Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

I AM Pt.2

Let's pick up where we left off this morning, talking about the revelation of God's glory, the Great I AM. He revealed Himself to Moses. "Who shall I say sent me?" He said, "You let them know that I AM THAT I AM has sent you. That's My name forever."

When you think about the phrase "I AM," what does it pertain to? When the phrase "I AM" is used, it really incorporates all of the attributes of God. "I AM the Creator of heaven and earth. I AM before all things or (as we've heard it said) the great Uncaused Cause. I AM infinite in My mercy and My love. I AM omnipotent in all of My power. I AM present, and I will never leave you nor forsake you. I AM all that you need Me to be. I AM the reason all things exist. I AM THAT I AM; that's My name forever." When we see God revealing Himself in that one little statement, basically what He's saying to you and me is, "I'm far beyond your ability to comprehend Me. I am everything that I've revealed Myself to you to be, and more. So, man, in his finite state, is put in a position of faith and the understanding that God is working beyond our understanding and can work beyond all of our natural ability.

In talking about the attributes of God, we've talked about holiness. Holiness, we said, is really the understanding of God being separate, beyond all others. We can't compare anything to Him. "Holy" means "distinctly separate, exclusive." There's none that can be in any way compared to Who He is. Holiness, then, includes all of the other attributes of God. His distinct separate being (Who He is) is what makes Him holy. All that He is, all that those attributes make Him, is what causes Him to be holy. If He weren't infinite, then there could have been a cause; but He's always been. If He were not omnipotent, which makes Him totally separate and holy, then there could always be the possibility of usurping, such as the rebellion that took place somewhere in eons past. His creature, Lucifer, rose up and said, "I will be like the Most High God." But there can't be any rebellion, because there's none other that is omnipotent (all-powerful).

When we talk about the holiness of God (and we're going to talk about it in relation to the power of God), the reason I'm trying to get that across to you is this. As we go out and do combat with Satan, and we war against principalities and powers, and cast out devils, we have to go out fearlessly. There's no competition out there; you need to understand that. It's not going to be a difficult thing in the realm of the spiritual, though it can appear difficult in the natural. That's where faith comes in. We said that God Himself spoke and said, "Moses, don't misunderstand. Pharaoh is not going to let the people go. He's going to resist with a strong hand. It's going to appear that there's a great conflict; but, in reality, there's no competition. That's good news to us, isn't it? In the spirit realm, there is no competition with all that is created (regardless of how great that power may be) because of God's infinite, unlimited power.

It doesn't matter what you want to use to somehow try to compare it, even as we talk about different things that we can understand a little more. We have the great power of the Chevy Geo, capable of almost pulling a human being up an incline! We look at that, and we can see that. It's measured in horsepower. Then we have the comparison to man. There's a commercial on; I don't know if you've seen it. I kind of like it. I don't even remember exactly how the scenario starts, but I think I've referred to it before. Two guys get down like they're getting ready to have a foot race. The one guy (I think it's Johnson; that's who it was!) obviously has this other guy covered. He's got his gold running shoes on that he wore in the Olympics, and he knows he's got this guy covered. The look on his face is just so smug. As they line up, though, pulling up next to him unexpectedly is a quarter horse, and a little bit of his confidence wanes. This race starts, and, of course, the jockey is so pleased with his position here and the power that's at hand. (I don't even remember what they're advertising; it could be some additive or some oil.) Then, all of a sudden, around the corner comes this car. I can't remember what kind it was. It might have been one of the stock cars or some kind of dragster; but, obviously, one horsepower wasn't going to be adequate. So, we keep measuring power. You have your little Geo, and then you have the racers today--the top fuel guys that are running 7,000 horsepower out of an internal combustion engine. But there's a limit; there's a limit to what that engine can produce. We don't know what it is, but there is a limit. Now, you can take that 7,000 horsepower and put it in your Geo, but there's a limit. God is limitless in His power. You see, that 7,000 horsepower is Satan. Now, we try to equate horsepower and try to cross it over into thrust. Let's take the Saturn Rocket (the largest rocket ever made) and the millions of horsepower that thing would produce. Let's make it a million horsepower, and then go to limitless. This is the contrast between the kingdom that you and I serve in and the enemy that we're opposing. Does that do something for your confidence?

