Tag: ark of the covenant

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Wisdom Prayer

The Lessons Scripture Holds!

The Lessons Scripture Holds!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who study scripture to learn the lessons it holds. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1 Samuel, chapters 5 and 6, tell the story of the Ark of the Covenant. It destroyed the Philistines’ idols, afflicted people with tumors, and left the Philistines wondering what to do. Finally, they sent the ark back to Israel on a wagon led by two cows. The Philistines paid a guilt offering of gold tumors and gold mice to reflect the afflictions caused by the ark.

When the ark first arrived in Israel, it afflicted some people who surrounded it.

1 Samuel 7:1-2 tells of Eleazar and what happened to the ark of the Lord.

“And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.”

Twenty years pass. The ark is safe in Israel, and the story picks up again with Samuel.

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Wisdom Prayer

The Power of God!

The Power of God!

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom to know the power of the God of Israel to subdue foreign gods and more. In Jesus name, amen.

When the Philistines were victorious over Israel, as described in 1 Samuel 4, they brought the Ark of the Covenant to various cities. In the city of Ashdod, the ark was placed next to the Philistines’ god Dagon. The first night, the statue of Dagon fell face down on the ground before the ark. After being put up the next day, Dagon’s statue fell the next night, and the head and hands were cut off.

When the ark was taken to other cities, the people developed tumors.

1 Samuel 5:11-12 (ESV) tells us the Philistines in the City of Ekron was in a panic when the ark was brought into the city.

“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.’ 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. The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.”

Scripture records how scared the Philistines were of the ark and the God of Israel.

They had to decide what to do with the ark.

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Wisdom Prayer

Need a Miracle?

Need a Miracle?

Lord, I pray for wisdom for those who feel they must see signs and miracles before they make a decision to follow Jesus.

What tips the scale so a person becomes a believer?

Although everyone is different, some are convinced by the miracles in scripture.

Consider what Hebrews 9:4 (NLT) says: “Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant.”

The Hebrews were given countless signs and wonders to demonstrate God was in their midst.

Aaron’s staff was no ordinary walking stick. Often overlooked, this miracle became so important that the staff was placed in the Ark of the Covenant.

Look around. See God’s green thumb in nature. Remember the miracle of Aaron’s staff.

Let me know your thoughts below.