I Samuel 5
Ark of the LORD in the house of Dagonverses 1-2
And the Philistines took the ark of God
and brought it form Eben-ezer unto Ashdod
When the Philistines took the ark of God
they brought it into the house of Dagon
and set it by Dagon
Dagon falls before the Ark of the LORDverses 3-5
And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow
BEHOLD – Dagon was fallen on his face to the earth
before the ark of the LORD
And they took Dagon
and set him in his place again
And when they arose early
on the morrow morning
BEHOLD – Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground
before the ark of the LORD
and the head of Dagon
and both the palms of his hands
were cut off upon the threshold
only the stump of Dagon was left to him
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon
nor any that come into Dagon’s house
tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day
LORD sends a plague on Ashdodverses 6-7
But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod
and HE destroyed them – and smote them with hemorrhoids
even Ashdod and the coasts thereof
And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so
they said
The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us
for HIS hand is sore upon us – and upon Dagon our god
Ark of the LORD moved to Gath – plagueverses 8-9
They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them
and said
What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?
And they answered
Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath
And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither
and it was so that after they had carried it about
the hand of the LORD was against the city
with a very great destruction
and HE smote the men of the city both small and great
and they had hemorrhoids in their secret parts
Ark of the LORD moved to Ekron – plagueverses 10-12
Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron
and it came to pass – as the ark of God came to Ekron
that the Ekronites
cried out saying
They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel
to us – to slay us and our people
So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines
and said
Send away the ark of the God of Israel
and let it go again to HIS own place
that it slay us not and our people
for there was a deadly destruction throughout
all the city
the hand of God was very heavy there
And the men that died not were smitten with the hemorrhoids
and the cry of the city went up to heaven
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. (5307 “fallen” [naphal] means cast down, fall away, prostrate oneself before, or collapse)
DEVOTION: The first night that the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the temple of Dagon the priests found that their idol had fallen on his face before the Ark. They put him back in place. On the second day they came in and their false god was broken into many pieces. His hands were broken off before the LORD. His face was on the ground before the LORD. All that was left of the false god was a stump.
In this, false gods temple the LORD had shown the people of Ashdod that HE was more powerful than their false god. HE was again proving that it was not HIS fault that the children of Israel were defeated but that they had trusted in a symbol of their faith rather than the God of their faith.
Once the priests of this false god saw what had happened on the second day, they wanted to have the Ark of the Covenant moved to another city to see what would happen.
The city was full of disease and people were dying. They wanted the Ark as far away as possible. They knew that it was in the wrong place and that the God of the Hebrews was judging them by HIS presence.
We need to realize that even when the followers of God did wrong the attributes of God didn’t change. HE was still just as powerful and deserving of worship that HE was teaching those who didn’t believe that they needed to reverence HIM.
The LORD expects all people from around the world to one day bow down to HIM. It is going to happen. This was just a foreshadowing of this future event.
Every man, woman and child are going to one day bow down before the God of the Bible and answer for their actions concerning HIM.
CHALLENGE: Are you ready to meet this God of the Bible? Is everyone in your family ready to meet this God of the Bible? Prepare them NOW!!! Every knee is going to bow!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy on them of Ashdod, and HE destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. (3513 “heavy” [kabad] means burdensome, grievous, weighty, to be or become not easily borne, or dull)
DEVOTION: The Ark of the LORD was taken from the children of Israel by the Philistines. They took it to the house of their false god who faced the consequences of being in the presence of the LORD. The false god was found in pieces the next day.
Not only did the false god fall apart but the people were given tumors or hemorrhoids because they had the ONE TRUE GOD in their midst and didn’t honor HIM.
The people didn’t know what to do. They wanted to get rid of the Ark of the LORD but they continued to just move it from one city to the next and in each city there was a curse on them because of the presence of the LORD.
The LORD doesn’t’ want to be in a place where more than one god is worshiped. HE wants to be the only God worshiped because HE is the only true God. The Philistines had to learn this fact and we need to learn this fact as well today.
Too often people think that they can go to church on Sunday and then from Monday through Saturday they can worship the false gods of money, influence and power. This is not going to happen in God’s world.
People have to learn that there is only ONE TRUE GOD in our world and HE is the God of the Bible. HE wants everyone who is a genuine follower to worship HIM in spirit and in truth. HE doesn’t accept partial worship. It is either total or not at all.