If we really believe that, and if we really commune with God, and spend time in His presence, and know Him, and understand Who He is and what He is capable of, it creates in us a trust, a reliance, a rest. When you really believe that God is just, you don't have to fight for your own rights, and always try to get your place, and make sure you get what's coming to you. You can rest and know that the Judge of all the earth does right. How much do you still take into your own strength? And how much do you try to do because you don't really know Who God is and what He's doing in your life? That's why we have to come to know Him. The tragedy is that most of us know about Him, but we don't know Him. It's not a working relationship in our lives. We could write a paper on it, but where's the confidence when you need it? Where's the power when you need it? Where's the rest when you need it? Where's the faith when it needs to manifest? That all comes from knowing Him--ginosko, the experiential working of the Spirit in our lives.

So, in the study here on the Great I AM, the attributes of God, we don't want to just study and learn more about God. We don't want to just study and say, "Okay, now we know categorically that God is omnipotent; He's omniscient; He's omnipresent." What does that mean to our everyday lives? How does it work in reality? Once we understand the holiness of God, it's going to cause us to realize that as we go forth as ambassadors, we're representing a limitless kingdom. It doesn't mean God's not going to allow opposition that would make it appear that there's some type of paradox in this conflict. All that is, is a character-proving process in us. God's not instantaneously destroying all evil, and opposing all of the principalities and powers in one breath, is to allow each and every individual to grow in character, and to grow in our pursuit of God, and to cultivate our love and our reliance in this relationship. Otherwise, it would all be over in a moment. God working in us to will and to do His good pleasure. As we go out and make our boast in the Lord, we learn to rest in Him.

In the fifteenth chapter of Exodus, there's the great celebration, the song of Moses. As we sing the song of Moses, we need to let verse 11 of this fifteenth chapter dominate our thinking and saturate our minds and hearts. We declare, "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?" Now, there are "gods," if we use the term and define it as the Scripture allows us, which is "authorities." There are authorities in the spirit realm, and the Bible talks about "the god of this world." We realize that, in that system, Satan is the god; he is the authority of the fallen race. Not only does he have the right legally to lord it over unregenerate man, but he has the ability. He not only has the authority, he has the power; and he is a god from that position of authority. And from him, all of the other gods that exist have originated. All of the different religions, all of the idols that have been erected over the years, have their source in Lucifer. None of them, then, can surpass their creator. Once we identify the distinction between creature and creator, we realize that all of these inferior gods (that have demonic forces working behind them) are nothing. You see, the idols are nothing. They're stones; they're groves; but there are powers that work behind them. There are demonic forces, and they're capable of signs and wonders. They can work apparent miracles; they show themselves mighty; they work in mysterious ways. And because men (according to Romans 1:28) don't want to retain God in their conscience, they're able to embrace these other gods that Satan has placed within their hearts. They all live in defiance to our heavenly Father. So, think about this conflict on a daily basis.

The pagan gods that are out there are easily identifiable. We look at them and, in our society today, almost laugh. But what about the modern gods? What about medical science and all that's taking place today in the field of genetic engineering? A boasting is taking place in man's ability to not only sustain life, but ultimately create it in their own thinking. They proclaim themselves creators of life, and they're able (in their own understanding) to bring to us eternal life. This is what the quest is all about--the ability to live separate from God, to be gods to ourselves, the original conflict.

Let me ask you something. The more medical science advances, what about those of us that are part of the kingdom? What does that do to our dependence on the holiness of God? Now, we say (and I'm an advocate of this) that if somehow natural wisdom can prolong our life, give us strength, and sustain our life as our faith is being built, then that appears to be a wise thing to do. Try to live as long as you can, so that you can build faith. But let me ask you, what about those of us that are being sustained without seeking for our faith to be built, without looking for the intervention of God, without looking for the glory of God? Is there the potential of this to rob God's glory from our lives? The answer to that is, yes.

