WEDNESDAY November 14, 2018
Getting Rid of the Problem
But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.”
1 Samuel 5:6-7
Notice the Philistines’ hardness of heart in the comments they made. They would not repent and never submitted their lives to the God of the Israelites, yet they recognized they were afflicted by Israel’s God, and their suffering was a direct result of God’s harsh hand towards them.
Notice, instead of taking care of the problem, they wanted to get rid of what they thought was the problem. Yet the problem still remained in their lives––sin and darkness! The only reason they wanted to get rid of the Ark of God was to rid themselves of the inflammation of the tumors––probably hemorrhoids. God was chastening them and bringing His wrath upon them, but they did not want to listen to Him.
It will be the same for many people during the Great Tribulation. When God’s judgment and wrath is poured out upon the earth, and instead of turning to the Lord in repentance, people will hide themselves in the dens of the rocks. The stars from heaven will fall to the earth and every mountain and island will be moved out of its place. Yet rich and poor alike will say to the rocks, “Fall on us.” Instead of calling out to God, they will hide from His presence within caves and between rocks (Revelation 6:13-16).
Within the Scriptures concerning the Last Days, we still see the hardness of people’s hearts and their stubbornness––rebellion.
The idea that God will pardon a rebel who has not given up his rebellion is contrary both to the Scriptures and to common sense.
~A.W. Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!