Be Real - God is Limitless
Today, we will continue our study of 1 Samuel in our series “Be Real.” Our desire is to be people who have real relationships with God evidenced by the fruit of our lives. As the motto of our series goes, the fruit don’t lie! The fruit of my life reveals who I really am and ultimately if I know and love God. Today, we return back to our study of 1 Samuel and get to see that though man seeks to limit God for the sake of our limited understanding…He is limitless!
Today, our study will take us to 1 Samuel 5:1-5 where we re-enter into the story of the Israelites defeat at the hands of the Philistines. God had promised judgment on the family of Eli for their failure to serve and obey God. In this defeat, Israel loses a total of 34,000 soldiers including Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas. Additionally, when word reaches Eli that his sons had died and that the Ark of the Covenant of God had been taken, he too passed away. God’s promise of judgement on Eli’s family is fulfilled and It is also evident in chapter 4 that the Israelites were putting their confidence in a symbol/object (the Ark) instead of the Source/Creator (God).
The Philistines witnessed the reaction of the Israelites when the Ark entered into the camp and this caused them fear because “a god has come into the camp (1 Samuel 4:6-7).” It is evident that both the Israelites and the Philistines believed that God was entering the camp when the Ark arrived. Both the people who knew of God and those who served other gods were mistaken in this belief. God is not limited to or contained within the Ark. Upon defeating the Israelites, the Philistines take the Ark and place it in their temple of worship. It seems that they believe that the Ark is an object that can be used to give them an advantage in future battles.
The next day, when they entered into the temple, they found their god Dagon face-down on the floor before the Ark. Of course, they stood their idol back upright and went on with their day. The next morning when they entered into the temple, they found Dagon face-down again and this time his arms and head were no longer attached to the body. This story is a powerful reminder that our God is limitless. The Philistines learned that the Lord God is not contained to a box, they learned that He has supreme power over their lifeless god, and that He alone is God.
Be Real – remember today that God is all-powerful. Let’s be careful to trust in the Creator not created things. Let’s rest in His overwhelming power and grace.