Now, the weak among us and the foolish would be quick to presume upon God and to jump from the pinnacle. "If God doesn't save me, then I'm just going to go splat!" and we'll hold your funeral in a sponge. But there's a fine line, beloved, between the idolatry today of the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. And don't think for a moment that medical science and its quest has any other motive than what Romans says--no longer wanting to retain God in their understanding or in their conscience. Everything behind it is opposing the glory of God and the holiness of God. How great a danger is there to us to have God's holiness robbed out of our midst through man's wisdom and power? In his foolishness, as he professes himself wise, the Scripture says, he's a fool--not understanding that (regardless of all their technological ability) in a moment, God can withdraw all the breath from man and call the final judgment. What are we doing to retain God in our consciousness, in our boast of His glory and majesty? And how much of that is being robbed through the everyday idolatry of what we call technology?

As we weigh it against the presence of God and the power of God, do you understand that everything that man is boasting in is finite? Let's not rest in man's limited abilities. Even though it may be fruit from the good portion of the tree, if its motive is in satanic wiles to seduce man to no longer retain God, then its origin and purpose are evil. If we embrace that and exclude the glory of God--no longer pressing in to know supernatural healing by faith in the name of Jesus (by the prayer of faith, by the anointing of oil), then Satan has accomplished his task of robbing the holiness of God out of our lives. We're a people called to be separate, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. Beloved, are we moving toward God or away from God in this society that we live in? Are we getting bolder in our pursuit? Are we coming to the place where the casual onlooker and those that embrace humanism might even consider our stand reckless (because there is no fellowship between light and darkness)? The contrast of the way that God has called us to live should be stark as it relates to the way the world is living.

When I'm talking about the "gods" (and we're going to a passage in Samuel in just a moment), don't let your mind go back to these little pagan artifacts. I don't want you to do that. I want you to see them in comparison to the gods that we're warring with today, the idols of our world and our society. The rise of secular humanism, hedonism, and all that dominates this system.

"Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness..." (Exodus 15:11a). Glorious in holiness. "Glory" talks about the "outshining." Though God is distinct and separate, He is not isolated. It's a glorious holiness; it's an expressed holiness. It's something that invades the darkness. God is not silent. He is constantly invading humanity and revealing Himself--whether it's the limited revelation of the heavens that declare the glory of God, or whether it's the working of the power of His Holy Spirit in bringing conviction as the gospel's being preached. It's a glorious, expressed holiness. God is separate, holy, and distinct, but not isolated. He's glorious in the outshining of His majesty, "...fearful in praises, doing wonders" (verse 11b). These signs and wonders transcend anything that man could imagine.

We go back and look at Jannes and Jambres, and we look at some of the demonic opposition that took place in those particular days--the sorcerers and the magi. They would try to imitate the wonders of God. Isn't it interesting? I think we can learn something from God's dealing with Egypt. As God begins to show Himself mighty and expresses His wonders and His glorious power, He does it in progression. God shows a sign or a wonder, and Satan comes on the scene and says, "That's nothing; watch this! He's just another one of the gods." In fact, we remember the conflict that took place as the children of Israel were coming in to possess the Promised Land. They said, "The problem is that we've got different gods and different territories. Our god is the god of the valley, and that's the god of the mountaintops. We just need to get him on our turf" (1 Kings 20). They began to find out that Jehovah does well in the mountains, in the valleys, on the oceans, and in the heavenlies. Who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness? Man had this understanding (because of his eyes being blinded by Satan) that there's some type of parity going on, that He's just another one of the gods. They're beginning to say, "You know, Jehovah's a pretty bad dude!"

