A Living God!

A Living God!

The Philistines took the sacred chest from near Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. They brought it into the temple of their god Dagon and put it next to the statue of Dagon, which they worshiped. But early the next morning, it had fallen over again and was lying facedown on the floor in front of the chest. The body of the statue was still in one piece, but its head and both hands had broken off and were lying on the stone floor in the doorway. This is the reason the priests and everyone else step over that part of the doorway when they enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. The LORD caused a lot of trouble for the people of Ashdod and their neighbors. He made sores break out all over their bodies, and everyone was in a panic. Finally, they said, "The God of Israel did this. He is the one who caused all this trouble for us and our god Dagon. We've got to get rid of this chest." The people of Ashdod had all the Philistine rulers come to Ashdod, and they asked them, "What can we do with the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel?" "Send it to Gath," the rulers answered. But after they took it there, the LORD made sores break out on everyone in town. The people of Gath were frightened, so they sent the sacred chest to Ekron. But before they could take it through the town gates, the people of Ekron started screaming, "They've brought the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel! It will kill us and our families too!" The people of Ekron called for another meeting of the Philistine rulers and told them, "Send this chest back where it belongs. Then it won't kill us." Everyone was in a panic, because God was causing a lot of people to die, and those who had survived were suffering from the sores. They all cried to their gods for help.

Lesson to be Learnt:

                Dagon was meant to be the all powerful god of the Philistines. Dagon was an Idol with human head and body like that of a fish. The Philistines put the Ark of the Lord in the temple of the dagon. The next morning the dagon lay with his face touching the ground .Sometimes people do this in front of a king. This is how they give him honour. They show that the king is more powerful than they are. The Lord punished the Philistines with tumors. That’s when the people understood the power of the Living God. He is not a made up of sand/stone/wood. But He is a living God. He answers to the cry of His people. He listens to us, He looks at our afflictions, He can understand the pain in our hearts. He doesn’t stay in vain idols. He is present everywhere. So don’t you want to meet the living God. Call unto Him and He will answer you! Yes, I challenge you. Call unto Him and He will answer you!

Psalm 42:2

(CEV)  In my heart, I am thirsty for you, the living God. When will I see your face?

(Hindi) जीवते ईश्वर परमेश्वर का मैं प्यासा हूं, मैं कब जाकर परमेश्वर को अपना मुंह दिखाऊंगा?

(Kan) ದೇವರಿ ಗೋಸ್ಕರ ಹೌದು, ಜೀವವುಳ್ಳ ದೇವರಿಗೋಸ್ಕರ ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಾಣವು ದಾಹಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ; ಯಾವಾಗ ಬಂದು ದೇವರ ಮುಂದೆ ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲಿ?

(Mal) എന്റെ ആത്മാവു ദൈവത്തിന്നായി, ജീവനുള്ള ദൈവത്തിന്നായി തന്നേ, ദാഹിക്കുന്നു; ഞാന്‍ എപ്പോള്‍ ദൈവസന്നിധിയില്‍ ചെല്ലുവാനിടയാകും.

(Tamil OV)  என் ஆத்துமா தேவன்மேல், ஜீவனுள்ள தேவன்மேலேயே தாகமாயிருக்கிறது; நான் எப்பொழுது தேவனுடைய சந்நிதியில் வந்து நிற்பேன்?

(Telugu)  నా ప్రాణము దేవునికొరకు తృష్ణగొనుచున్నది జీవము గల దేవునికొరకు తృష్ణగొనుచున్నది దేవుని సన్నిధికి నేనేప్పుడు వచ్చెదను? ఆయన సన్నిధిని నేనెప్పుడు కనబడెదను?