Once the Philistines had seized the Chest of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod, brought it into the shrine of Dagon, and placed it alongside the idol of Dagon. Next morning when the citizens of Ashdod got up, they were shocked to find Dagon toppled from his place, flat on his face before the Chest of GOD. They picked him up and put him back where he belonged. First thing the next morning they found him again, toppled and flat on his face before the Chest of GOD. Dagon’s head and arms were broken off, strewn across the entrance. Only his torso was in one piece. (That’s why even today, the priests of Dagon and visitors to the Dagon shrine in Ashdod avoid stepping on the threshold.) GOD was hard on the citizens of Ashdod. He devastated them by hitting them with tumors. This happened in both the town and the surrounding neighborhoods. He let loose rats among them. Jumping from ships there, rats swarmed all over the city! And everyone was deathly afraid. When the leaders of Ashdod saw what was going on, they decided, “The chest of the god of Israel has got to go. We can’t handle this, and neither can our god Dagon.” They called together all the Philistine leaders and put it to them: “How can we get rid of the chest of the god of Israel?” The leaders agreed: “Move it to Gath.” So they moved the Chest of the God of Israel to Gath.
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4 Days
Every day, we make 30,000 choices, shaping our lives decision by decision. In this four-day devotional, we're exploring the pivotal choices that shape our spiritual lives: walking in the Spirit over the flesh, embracing obedience in uncertainty, seeking God's presence over worldly pressures, and choosing victory over victimhood. We are learning that the thoughts we think and the decisions we make, make up the people we become.
7 Days
This 7-day reading plan will share how to walk from victory to victory and apply biblical truths in your everyday life. When we are aware of the promises of God in His word and meditate on His word day and night, our mindset transforms from a defeated mindset to a victorious mindset.
19 Days
In part one of this epic six-part saga through 1 and 2 Samuel, we'll read through chapters 1-7 and explore the birth of Samuel, his rise to becoming the last judge and first prophet of Israel, the early battles between Israel and the Philistines, and why passing on your faith to the next generation is so important.
31 Days
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