We've shared with you before that even among the Greeks and their Gnosticism, they saw Jehovah as a created being, a being of matter, and somehow inferior to the real authority, God (the god of light), that can only be known by special revelation of Gnostics. We've talked about how John dealt with that and said, "No, the God that we serve is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. He's not a God of matter; He's a spiritual being. And those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Man has had this conflict that we're talking about through every generation, expressed in so many different ways. All of Satan's subtle works are designed to bring God down to a level equal with the god of this world's system. They believe that there is some hope of defeating the Ancient of Days and erecting our own personal thrones. But Moses makes it clear, here in his song of praise, that God is fearful in praises and the One Who does wonders. They may be able to demonically cast down their staffs and turn them into serpents, but the end of the matter is: God swallows theirs up! Do you understand that everything that's opposing you right now, God is going to swallow up? The enemy that's opposing you (trying to bring fear, doubt, and all of these things) will be destroyed. Because greater is He that's in you than He that's in the world, praise God! That's the holiness of the One Who has called us and separated us unto Himself.

Turn over to 1 Samuel 4 for just a second--the classic story, that most of us are very aware of, that has to do with the return of the Ark of the Covenant. God is dealing in the midst of His people with their being caught up into idolatry. Understand idolatry for what it is; all it is, is this: idolatry is the decline of the holiness of God in your perception and in your relationship. Anytime that the holiness of God begins to wane in your life, whenever anything else begins to distract you, whenever anything else begins to attract you, whenever anything else can satisfy you, you're involved in idolatry. The holiness of God is being diluted as we begin to worship the creation instead of the Creator. Whether it's ease, comfort, position, or whatever--anything that brings gratification/satisfaction to us, that doesn't include the glory of God and the holiness of God, is idolatry.

So, as we look at Israel, we see the condition that they're in at this particular juncture. There may not be this total absorption with idols in all of the people, but this is the over-all state of the nation. In the process, God brings His prophet to speak the Word of the Lord. This child, Samuel, is miraculously born and set within the priesthood to bring a word in season. "And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet [the mouthpiece] of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:19-21). So, God raises up a prophet; everybody knew he was a prophet. And he speaks concerning the condition of the people. Meanwhile, the priesthood--let's call it the church, the religious people, the ones who say they know God, the ones who say they're representing God--look at the condition of these. We know that Eli wouldn't stand up for righteousness and the holiness of God to his sons. "Nay, nay, my sons," he says as they were robbing from the temple. They were defiling the temple as they were involved in all type of debauchery.

Now, God had a choice. He could have allowed fire to come down, as we've seen Him do before in judgment. God could have removed the sin from their midst; but it wasn't isolated to the priesthood, because the people loved to have it so. In a time when sin and idolatry is so widespread, rather than cutting the cancer out, God could just withdraw His presence and allow a generation to die, as He did in the wilderness. We find in the day that we're living, "Ichabod" is written on so many supposed dwelling places of God. What about our own hearts? How jealous are we as a people for the holiness of God?

At this particular juncture of the story, God said that He was going to bring judgment upon Eli and his household because they refused to honor God. "Why have you honored your sons above Me to make yourself fat with the chiefest of all of the offerings of my people? For those that honor Me, I will honor" (1 Samuel 2:29a, 30b, paraphrased). You see, you can get blessed in two ways. You can take it, or God can give it to you. This was robbed from God. If you resist God, He'll resist you. If you humble yourself, He will exalt you. "[F]or them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed," verse 30 says. "And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind" (verses 34-35a).

The Word of the Lord came; the Philistines begin to move down among God's covenant people; and Israel was smitten (chapter 4, verse 2). Four thousand were killed at this particular juncture. The people came back into the camp and brought forth the testimony. "We're being overrun; let's bring the presence of God into this thing!" Isn't it interesting that, as they went out under their own power, they thought of themselves too highly? Like Samson, they thought they could just rise up any time they felt like it, shake themselves, and the anointing would be present. God doesn't always strive with men. They went out, and they were defeated. Then they said, "What we need is the presence of God. Let's take the ark, and let's allow God, now, to fight for us [verse 3]. We'll take the Ark of the Covenant out of Shiloh, and when it comes among us, it will save us from the hand of our enemies.

