DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A GOOD-LUCK CHARM

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A GOOD-LUCK CHARM

"Then the Philistines took the ark of God and bought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod." (I Samuel 5:1)

In our society, people often consider their religion to be a good-luck charm. They hang a cross from their car's rear view mirror. They claim to be of a certain denomination or faith as though that would give them some credibility or special standing. But our Gleaning for today shows that this is not the case.

To begin with, the Israelites had brought the Ark of the Covenant from it's resting place at Shiloh to be with them in battle against the Philistines. They thought that if the Ark was with them, they would surely defeat the Philistines. But it did not work for them, and the Philistines defeated them and captured the Ark.

The Philistines took the Ark to Ashod and put it besides the idol of their god, Dagon. But the idol fell on its face to the ground before the Ark of the Lord, breaking its hands off. In addition, a plague of tumors came upon the people. The people of Ashdod knew this was not a good sign, so they sent the Ark to Gath. The citizens of Gath also experienced a plague of tumors, so they sent the Ark to Ekron, where again, the city was stricken with tumors. The presence of the Ark in these ungodly places was not a blessing. It was a curse.

So what to do? They decided to send the Ark back to Israel, where it belonged.

When we hear politicians use religious talk, we need to be very suspect. Just because they talk about their religion, God, and faith, does not mean that God is on their side. They may be using these godly things to enhance their own agendas.

The name "Ebenezer" means "stone of help." God is truly our Ebenezer – our rock of help. But even Christians need to be careful not to use God as a good-luck charm. God is God. He is holy. He needs to be held in high esteem, not just some amulet added to our life to advance our own agenda.

May God help us to keep a right perspective of the God we serve.

Love, Dad