CHALLENGE: We need to examine our lives to see if we are trying to share worship with some false god in our life.
: 9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. (6076 “emerods” [ophel] means a tumor, boils, lymph abscesses of the groin area, fort, strong hold, or tower)
DEVOTION: It is thought by some theologians that behind every false god were a demon or a fallen angel. The fallen angels would seem to have power, just like, Satan seems to have power. The only power they can use has to be used under the Sovereign control of the LORD. The book of Job shows this relationship. We might not understand why God allows Satan and his fallen angels to have power on this earth but HE does. Satan is called an “angel of light” in the New Testament. Many false religions are started because of this “light” that people think they see in him. All false gods and false religions are begun and kept because of their relationship to Satan and his angels.
The Philistines had won the battle against the children of Israel. They had taken the ark of the LORD to the house of Dagon their god. They found Dagon fallen down before the ark of the LORD. The next day they found him broken in pieces before the ark of the LORD.
Then the LORD sent a plague among those who lived in the city. It was a disease that affected the groin area of their bodies. People died from the disease.
They were afraid and called together the lords of the Philistines for a solution to their problem. It was to move the ark of the LORD from one city to another. Each time it was moved the city was struck with the same plague. When it was about to come to the next town the people cried out against it coming into their village.
The next chapter tells us that rats were the carriers of the plague to come into their land. It was like having boils in their secret parts. God didn’t want HIS people to worship the ark but to worship HIM.
The Philistines needed to know that the God of the ark of God was the only true God and so HE gave them signs to prove it.
NO one can dishonor God, even the pagans. They knew that God was sending the plague as a warning. HE is sovereign. They cried out to heaven for an answer. The answer they came up with was to give the ark back to the children of Israel.
God is sending plagues in our country to warn us about following a false religion. HE is sending many warning signs that HE wants a nation to repent and follow HIM. We are not listening to the warnings. We are following a politically correct religion rather than Biblical correct Christianity.
The pagans got HIS point. They wanted the ark of God out of their land. They chose to not worship the LORD. We no longer hear about the Philistines as a nation. They were destroyed completely. We need to choose to worship the LORD in spirit and in truth.
Do we believe that the God of the Bible is Sovereign? Is HE still working in our world? If we believe these facts are we acting on them?
CHALLENGE: HE wants us to worship and work for HIM until HIS Son returns to claim HIS own. We need to work for that day is coming!!! Is HIS Spirit working in our lives and in our churches?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to HIS own place, that it slays us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city, the hand of God was very heavy there”. (4103 “destruction” [mahuwmah] means trouble, vexation, dismay, a mental state characterized by a lack of clear and orderly thought and behavior, confusion, disturbance, turmoil, or disquietude)
DEVOTION: The Philistines kept moving the Ark of the Covenant from city to city with the same results. There was a plague and death that followed the moving of the Ark. So, we find the people calling on the rulers to do something different. They thought it was good to conquer the Israelites and bring their symbol of their God into their temples but they found out that it was not good.
They were all afraid that they were going to die because of the judgment of the God of the Hebrews because they were touching the Ark. They wanted the rulers to send the Ark back to the children of Israel, so that, the judgment would end in their cities. Too many were sick and dying because of the Ark.
Those who are fighting the God of the Bible will one day stand before HIM and give an answer for their lack of faith. They will see that their name is not written in the book of life and they will be condemned to eternity in the lake of fire.
Every individual has a choice to recognize the God of the Bible as the only TRUE God. If they try to worship many gods they will still have to stand before the one TRUE God and receive their judgment.
There are those who think that there is no such thing as a God who created this world and one day. they will find out the truth. We have the responsibility to share this truth with those we know. They will then have a choice to make. When they stand before the LORD, HE will show them how many opportunities they had to make a decision to follow HIM.
The cities of the Philistines found out that it wasn’t their false gods power over Jehovah that won them the victory.
CHALLENGE: It was the people who claimed to be following Jehovah who lost the battle because they were not turning to HIM for help but to just a symbol of HIM.
: 12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (6076 “emerods” [‘ophel] means a thickening of tissue, boil, hemorrhoid, an abnormal new mass of tissue resulting from disease, or abscesses)
DEVOTION: The cry of the city didn’t just go to their leaders but it also went all the way up to heaven. They apparently knew enough about the God of the Hebrews to realize that they had to cry out to HIM as well.