The people sent to Shiloh (verse 4), that they might bring the ark, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. What blasphemy! The same ones who were committing fornication in the presence of the ark are now looking to the ark to deliver them from their enemies. These are the same two that robbed the offerings of God before they were ever offered up. You see, there was a portion that belonged to the priests. The best of the offerings belonged to the priests, but that's not what this is talking about. This is talking about the fact that Hophni and Phinehas took it before God received His glory. God was sharing His honor. God would share His glory with the priesthood; He would bless them. But these young men wouldn't allow it to be offered. They took it for themselves. Now, these same men who robbed the offerings of God, these same men who committed fornication in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, now look to the presence of God to deliver them. What an abomination!

"And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again" (verse 5). We know that on many other occasions, this same scenario took place. As the presence of God would come into the camp, the people would rejoice, and their enemies were overcome. One would put a thousand, and two would put ten thousand to flight. The Philistines had heard the testimony. Verse 7 says, "And the Philistines were afraid [when they heard the shout], for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us!"

Do you think the enemy doesn't know he's a defeated foe? Do you realize the enemy's only emboldened when you come in your own power and your own strength? Do you realize that when we come under the anointing of God, and when we come to represent the presence of God, it strikes fear into the hearts of the enemy? The one thing that we want to see as we go through this story is this, beloved. Do you want to protect yourself from the world? Do you want to protect your kids from the world that we're having to face here in the next duration, whatever it might be, that the Lord tarries? I can't even imagine how wicked it's going to be! Can you imagine the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah simultaneously going on? Do you know what it's going to be like in our streets and in our marketplaces? Do you understand the chaos that's going to reign when every man's doing what's right in his own eyes, when he (no longer wanting to retain God) is given over to be reprobate, and we have to live in that environment?

What must we do to prepare ourselves? I want you to understand that only one thing is going to sustain us in a moment like that, and it's going to be the glory of God. You can take this whole story of the ark of the covenant, the temple of Dagon, and the destruction of the Philistines, and put it all into this one capsulized statement (and then we'll look at it in specifics here in just a moment). When the glory of God is supreme in your life, the enemy doesn't want you present. They're afraid of you. We're so worried about them sucking us in. I want to tell you something. If the glory of God is in your life, the world will not suck your children in. It will say, "We don't even want you near us." The light is too strong; the righteousness is too obvious. We're an offense to the enemy. Our light and our fragrance are an offense to the enemy. He knows who the children of God are and trembles, for their names are written in the heavens, the Scripture says.

But have we been seduced? Have we been vexed through the idolatry of the world? Has technology robbed us from the pursuit of the holiness of God? Have we somehow fallen asleep and allowed another source than the Holy Ghost anointing oil to burn in our lamps at the midnight hour? Are you trusting anything other than God's presence? That's what the story of holiness is all about--glorious, the expressed holiness.

Well, look what happens as the story goes on. Israel is looking for the visitation of God. The Philistines say, "We're going to get whipped again!" "Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! [they say it again!] who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? [They still don't have the picture of Who God is; they just know He's bad!] these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness" (verses 7b-8). Did you notice their reference is still plural? They don't know Jehovah. They don't know the Lord our God is One; they're pantheistic. They understand the working of demonic powers, but they don't understand the holiness of God, that there is this distinct being Who is the Author of all that is, Who reigns supreme.

When man understands that revelation, one of two things happens. He bows his knee, or he bows his neck. When confronted with the reality of the holiness of God, that He is the Author of all that is, we either humble ourselves, or we rebel and defy. And whether we'd like to believe it or not, that's exactly what happens every decision we make--when we decide to go and pray, to seek God, to study, to obey our parents, to submit to our husbands, to lay our lives down for our families, whatever it is. Every time you make a decision along those lines, that's the very thing that's behind it. The times we disobey are the times we deny His holiness. If you were aware of His majesty, His presence, His omnipresence, His power, His justice, His imminence, His immutability--if every decision was made in light of His absolute holy presence at that moment, you would choose right as a believer. To the degree that we're being overcome, and our flesh is ruling, is the degree that we're moving away from the holiness of God and from the light into darkness, to where we prefer darkness because our deeds are evil. You're either coming into the light, and you're more aware of the glory and holiness of God, or you're departing. There is no static relationship.

