“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

“Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.” Isaiah 44:23 ESV

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:17

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

God is holy, perfect, and the only one who is good. God is the only One to be praised for it is He who created us, the world, and everything in it!  All our grateful praise must be reserved for all that is Holy—God alone—for there is no one else to be praised but God!

What our loving, compassionate, and merciful God says compels us to do—simply because of who He is—our One and Only Holy God! We are assured that where leads us will always be for our good. When others oppose us because of God in us; God stands with us. As troubles come; God walks with us giving us all we need that will build our faith and resolve in Him. 

Yes, as we praise and follow God, loving Him back with all our hearts, minds, and souls; we declare His glory as we bow before the One who is Holy.  Our Holy God gives us the unique gift to see His glory at work.  Our response is praise! We receive this gift with immediate praise for God because of our love for He who loved us first.

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.” Psalm 150

When all that is deemed holy by God is placed with all that is unholy; God intervenes.  Holy God will overcome. Always and forever.  Count on it.                                                   

1 Samuel 5

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. ² Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. ³ When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴ But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. ⁵ That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.

⁶ The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors. ⁷ When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” ⁸ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

⁹ But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. ¹⁰ So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” ¹¹ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. ¹² Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

At the beginning of the battle, the Philistines were frightened when they heard that the God of Israel was in the camp, but now they were making fun of Him and exalting their own gods. In their mythology, Dagon was the principal god of the Philistines and the father of Baal, the storm god, whose worship brought so much trouble to Israel. 

Israel’s battle leaders decided on their own to bring the Ark of the Covenant, deemed holy by God and placed in holy place, into their battle camp as a good luck charm.  It is then that their worship turned from Holy God to the Ark—the object of their affection and trust.  We may look judgmentally upon this act as such foolishness; however, we fall for this trick of evil when we worship a particular childhood place, book, person, group, lifestyle, or creed.  Things of this world are in constant change; God is Holy and does not change in His faithfulness and love for us.

I heard a believer once remark that a certain church camp where she was first saved held a special place in her heart. We all have good memories of places where God intervened in our lives in ways that began His transformation of us.  But then, she added, “I hope and pray we never change that place (camp) for that it is the only place I feel God’s presence.”  Mm, then I was troubled by her statement.  We then wonder if it is the place or our God we worship? God is with us wherever we go because His Holy Spirit lives in us!  We can so easily be caught up with distractions of unholy worship of objects, people, traditions and procedures in our churches that our focus is shaded from our true and only worship of our Holy God.  Our Enemy knows this about us!  That’s why God desires our complete focus on Him.

When the Philistines captured the ark and arrogantly treated the Lord as though He were just another god, they invited God’s judgment. God vindicated Himself and proved that He was the One who had destroyed the statue of Dagon and had brought affliction to the Philistine people. Nobody could call the eruption of these plagues a mere coincidence.

“You shall have no other gods before me”—God, Exodus 20:3

God is Holy and the Only God to be worshiped. J.I. Packer, Bible theologian, writes;  “the fundamental commandment, first in importance as well as in order, and basic to every other, is ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ True religion starts with accepting this as one’s rule of life.”

The first commandment sets up the foundation for all the rest. We are to give God our undivided worship, attention, and devotion. The first commandment and second commandment form a strong prohibition against idolatry, the worship of false gods. These commandments were not given because God is arrogant or needy but because He alone is worthy and He alone can actually satisfy the longings of our hearts. We were created to worship the One who made us.

Lord,

Thank you for this lesson that reminds us who you are—all that is Holy. There is no one like you. There is no manmade god or object that deserves our worship. You are God, the One and Only God. I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul.  May Your Holy Spirit lead me to all that is you today.  I am yours.  I am listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen