The Heavy Hand

The Heavy Hand
Words of Faith 8-15-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 5
[6] The LORD's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors. [7] When the men 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 upon us and upon 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 upon it. [12] Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

The Philistines quickly realized that holding on to the captured Ark of the Covenant was not a good idea. The phrase used here is that the Lord's hand was heavy upon them and not in a good way. It was against them.
It is quite interesting that the word for "heavy" is kaw-bad in Hebrew. This is the same word used in the Ten Commandments for "honor." When you honor your father and mother, you make them "heavy" or "weighty" by respecting and considering them in planning and decisions. When we honor God, we make His voice, Name, and truth the most weighty thing in our lives. But this is a different use. Now, suddenly, the heavy weight of God's hand was upon them-- against them-- and it was not a comforting touch.
The weight of His hand came against the Philistines in the form of tumors. In a manner quite reminiscent of the plagues in Egypt, the Lord afflicted those who would have His Ark among them but failed to honor Him as God. The Philistines figured this out and did not take lightly the possibility that the Egyptians' fate might also befall them.
Tumors were one of the many potential curses that could be inflicted on the Israelites if they disobeyed God (Deut 28:58-60). The Hebrew word here can mean the lesions symptomatic of the bubonic plague. In this fearful environment, the Ark was shipped to one city and then another before the Philistines came to the conclusion that they needed to get rid of it and get it back into the hands of Israel.
There is an interesting thought to be pondered here. It is quite a miserable thing to have God's presence in your camp if you do not honor Him. In some sense, it would be better not to have God at all than to have him in your midst without honor, especially if it meant that God's heavy hand could be upon you and against you. The failure to honor God-- to make Him heavy in our lives-- could become a cumbersome burden.
It has often been observed that the most miserable people in the world are not those who do not have God but those who have God and do not honor Him. We might call such a person "backslidden" or "carnal" or other phrases. Whatever the case, this person who has known God and had the Spirit of God in their life but then rebels in defiance against God is a very miserable person indeed. They may not have visible tumors, but they certainly will know something about the heavy hand of the Lord against them, or at least the absence of God's blessing and covering.
The straightforward response is to honor God. Invite Him into your midst, but be sure to honor Him. Make Him weighty. Make Him the most important part of your life. Make His truth the most honored part of life and consideration. Trust Him and obey Him.

Father God, I honor You. I make You the heavy weight in my life, decisions, lifestyle, family, work, and friendships. You are number One. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.