By David Ettinger
A Great Passage
There is a great Old Testament passage I absolutely love.
The Israelites, once again disobedient and in a time of discipline by God, went to war with the Philistines and got routed (1 Samuel 4:1-3). Therefore, when they returned to the battlefield, they took the Ark of the Covenant with them, apparently thinking this was a kind of good-luck charm (v. 4). This didn’t work either, as the Philistines captured the ark (v. 11).
In tribute to their primary deity, the fish-god Dagon, the Philistines placed the Ark in Dagon’s temple (5:2). The next morning, however, the Philistines were surprised as they entered the temple and witnessed the following: “When the Ashdodites got up early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place” (v. 3).
The next day was even worse for the Philistines as, “behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the torso of Dagon was left” (v. 4).
The message is clear: No god, institution, man or woman of standing, in fact, nothing of human invention can stand before the Almighty God. Not only can no human invention stand before Almighty God, but all human invention will bow before Almighty God.
Another Great Passage
The great 1 Samuel passage of the Old Testament reminds me of an even greater passage in the New Testament, one which thrills me whenever I read it. The passage is Philippians 2:9-11 and is speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. It reads:
For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Not much explanation is needed here. These verses refer to the ultimate judgment – following the end-times and the conclusion of this age of human history when the unbelieving world will appear before the Lord Jesus Christ to be judged.
Those being judged will include: Atheists; politicians; world leaders; the most nondescript of society; Hollywood; the leaders of Western culture; the sexually immoral; false prophets and false teachers of God’s Word; adherents of false religions; unscrupulous business leaders; and all who mock, disdain, scorn, and loathe God, His Son, and their Holy Word.
The arrogant and proud will bow. The evil and depraved will bow. The well-meaning but Christ-denying will bow. The rich and famous will bow. The destitute and nameless will bow. All WILL bow at the Name of Jesus and will have no choice but to, “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Knowing this day of reckoning is fast approaching, may we who already bow the knee to our Lord and Savior be found faithful in praying for and witnessing to those who as yet do not!
David Ettinger is a writer/editor at Zion’s Hope, Inc., and has written for Zion’s Fire magazine since its inception in 1990.
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