Even though the Philistines didn't understand the theology perfectly (they were talking plural), they were saying, "These Gods are bad! These are the guys that brought Egypt down! We're no match for Egypt, so what in the world is going to happen to us?" Then they encourage themselves, as the pride of man always does. "Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight" (verse 9). "Suck it up! Act like men! Let's go and defy God!" So, in the arm of the flesh, they go forth. There would have been no contest if God showed up. The box was in the camp; the religion was intact; the doctrine was all neatly classified, categorized, and filed. But God wasn't present. The history of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the great song of Moses were all historically factual, but God wasn't present this day in their lives.

You see, the testimony that you have of what God did in your life isn't the issue. Is He present today to fight for you? How can He be when you've stolen His glory, His offerings, and polluted His presence with your own flesh and fornication?

So, the enemy goes in their power, and Israel had nothing but the arm of the flesh. You see, a lot of us are under the misunderstanding that God will always deliver His people to protect His name, because God doesn't want people to think that He is not the Almighty. God does not have an inferiority complex. God is not concerned about what any man or any devil thinks about Him. God lives totally separate from all public opinion polls. There is nothing that we can do presumptuously to make God operate on our behalf because, "Otherwise, God will be blasphemed; and He just can't stand that!" You've got to understand the holiness of God. He's beyond any of that. There is no fear. There is no inferiority. There is no concept of failure. He sees beginning to end. It's already under the consequence of His determinate counsel. "Surely God will not allow the desecration of the ark!" And yet, these Philistines come in and destroy the children of Israel; 30,000 die, verse 10 tells us. "And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain" (verse 11).

The Scripture then tells us in verse 12 that a man comes with news of the battle. "And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God" (verse 13a, emphasis added). Now, this is a guy that in mockery said, "Nay, nay, my sons," as they defiled the presence of God. Now, it says, Eli sat, and his heart didn't tremble for his sons, Hophni and Phinehas. His heart trembled, the Scripture says, for the ark of God. But it was too late; the glory had already departed. The next child born into that household was named "Ichabod," "the glory of the Lord is departed." Can you imagine that? Mrs. Phinehas gives birth, and that child is marked with the departure of the presence of God from their midst. This one, who should have been born into the priesthood, no longer has a God to worship. What investments are we making now in our jealousy for the holiness of God? As we're raising up this generation of kings and priests in our midst, the number one priority in every household, in our discipleship training, has to be the holiness of God.

We know the story, then, at this particular time. When he hears the story of the ark being taken, the judgment comes upon him as he breaks his neck. "And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod" (5:1). I like what the story says here in verse 2 of the fifth chapter. "When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon." They're defiling this thing; they're mocking. They've come in and defeated the enemy, fearful because of the shout of the people, and then think, "Well, this God isn't all He was made up to be. Maybe we should have gone down and taken the Egyptians a few years ago. We're bad!" As these uncircumcised handle the ark of God, there's no apparent ramification. They bring it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon--as an offering, I'm sure; as a celebration that their god had overcome the God of Israel.

"And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord" (verse 3). Don't you love this story? We're talking about the holiness of God. We're talking about God fighting His own battles. The question isn't, "Is God for us?" The question is, "Are we for God?" God was not able to manifest Himself in the battle because of the sins in the camp. Those that call themselves God's people can be defeated, but God can't be overcome. Those that associate themselves with Him in His holiness will share in His glory and in His victories that are won.

We all know the story. They set their god, and they prop him back up. "And when they arose early on the morrow, 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. [I like that!] Therefore neither the priests nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. [Now, it's not bad enough that God slaps their idol around; He begins to visit them individually.] But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, 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" (verses 4-7).

