Not like other gods
Notes
Transcript
A. Rapport for the time
As created beings you and I are extremely dependent upon others. This starts from birth when we need others to help take care of us in fact we count on that to help nurture us and grow. What happens in our life is that we grow from what state to another until we get to the point in which we desire our independence from all things yet we are never truly independent no matter how old we get. We need others! Don’t you find that to be true? But God is not like us and he is definitely not like the false gods that we as humans have created.
God is truly independent which takes some work for our brains to fully comprehend.
God’s Independence—defined---The attribute of God whereby he does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation can glorify him and bring him joy. His self-existence. Grudem.
B. Reading of the text
C. Review of the text
The judgment of God has come down to meet the people head on. Over the last month we have heard God not only tell of the end of Eli, Hophni, and Phineas but also bring it to past just as he said. We recognized the over arching theme in 1 Samuel of the sovereign hand of God but will see in chapter 5 this come to life. The Israelite people have tried to use God to win a battle against the Philistines while at the same time worshiping other gods and not giving the fullness of the Glory that God deserves and it has brought destruction and the loss of life.
D. Relevance of the text
The work to be done this morning in our hearts begins with standing of Awe of him. We often believe and rely on our own independence and worship created things before looking to our creator God and King. Honestly, we just fail to see what God desires us to see. God desire that we both acknowledge and find joy in the fact that the God of all creation doesn’t need you. He doesn’t need you to come up with new ideas or ways in which you might help him as though he is lacking in power in anyway. Instead, we should embrace THE GOD that would desire to fellowship with us that we might put his power on display.
T.S. The first battle comes to us today with the Lord vs. Dagon
I. Lord vs. Dagon
I. Lord vs. Dagon
1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.
3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.
4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
vs. 1-2
Remember with me that before the battle began the Philistines believed that they would be defeated they had just hope to die bravely. After beating the God of Israel they would place him along side Dagon.
Dagon---
The Philistines are going to find out very quickly they did not win this battle the Lord allowed for Israel to be defeated that he might pronounce judgment on the people of God and also the Philistines at the same time. God can’t be defeated but he can lay down to serve the ultimate purpose of the Restoration of Israel to his name.
3-5
The people thought the first fall was an accident or something that just happened, therefore, God goes to a greater extreme.
Dagon’s head is cut off and his hands. That surely can’t be seen as an accident. This is what people did to their enemies.
25 And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.
II. Lord vs. Philistines
II. Lord vs. Philistines
6 The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.”
8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there.
9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.”
11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there.
12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
We are going to play the game of musical chairs(who wants the Ark) in vs. 6-12. What was a prized possession in the house of Dagon to begin the chapter was not something no one wanted. Look at God, he takes the philistines prize and turns into a nightmare for them. They not only don’t want the prize but begin to ship it from place to place because of the judgement they are feeling from this God of Israel. Wouldn’t you be upset at your god Dagon for allowing all this to happen?
There is not good that comes for the Philistines in there taking of the Ark. Instead, it is a weight around them that they just want to rid themselves.
God doesn’t need someone to come save him from Israel. In fact, God is in the exact place he desires in the world to put on display his power against false gods and the idols that are in peoples lives that keep them from repenting and believing in Christ. Is something holding you back this morning?
Do you understand the independence of God upon his creation and how it affects you as a human.
Application
The God that inspired scriptures so that we would know about his saving work in the messiah King Jesus.
Isaiah 46:1-4
1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts.
2 They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity.
3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb;
4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.
I am he…I will carry…I have made…I will bear…I will carry…I will save...
We defined God’s Independence as the attribute of God whereby he does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation can glorify him and bring him joy. His self-existence. Grudem.
God’s independence is hard for us to fully understand. but listen to How scripture defines The God of the universe.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
What could human need or Give the one true God?
11 Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
What would you be able to give God? If he is the creator God of all the heaven and earth what do you plan to offer him? Just as a side note how do you view your tithe? These passages make it clear that God would not need to ask you if he got hungry for something you could provide for him. If this is true than the fact that God owns everything would make you wonder why should anyone tithe? Great questions from you guys today. I tithe as a reminder to my own heart that all that I have been given is not by my own personal hands but instead is ALL owned by the God of the Universe. Remember, from last few weeks we are not to mock God as though he can’t do something or test him as though he could be tested(we would be God) Instead we give to him a portion of what we have been so blessed to receive from him. Tithing is a part of my worship. I don’t tithe so you guys can know how great I am or to advance my name in the Kingdom of God. Instead I tithe because He does provide for me everything I need. 10% would be a minimum not a biblical standard in anyway. Also, understand God knows your heart and the condition in which you bring yourself to him.
God’s independence also speaks to the fact that he has always existed and will always exist. You as a human do not share this quality with your creator.
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Sunday school 2 weeks ago..I AM
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
Grudem---This means that God’s being has always been and will always be exactly what it is. God is not dependent upon any part of creation for his existence or his nature. Without creation, God could still be infinitely loving, infinitely just, eternal, omniscient, trinitarian, and so forth
What about the meaning of your life? Meaning for you comes from the independence of God. How?
Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine 1. Independence
The balancing consideration with respect to this doctrine is the fact that we and the rest of creation can glorify God and bring him joy. This must be stated in order to guard against any idea that God’s independence makes us meaningless. Someone might wonder, if God does not need us for anything, then are we important at all? Is there any significance to our existence or to the existence of the rest of creation? In response it must be said that we are in fact very meaningful because God has created us and he has determined that we would be meaningful to him. That is the final definition of genuine significance.
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
You and I can bring Joy to our creator.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
Grudem—This is the basis for personal significance in the lives of all God’s people: To be significant to God is to be significant in the most ultimate sense. No greater personal significance can be imagined.