Father God, we thank you for bringing us together.
We thank you for gifting us in different ways
and for the chance to serve one another when we gather like this.
Lord, I ask right now that you would speak, that it would be your words,
and that as we look at these passages in 1 Samuel,
that we would see you more clearly,
and the result would be we would love you rightly.
Amen.
Sometimes perception doesn't line up with reality.
And this can be sometimes in good ways and sometimes in bad ways.
It could be that you are driving and your perception is
that the gap is small enough for you to get through,
and reality may not be that.
It could be something more personal.
Your perception might be that you need to lose some weight
to be attractive to other people,
but the reality might be far from that.
Perception and reality don't always line up,
and that's a problem if it's true of how we see God.
If we are following a God who's more something that we've designed
in our own mind, a version of God, if you like,
than it is the God of the Bible,
then we set ourselves up for a fall.
In 1 Samuel, Israel has been told that judgment is coming
as we work through these first four chapters,
and we've seen the judgment in chapter 4 that we read last week
and in chapter 4.
They've been told God's not happy,
but if you get to just before the bit that Ali read out,
at the end of chapter 3,
even though they've been told judgment is coming,
from where they sit, their perspective is a little bit different.
Everything still seems to be going okay.
They're about to lose a significant battle,
but if you just, the day before the battle even,
they're living in the country they want to live in.
Hophni and Phinehas are eating well as priests.
They've got lots of girlfriends,
so they're happy with how things are going.
Everything seems fine,
and so they hear God, judgment's coming,
but their perspective is,
we don't actually believe you,
because life's good.
And so their perception and their reality don't line up.
Even though God's been revealing himself to Israel
right throughout their history,
instead of listening,
they've kind of modelled their own version of him.
They've come up with what they think he is like
and how they think he should act,
and what they've done
is they've made him accountable to them
instead of the other way around.
They've kind of set what they think should be his agenda,
and basically what they think God should do
is whatever they want and when they want it.
So if they want protection in a battle,
that's what God is required to do.
If they want food or riches,
that is what God is required to do.
And the result, of course,
of having that sort of a God
is they shout with confidence
when he enters the army's camp.
Even having lost battle,
they get very, very excited.
I remember when I was much younger,
and I really emphasise much younger
because this story's a little on the embarrassing side,
much younger,
I got invited to a formal with a girl that I kind of knew.
She was a fairly attractive girl,
but I didn't know her very well,
and so it struck me as a little bit strange
that she had invited me to her formal.
Now, the way my brain processed that was,
I must be a pretty attractive guy.
Attractive girl asked me to the formal,
I don't know her well,
so she doesn't know if I'm funny or interesting
or boring or arrogant, as the case was.
So, my conclusion was,
I must be attractive.
Now, what this did was
mean that I was very relaxed about the whole event.
I thought, she's so into me
that I don't have to put any effort into this formal,
I'll just rock up.
And so, the date of the formal came around,
and so to prepare myself,
aesthetically, I went for a surf.
And then I got out of the water
about 20 minutes before I had to be at her house,
went past a mate's place,
picked up a suit that sort of fit,
put a shirt on without a tie or a bow tie
or anything like that.
Didn't really feel like wearing leather shoes,
so I put my just skate shoes on,
on the bottom of the suit.
I thought, well, you know,
she's into me,
so it's not going to be an issue.
And I arrived at the front door of her house,
thinking she's just going to be so excited
that I'm here.
She's probably feeling really privileged,
she's probably been counting down the days,
she's probably got a calendar on a wall
with crosses through it.
And I walked in,
and she kind of looked at me,
didn't say anything,
and walked into the next room.
And I discovered that she had spent
three hours at the hairdresser,
had a headache because her hair
was a little bit too tight,
was looking amazing
in a fantastic formal dress
and other things.
And actually,
she wasn't that into me,
she just had a ticket,
and the guy she'd asked couldn't go,
and she thought,
why not ask Sam?
He seems nice enough.
The problem when we have a false perception
is that it leads to false confidence.
If we have an understanding
of something that is incorrect,
we can set ourselves up for a fall.
And in the same way,
Israel has this perception of God
that He needs them,
rather than the other way around.
They've kind of figured out
that God is somebody
who is as much dependent on them
as a country and on their army
as they are a nation
that's dependent on Him.
And so they set themselves up for a fall.
And what God does in this passage
is really important.
It's more than just judgment
on Hophni and Phinehas,
which we looked at a couple of weeks ago.
We see the true character of God
come out in these verses in chapter 4.
God would rather be shamed.
That's what's happening here.
Even though we know otherwise,
everybody who heard about this battle
would have assumed that God lost.
It's what the Philistines thought.
It's what the other nations around
would have thought.
God would rather be embarrassed
than confirm Israel
in their wrong perception of Him.
He could have won the battle
and everybody else would have
continued to think God was great,
but he was more interested
in correcting Israel's wrong perception
because God answers to no one.
He doesn't answer to Israel.
