The Ark of the Covenant guaranteed God's presence wherever the Children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness. It was their defence.
On one occasion however, they went to war against the Philistines and suffered heavy casualties "30 thousand foot soldiers were killed" and on top of that, "The Ark of God was captured..." (1 Sam.4:10-11)
That the Philistines conquered the Israelites became the headlines. But it did not augur well for them.
They carried the ark into their temple - and set it beside their god Dagon. "Early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen before the ark of the Lord!" (v.2-3) They picked Dagon up and erected it again next to the Ark. "But the following morning there was Dagon, fallen on its face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on fhe threshold; only his body remained." (1 Sam. 5:4)
It was then that the men of Ashod read between the lines and concluded: "The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." (v.7)
Observe that before the Lord our God "every knee must bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord".(Phil. 2:10-11)
Today, we carry God's presence in our bodies, His temple. Are other gods falling and being dislocated or dismantled?
If they are not, then we must be worried about the relationship being nurtured with Jesus. For God has not changed. "He is the same, yesterday, today and forever." (Hebs. 13:8). Our lives must reflect that both His presence and power are present in us.