They're still referring to this stump as god! We see the hearts of men and how they don't want to retain God in their conscience. We see the traditions, the pride of heritage, and the foolishness of not wanting to retain God. So, they embrace their inferior god and say, "What we need to do is get this ark out of here; we need to get the presence of God out of here!" They didn't understand that He is omnipresent. You can move His box, but He's everywhere judging, and administering justice, and expressing love, and fulfilling His promises. "Let the ark of Israel be carried out of here," verse 8 says. "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" (verse 9). This has got to be a great picture!

Then they said, "Let's send the ark of God to Ekron, but let's send an offering. What should we do? Let's send this ark back to its own place. God's hand is upon us." Look at verse 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 slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there." Isn't it interesting? In the battle of Israel, God wasn't present. In the battle of holiness, Dagon bows. Those that destroyed the people of God can't contend with the presence of God. The anointing, the presence is the victory. "And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods..." (verse 12). You're either dying or getting the emerod visitation!

"What can we do? We need to send up an offering. What should we do? Well, there's the plague of the mice, these emerods. Let's get some gold mice, and make up a few big old golden emerods, and send those up to recognize that we've been overcome. [Seven months of the plague, Chapter 6 tells us.] Let's not send it back empty; let's send an offering."

Something very interesting happens as this is getting ready to take place and the ark's getting ready to move. They said, "Do you know what we need to do? Maybe this is just one of those general plagues, something that just by chance happened at the same time the ark was present. Maybe this isn't really God doing this thing." In verse 6, some are saying, "Send the offering." Others are saying, "Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?" Let's not go to that same place. How do we know whether this is by chance or not?"

They say in verse 7, "Here's what we'll do. Take two milch kine; take their calves; tie them up. Build the cart, put the ark on the cart, and, at random, let's just turn them loose and see where they go. Let's see [verse 9] if they go up by the way of their own coast to Bethshemesh. If so, then it's God that has done this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that smote us; it was just chance" (verses 7-9, paraphrased). You see, man's not easily persuaded that God's hand is opposing them. We know the story. They tie the calves up. They send the milch kine on their way, and they head toward Bethshemesh. The Scripture says they were "lowing as they went" (verse 12). Contrary to everything that was natural to them, they left their little calves behind, lowing as they were compelled by the presence of God to enter into His will and His purposes. God orders our steps. God will accomplish His eternal purposes in us through His holiness.

As we end with this for tonight, I want you to begin to see the statement that's made here. As the ark goes into Bethshemesh, the cart came into the field of Joshua and stood there. And the people offered the kine as a burnt offering unto the Lord (verse 14). I've always thought that was a great testimony. Wouldn't it be great to have been one of those cows? Only did one thing in your whole ministry, man! You went contrary to everything you wanted to do and died, offered up for the glory of God. As these were offered up as the burnt offerings, and they celebrate the ark of God; and they see the jewels of gold, the mice, and the emerods, God brings judgment upon them. They're celebrating, but look what's happening here. They had no business looking in the ark.

Isn't it interesting? The Philistines are handling this thing, but there's no judgment against them. It's only those that know better. For he that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin. God doesn't mind being common to the pagan, but He will not tolerate being common to his own children. His holiness has to be recognized among His own children. He's not concerned with whether the world recognizes Him, honors Him, or praises Him. It's those that are called by His name. It's those of us that call ourselves the royal priesthood, the holy nation. The ark left because of the commonness; the ark appears again because of God's own supernatural warring against the enemy. God brings Himself back into the presence of Israel, they again bring reproach, and God judges them.

"And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and three-score and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Bethshemesh said [and this is what we'll end with for tonight], Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us?" (verses 19-20). You see, when you come to know the holiness of God, you can only respond to it, "We want it gone," or "We will surrender our lives in obedience and live to sing the praises of Him Who's called us out of darkness into His marvelous light." He was cursed to those who counted Him common. They recognized His holiness, but they wanted Him gone.