They were watching as many of their neighbors and friends were dying because of the Ark being in their presence. They were not worshiping the God of the Ark but they knew of HIS power. They didn’t want to change their beliefs but wanted to get the Ark out of their presence so they could continue to worship their false gods.
This was a fear of God but not a fear that would cause them to worship the one TRUE God of the universe. They were not willing to change to please HIM but they wanted HIM out of their presence.
Many times, we will talk with people who have respect for our God but don’t want to change their lifestyle to please HIM. They understand the difference but don’t want to make that difference part of their life. They are satisfied with believing the lie of the devil that they might have a little hope of getting into heaven if they have a little respect for the God of the Bible.
God wants a complete change in those who are willing to acknowledge HIM. HE doesn’t want people to just respect HIM. HE wants them to honor HIM and give glory to his name. That can only be done by those who are willing to confess their sins and allow the Holy Spirit to direct each of their steps.
CHALLENGE: God doesn’t want half-hearted worship.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Cry of Philistines when up to heavenverse 12
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Ark of Godverses 2, 10
Ark of the LORDverse 3
Ark of the God of Israelverses 7, 8, 11
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator)verses 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11
Ark of Godverse 1, 2, 10
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 3, 4, 6, 9
Ark of the LORDverses 3, 4
Hand of the LORDverses 6, 9, 11
Ark of the God of Israelverses 7, 8, 10, 11
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Philistinesverses 1-12
Ebenezerverse 1
Ashdodverses 1-7
House of Dagon (false god)
Dagon fell on face before Ark of God
Second day: Dagon in pieces
Hand of the LORD heavy on city
smote with emerods
Ashdod: Judgment of God = emerodsverse 6
Lords of the Philistinesverses 8, 11
Gath: Judgment of God = emerodsverses 8, 9
Emerods in secret parts
Ekron: Judgment of God = slay usverses 10-12
Didn’t want the ark there
Sent ark to HIS own place in Israel
Men died verse 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Worshiping false god: Dagonverses 2-5, 7
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
God of Israelverse 7
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Dagon’s humiliating act of self-abasement was repeated the following morning, a sure sign that the previous day’s events had not been accidental. Once again Dagon was lying prostrate “before the ark of the Lord” (v. 4), but this time there was a difference. Dagon’s head and hands had been “broken off” (Hb. krt; “cut off”) in a manner reminiscent of grisly military executions (cf. 17:51; 31:9; 2 Sam 4:12). The Philistines’ conquering divine hero had been humbled and then mercilessly executed in his own stronghold. Though “in exile,” the Lord had proven his superiority to the regional supreme deity. (Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, pp. 97–98). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
The ark was brought into the temple of Dagon, the Philistine national deity (v.2), and placed near a large idol representing him. The next day the statue of Dagon had fallen facedown, vanquished by Israel’s God (as the Philistine champion Goliath would later be defeated by David; see 17:49) and prostrate before the ark in a posture of worship. The people of Ashdod put the idol back in its “place” (the people of Ekron, filled with panic, would soon demand that the ark be returned to “its own place”; see v.11). The next morning Dagon was again facedown before the ark—this time its head and hands were “broken off” (v.4), just as Goliath’s head would later be “cut off” by David (17:51; same Heb. verb). (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 600). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
5:4 head … hands were cut off. The first display of God’s authority over Dagon was not perceived. God’s second display of authority, the cutting off of Dagon’s head and hands, was a common sign that the enemy was dead (Jdg 7:25; 8:6; 1Sa 17:54; 31:9; 2Sa 4:12), and was to be understood as God’s divine judgment on the false idol. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Sa 5:4). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Selah
“Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.” (Psalm 3:2)
The word Selah occurs 74 times in the Bible (three of which are in the prophetic psalm of Habakkuk, with the other 71 in the book of Psalms). The first of these occurrences is here in Psalm 3:2, and it also occurs at the end of verses 4 and 8, thus in effect dividing Psalm 3 into three “stanzas.”
However, its exact meaning is uncertain. Most authorities think it is some kind of musical notation, to be applied when the psalm was being sung with accompanying musical instrumentation. It suggests a pause of some kind, perhaps to allow the instruments to play a few notes while the singers were silent before proceeding with the next portion, possibly changing to a different key.
