Psalm 72.18-19 18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole
earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! (ESV)
In today’s reading is the account of the Ark of the
Covenant’s return to Israel. Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, had captured
the Ark in battle and superstitiously thought they’d taken away Israel’s power
and strength by stealing their idol. Little did they know What or Who they were
messing with.
Often in Scripture God comes across as an angry Parent
defending His children from bullies: You
can mess with me but you touch My kids and I go crazy… Of course the
bullies never get it because they never get God. Sadly, Israel didn’t get it
much of the time either.
So today, in the reading in 1 Samuel 6 and 7, the
Philistines return the Ark to Israel because they’ve been plagued by tumors
brought on by an infestation in their towns of diseased rats. I’m guessing it
was some sort of bubonic plague. They thought it was because they had the Ark
that they had offended some Israeli God and were being punished. They thought
right.
Not every time we get sick is it God’s punishment.
Actually, I think it’s: not very often
is the case. I think more often, sickness ought to get our attention and turn
our focus to God for whatever He is trying to teach us. Sickness is a part of
our fallen world and not every disease is punishment for something we’ve done
wrong. Sickness is a sign of our weakness and is a clear indicator of our need
for the Almighty. And that applies even today for the enemies of God.
Here’s a thought: Blessed
be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. The Philistines
had never messed with a god this powerful. They didn’t know what to do. They
knew they’d offended him so they did the only thing that seemed reasonable: the
sent the “idol” back with a sin-offering included – all that and a bag of chips. The Lord did a
wondrous thing in their midst and they responded. And when they responded, He
relented. It’s that simple.
Where does our mind go when we get sick or experience
some misfortune? Can we summon the courage to trust God and proclaim: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who
alone does wondrous things? Or do we rush to judgment that we’ve peeved the
Lord and now what we’re in is payback? God uses even icky things like sickness
and death to communicate His love, power, and presence. He’s that good.
Sickness can be wondrous and a good conversation starter: Lord, what are You trying to teach me and during this, what can I
learn? And who can I tell? And even if I die, may it be for Your glory that Your
glorious Name will be known throughout the whole earth… Amen and amen!
With that kind of attitude, how bad can it be?
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