1 Samuel 4:6-9 Resist God!

 ”Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!”“

I Samuel‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. God has come into the camp! We should compliment the Philistines for understanding that the ark of the covenant represented the presence of God, and on their knowledge of Israel’s history.

i. They knew it was unusual - even unheard of – for the Israelites to bring the ark into battle (For such a thing has never happened before), and they knew the God of Israel defeated the Egyptians (who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues).

b. These mighty gods: Even though they did not understand much about God, the Philistines recognized the superiority of the God of Israel. Yet, they did not submit to God, but simply determined to fight against Him all the more. If they really believed their gods were greater than the God of Israel, they should not have been worried. If they believed the God of Israel was greater than their gods, they should have submitted to Him.

i. We, like them, often know God is greater and deserves our submission. Yet we often resist God as well, instead of submitting to Him. Knowledge wasn’t their problem. Submission to God was.

c. Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines: The presence of the ark did not make the Philistines feel like giving up. Instead, it made them feel they had to fight all the harder to overcome the odds. They had the courage of desperate men.

i. Godless Philistines can teach us something. Christians need to show more of this courage. Instead of giving up when things look bad, we should trust the LORD and fight all the harder and decide we will not give up. Courage and persistence win many battles, even sometimes for the wrong side.

Resist God!

Every time we sin we resist God! Pastor Robert always preaches, If you say you don’t sin you just lied so you sinned! Our sin nature is hard to overcome but I am encouraged by this verse:

”You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.“ ‭‭I John‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Be strong and conduct yourselves like Christians, ask yourself, what would Jesus do? WWJD.

Blessings