God’s Word Answers the Larger Questions
1 Samuel 5
Paul J. Bucknell
The Philistines observe God’s power without possessing His Word, while believers possess the truth and are responsible to understand and apply it.
Amazing Answers in God’s Word
We have the truth of God’s Word, which sheds amazing light on our understanding of the world, God, and even specific events—why they happen a certain way. Are powerful spirits operating in this world? Do they control us, or do we control them? Are gods like good luck charms, or do they have a greater purpose and a desire to be honored and served? What do these gods expect from us, if anything? What happens if we don’t do what they want? Is one god more powerful than another? How do they relate to each other, or is there only one true God?
The truth of God’s Word provides crystal clarity on all these questions. We can understand why the world seeks after various gods or goddesses, or follows Easter religion, or fears a God of fate. They are all searching for answers and trying not to offend. The true God tells us exactly what is real and what concerns us. Here are some questions that the passage presents.
- Are powerful spirits at work in this world?
- Are they in charge of us, or do we have control over them?
- Are gods like good luck charms, or do they serve a higher purpose and desire to be honored and worshipped? What do these gods expect from us, if anything?
- What happens if we don’t do what they want?
- Is one god more powerful than another?
- How do they relate to each other, or is there only one true God?
Without God’s Word, people are left guessing about religions and values. This is why one asks how many gods are in India, and one hears, “There are perhaps as many gods as people.” There are no definitive answers. These questions are important and have clear answers that negate the need for gods and metaphysical philosophies. Any believer should know the answers to these questions because God’s Word plainly teaches them. I will not spend time here answering these questions but will instead raise other, more relevant questions. Through God’s Word, we can find these answers.
- – Why did Dagon fall over?
- – How can we be sure any of these gods actually have power or relevance?
- – Were the gods competing in a contest of strength?
- – Who are these gods, and what are their expectations of us?
- – Why didn’t the Ark of the Covenant fall over?
A Yet Larger Question
A bigger question arises as we see Dagon bowing prostrate before Yahweh, the God of the Israelites. This passage aims to challenge our simple, defensive, or naturalistic answers to real-life problems and shed light on the Israelites' defeat. How do you explain the Israelites' defeat in chapter 4? Except perhaps Samuel, they largely didn’t understand what was really happening. They could have known (4:1), but like the Philistines, they chose to ignore the facts. The Israelites, of course, believed in God, the one true God, but their belief was superficial and self-serving, blinding them to God’s larger purpose. This was clear from how their culture had become deeply immoral within the priesthood. Why is it that today so many pastors also seem to doubt the Word of God, focusing more on satisfying their own desires? Similarly, God’s people have drifted away from Him, and cultural Christian values are being discarded as inconvenient.
This is why we encourage every Christian to be passionate about understanding and knowing God’s Word. You cannot love God without His Word, for it reflects the very thoughts of God. It's like saying you love that girl but care less about what is on her mind or what she struggles with. These images of the fallen Dagon are powerful, but even greater truths are being revealed in the following passages.
Our real problem as believers is that, even though we have access to the truth, we do not believe it is beneficial for us. This exposes the deep-rooted nature of our rebellious hearts. Maybe we are like the Philistines, but worse, because although we have God's Word's answers, we neglect to apply them to our lives.
God’s Word provides answers for us but why is no one seriously listening to God?
Application
Are you experiencing problems? Do you understand why? There are always external reasons we might assume or blame, but are we honest enough to listen to what God says about our situation? Maybe it’s our laziness, lustful thoughts, covetous heart, or something similar. Our biggest issue, however, is having God’s Word with the answers but not truly believing that God is wise and cares for us.