When the psalm is merely being read, however, as must often be the case, this explanation would be pointless. Thus, some think it indicates a brief pause for reflection on the truth just revealed before proceeding to the next point. Selah might, therefore, mean something like “Think of that!”
In Psalm 3, as the first instance, verse 2 notes that many (perhaps originally those involved in Absalom’s rebellion against King David) are saying: “Not even God can help him now!” But then the psalmist remembers God’s promises and he prays, and God answers, so now he can say: “Well, what do you think about that?” Both exclamations are implied by his Selah.
Then in the third stanza, he stresses his security in his Lord. He can sleep and “not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about…Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people” (Psalm 3:6, 8). “So, what can you say about that, you enemies of God and His Word?” (Selah.)
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
GLORY BE TO GOD
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
John 17:4
The coming of the Holy Spirit is part of this great and vital plan of salvation, and it is, of course, one of the most wonderful aspects of all. In the council in eternity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit spoke together and planned the salvation of man. The Father stated the great scheme, and the Son accepted the decision that He should be the One to carry out the plan; and then it was equally decided that the Holy Spirit should complete what the Son had done for mankind.
This is what is sometimes called “the economy of the Trinity,” the division of the work between the three Persons, and it is something that appears very clearly throughout the Scriptures. It appears, for example, in the very beginning, in Genesis, where we are shown how the creation itself was the work of the Trinity: “In the beginning God…” Then we are told that “the Spirit of God moved. .“Everything was made through the Word, but in a sense the agency was still the Spirit.
The Father sends the Son, and the great business of the Son is to glorify the Father. He says, “I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4).There is a sense in which the Lord Jesus Christ never glorified Himself. That is why He laid aside His glory, and why He was not born in a king’s palace but in a stable. That, too, is why He took upon Himself the form of a servant; it was all to glorify the Father. All His life as a man was in a sense lived just in this way, in order that all the glory and power might be to God the Father.
A Thought to Ponder: Our Lord lived so that all the glory and power might be to God the Father. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 85-86, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
PROPHECIES ABOUT CHRIST’S BIRTH
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5:2
Take a number of prophecies with regard to Christ’s birth. First of all we are told something with regard to the time of His appearance. In Malachi 3:1 the prophet says, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” That is very significant. Furthermore, you remember that in Micah 5:2 we are given an exact prophecy with regard to the place of His birth” that it was to be in Bethlehem. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” We are told that He was to be of the tribe of Judah and of the house of David in Jeremiah 23:5-6: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safety and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Then in Isaiah 7:14 we are told that He is to be born of a virgin. The prophet is promising a sign, and a sign is obviously something unusual. If a virgin has a child, it is unusual, and it is a sign. We are specifically told in Matthew 1:22-23 that this verse in Isaiah was indeed a prophecy that our Lord would be born of a virgin.
A Thought to Ponder: We are given an exact prophecy with regard to the place of His birth. (From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 249-250. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.)
And how will they hear without a preacher?
Romans 10:14
Has preaching fallen on hard times? An open debate is now being waged over the character and centrality of preaching in the church. At stake is nothing less than the integrity of Christian worship and proclamation.
How did this happen? Given the central place of preaching in the New Testament church, it would seem that the priority of biblical preaching should be uncontested. After all, as John A. Broadus–one of Southern Seminary’s founding faculty–famously remarked, “Preaching is characteristic of Christianity. No other religion has made the regular and frequent assembling of groups of people, to hear religious instruction and exhortation, an integral part of Christian worship.”
Yet, numerous influential voices within evangelicalism suggest that the age of the expository sermon is now past. In its place, some contemporary preachers now substitute messages intentionally designed to reach secular or superficial congregations–messages which avoid preaching a biblical text, and thus avoid a potentially embarrassing confrontation with biblical truth.
A subtle shift visible at the onset of the twentieth century has become a great divide as the century ends. The shift from expository preaching to more topical and human-centered approaches has grown into a debate over the place of Scripture in preaching, and the nature of preaching itself.
Two famous statements about preaching illustrate this growing divide. Reflecting poetically on the urgency and centrality of preaching, the Puritan pastor Richard Baxter once remarked, “I preach as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” With vivid expression and a sense of gospel gravity, Baxter understood that preaching is literally, a” life or death” affair. Eternity hangs in the balance as the preacher proclaims the Word.
