1 SAMUEL 5:6–12 – The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. But after they had brought it around, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 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.

THEME OF THE DAY. HANDLING THE THINGS OF GOD. To get a sense of the seriousness of today’s theme, go back and read the scripture again. This time identify the four times God’s hand is mentioned. As we see the references, take note of what the hand of the Lord is doing – bringing severe judgment upon a people. Why? Well that leads into today’s theme.

The setting of today’s scripture is a pagan people having in their possession the ark of God. It was taken by the Philistines and now they want nothing to do with it. Why? God was bringing down judgment upon a people who had no regard for His holy things, and in this case, His ark which contained His holy law. A powerful lesson comes from this Old Testament account – God does not take lightly a people that take lightly His holy things and especially His holy Word.

Now fast-forward to today. Right now. How do we handle God’s holy things? His Word? How do we handle His holy Son? His set-apart people, the church? Prayer? No, God does not handle us, His adopted children, like the unbelieving Philistines, but He is still the same God who takes seriously His holy things. So, back to us. Let us think on two things of God – our Bibles and churches. When we hold our Bibles is there a sense of awe? Do we ponder what God has done throughout history to preserve His Word for us? Do not ever take for granted what we have – the eternal Word of God. And what about His church – His people? Has this pandemic deepened our longing and appreciation for God’s people? I hope so. His people, even all of us who fall short, are called “His holy ones” and He takes it very seriously how we treat His holy possession – His children.

So, the next time we grab our Bibles, are able to pray and attend church with other believers, pause, and remember what we have before us – the holy things of God, and may He be pleased with the way we think and handle His holy things.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to give the reverence due Your Holy Name, Person, Word and church.”

QUOTE: “Be mindful of our attitudes toward the things of God. Handle them with care and respect – always.”