Look at the difference in Chapter 7. The people of God came to fetch the ark, and they brought it into the house of Abinadab. The name "Abinadab" really means "the father of generosity, the benevolent one." Do we want the presence of God for what we can get, or do we long for the presence of God because of what we can give as He works in us? So, it comes to the house of Abinadab, and they sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. "Eleazar" means "God our helper," not God our enemy, not a God that's to be dreaded, but a God that's to be reverenced and feared. So we realize, then, that there's the contrast. Look: the territory of God, Bethshemesh--fifty thousand killed; "We've got to get the presence out of here!" The house of Abinadab--20 years the ark abides there, and for 20 years God blessed and preserved those people.

"And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all of your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. [The holiness of God] Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only" (verses 3-4).

When we long for the presence of God, as the fathers of generosity, for what we can give because of His working in us (freely we have received; freely give), when our priesthood is one of helpers (Eleazar, God's helpers, God's ambassadors, God's representatives), then we dwell in peace, and we dwell in confidence.

But full order hadn't been restored. The ark needed to be returned to the holy city. The requirements were a pursuit of sanctification, the pulling down of Baalim and Ashtaroth, for the Lord our God is One.

Father, make that a reality in our hearts--not monotheism, that we worship only one God, but monotheism, that we acknowledge there is only one God. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods, glorious in holiness? We're coming into a time when the subtleties of the enemy make progress and technology seem to be the blessings of God, something that we can rejoice in and thank God for. But, in fact, they oppose your very holiness. Some trust in horses and some in chariots. Lord, let our confidence be in You. At this time, the crossroads in society, in our world--it's not clear; but we do know Your return is imminent. The time isn't clear. We don't know how much further it might go, but we know that today is our day of salvation. Our prayer is that You would come quickly. You will come as a thief in the night, so what might be distracting us? Are we taking thought for the morrow? What occupies the throne of our heart--Baalim, Ashtaroth, or self-will? Or does God, in all of His majesty, reign supreme? We rest, because we know Your presence is with us, because all that works within us is to will and to do Your good pleasure. You are holy; therefore, the first Commandment says You will have no other gods. There will be no other authority. There will be no worship, pursuit, or gratification in any other. "For I am holy, and I am jealous; and My people will glorify My name." You can be a pagan and get away with it, but you can't be a child and not give Him His glory. Help us, Father, in every area to worship, to recognize Your lordship, to seek no other source of strength or comfort, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. Holiness is the consequence of all of the combined attributes of God. Holiness is not only what God is, but Who He is. Holiness is comprised not only of God's abilities, but of His intents and purposes. He thinks distinctly, separately. We need to battle for the mind of Christ and think like God thinks. Holiness is not just a change of behavior (without holiness, no man shall see the Lord), but a change of attitude, purpose, and desire. It's wanting righteousness--not just being compelled to righteousness, but having an appetite for it. "Be holy, for I am holy." He's not just talking about our moral behavior. He's saying, "Unless you become holy, you can't fellowship with Me. You won't be where I am; you're going to be in another sphere." Holiness is not just our behavior. Holiness is our pursuit, our appetite. "Come out from among them, and I will receive you." Holiness is not just the expression of the power of God (casting out devils and healing the sick); it's the motive; it's the love and the compassion. It's the freely giving because we've freely received.

Holiness is not the study of eschatology and the awareness that He may come at this moment so we need to prepare ourselves. Holiness is the familiarity through relationship and a longing for His return. It's a confidence in His love, and a love for the light. And because of that, we rest, and that day does not take us unaware. "Be holy, for I am holy. You've got to leave everything that is not of Me to commune with Me, because I am separate."

Because of His omnipresence, He occupies all that's within the world physically, but it has no place in Him. He was present, and they knew it not. But as a holy people, we know His very breath and His whisper. We know His presence when He moves into a room. No one else knows He's there, but we do. "Be holy, for I am holy." Make it real, Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "Be holy; the Lord is holy." Go in peace; God's love go with you.

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