Contrast that statement to the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, perhaps the most famous (or infamous) preacher of this century’s early decades. Fosdick, pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City, provides an instructive contrast to the venerable Baxter. “Preaching,” he explained, “is personal counseling on a group basis.”
These two statements about preaching reveal the contours of the contemporary debate. For Baxter, the promise of heaven and the horrors of hell frame the preacher’s consuming burden. For Fosdick, the preacher is a kindly counselor offering helpful advice and encouragement.
The current debate over preaching is most commonly explained as a argument about the focus and shape of the sermon. Should the preacher seek to preach a biblical text through an expository sermon? Or, should the preacher direct the sermon to the “felt needs” and perceived concerns of the hearers?
Clearly, many evangelicals now favor the second approach. Urged on by devotees of “needs-based preaching,” many evangelicals have abandoned the text without recognizing that they have done so. These preachers may eventually get to the text in the course of the sermon, but the text does not set the agenda or establish the shape of the message.
Focusing on so-called “perceived needs” and allowing these needs to set the preaching agenda inevitably leads to a loss of biblical authority and biblical content in the sermon. Yet, this pattern is increasingly the norm in many evangelical pulpits. Fosdick must be smiling from the grave.
Earlier evangelicals recognized Fosdick’s approach as a rejection of biblical preaching. An out-of-the-closet theological liberal, Fosdick paraded his rejection of biblical inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility–and rejected other doctrines central to the Christian faith. Enamored with trends in psychological theory, Fosdick became liberal Protestantism’s happy pulpit therapist. The goal of his preaching was well captured by the title of one of his many books, On Being a Real Person.
Shockingly, this is now the approach evident in many evangelical pulpits. The sacred desk has become an advice center and the pew has become the therapist’s couch. Psychological and practical concerns have displaced theological exegesis and the preacher directs his sermon to the congregation’s perceived needs.
The problem is, of course, that the sinner does not know what his most urgent need is. She is blind to her need for redemption and reconciliation with God, and focuses on potentially real but temporal needs such as personal fulfillment, financial security, family peace, and career advancement. Too many sermons settle for answering these expressed needs and concerns, and fail to proclaim the Word of Truth.
Without doubt, few preachers following this popular trend intend to depart from the Bible. But under the guise of an intention to reach modern secular men and women “where they are,” the sermon has been transformed into a success seminar. Some verses of Scripture may be added to the mix, but for a sermon to be genuinely biblical, the text must set the agenda as the foundation of the message–not as an authority cited for spiritual footnoting.
Charles Spurgeon confronted the very same pattern of wavering pulpits in his own day. Some of the most fashionable and well-attended London churches featured pulpiteers who were the precursors to modern needs-based preachers. Spurgeon–who managed to draw a few hearers despite his insistence on biblical preaching–confessed that “The true ambassador for Christ feels that he himself stands before God and has to deal with souls in God’s stead as God’s servant, and stands in a solemn place–a place in which unfaithfulness is inhumanity to man as well as treason to God.”
Spurgeon and Baxter understood the dangerous mandate of the preacher, and were therefore driven to the Bible as their only authority and message. They left their pulpits trembling with urgent concern for the souls of their hearers and fully aware of their accountability to God for preaching His Word, and His Word alone. Their sermons were measured by power; Fosdick’s by popularity.
The current debate over preaching may well shake congregations, denominations, and the evangelical movement. But know this: The recovery and renewal of the church in this generation will come only when from pulpit to pulpit the herald preaches as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men. Written by Albert Mohler
Colin Powell: We have come to live in a society based on insults, on lies and on things that just aren’t true. It creates an environment where deranged people feel empowered.
2,300 years ago, long before Islam, Arabs discovered that forcing people to cover their nose and mouths broke their will and individuality. And depersonalized them. It made them submissive. That’s why they later imposed on every woman the mandatory use of a fabric over her face. Then Islam turned it into the woman’s symbol of submission to Alah, the man owner of the Harem, and the King. Modern psychology explains, without a face we don’t exist as independent beings.
Face coverings/Masks are ancient tools used to break people down psychologically. This is the beginning of deleting individuality. He who does not know his history is certainly condemned to repeat it.
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