Philistines, the Ark was
not their problem. It may have seemed as
though it was, for when it was returned, the pain ceased. The problem was, in just a few short years,
they would lose their champion Goliath and become tributaries to the very people
whom they once inflicted. Returning the
Ark relieved temporary affliction. It
did not cure the problem.
God desire mankind to walk with Him in faith and righteousness. If he does not, then man will suffer the
consequences. In the medical field, not
all symptoms may be related to a single physical cause. One might suffer joint problems that have no
relation to shortness of breath. One might
suffer GI problems which has nothing to do with poor eyesight. We treat the consequences of disobedience or
lack of faith in one area while allowing another to fester. It’s like trying to put out one little fire
at a time without realizing our failure is wholistic. The first and greatest commandment is to love
God with all our heart, mind, soul, and body.
Until we do that, we can sent he ark back, but another problem will
arise that will need relief.
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