He doesn't answer to you.
He doesn't answer to me.
And He has His own agenda.
Just because we might think
we know what God wants
and we know when God's going to work
or how God's going to work,
He has His own agenda.
And it's been His agenda
since the beginning of creation
and it will be His agenda
until Jesus comes back.
It's this.
God wants to reveal His glory
and He wants to call people
into a relationship with Him.
A right relationship,
not a relationship
where we invent
what we think God is like,
a relationship where we know Him
and we worship Him
and we obey Him.
And if you're following
a version of God
that has more to do
with what you think
than it does to do
with what God
has shown Himself to be like,
then on one level
you're following a false God.
You could even say
you're not following any God at all.
And the problem with that is
a false God or a fake God
can't do anything for you.
There's this scary
but amazing passage
in the New Testament
where these people
are really confident
that they've been following God.
They talk about the miracles
they did in God's name.
They talk about
all the good deeds they did
and at the end of the passage
Jesus says,
get away from me,
I never knew you.
If you have a fake idea
of God
close enough
is not good enough.
There's great confidence
for those who know God
and His power in their life.
That's what we looked at last week.
At the confidence we have
with God's presence
and power working through us.
But there's only pain
and frustration
if instead of following
the God of Scripture
you're following some sort of God
that you have control over,
that you dictate to,
that you instruct.
We need to look to the reality
of who God is
as He has revealed Himself
not as we decide
or we make up.
The first danger
when perception and reality
are different
is that false perception
leads to false confidence
and false confidence
leads to disaster.
But the second danger
when we have perception
and reality
that don't line up
concerning God
is the issue
that the Philistines face
in chapter 5.
If your vision of God
is not the real vision of God,
is not true reality,
then you will end up
replacing God
with a cheap substitute.
The Philistines
had a vision of God
if you like,
a perception of Him
which assumed
that He had to defend Israel.
That was their understanding
of how God's work.
It's Israel's God
so He's bound,
He's like contractually obligated
to win the battle for them.
And so we know
they had a dodgy view of God
because just in the last chapter
they figured they could beat Him
just by manning up.
So granting them
a little bit of grace
that they're not very sharp,
they assumed
God's Israel
had to do certain things.
They had an idea
of how God's worked,
they had an idea
of how their God's worked
and so they projected that
onto the God of Israel
and so when they win,
for them
that confirms everything.
Suddenly the God of Israel
Israel is pretty weak
because he's being beaten
by their God.
That's their process
and so they bring
the ark
which represents God,
they stick it in their God
Dagon's temple
almost like a trophy
to show off
how much better
their God is.
Now the problem
with having wrong perceptions
of God
is that
when He doesn't live up
to those expectations
that we have
which are wrong expectations,
then we start looking
somewhere else.
for somebody
to meet those needs.
But we somehow feel
like we've been let down
so we start looking
for something
or someone else
that we can trust in
and in the end
we settle for something
less than God,
something less powerful
than God,
something that is actually
unable to help us.
Now on one level
I want to be sympathetic
to the Philistines
in this passage
because
our perceptions of God
are not very dissimilar
to theirs.
When we started this series
in 1 Samuel
looking at chapter 1
we asked the question
where is God
when things go wrong
in my life?
That was our starting point
as we got into this book
and it resonates for us
because we know
when things are bad
we want to shake our fist
at God
and say fix it.
Say this isn't fair.
If you're God
and you're good
and you're powerful
fix this.
When life is hard
we're tempted
to look for something else
to satisfy us.
We're tempted
to find identity
in the job
that we have.
We're tempted
to be fulfilled
in relationships
or in significance
or in money
or in power.
When things aren't
going well
we sometimes think
alright God
you failed
I'll find something else.
And that is exactly
what Israel does.
Things have gone wrong
and so the Philistines
assume Israel's God
must be even lower
than their God
Dagon.
But look at how
God responds
in verse 1.
After the Philistines
had captured
the Ark of God
they took it
from Ebenezer
to Ashdod.
Then they carried
the Ark
into Dagon's temple
and set it
beside Dagon.
When the people
of Ashdod
rose early
the next day
there was Dagon
fall on his face
on the ground
before the Ark
of the Lord.
They took Dagon
and put him back
in his place.
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.
That's why to this
day neither the
priests of Dagon
nor any others
who entered
Dagon's temple
at Ashdod
step on the threshold.
God's response
to being put on par
in fact being put
under this God
Dagon
is that the people
wake and find Dagon
flat on his face.
In fact
this powerful
victorious God
Dagon
needs his people
to lift him up
and put him back
where he's supposed
to be.
And just to make
sure that we're
really clear
the next day
he's not only
on his face
again
but he has no
hands
and no head.
God's making
an example
of this pathetic
other God
which literally
hours earlier
the Philistines
would have been
celebrating
confident in.
this Dagon
is now
headless
handless
and helpless.
He has no power.
He can't do
anything
he can't say
anything
and next to the
God of heaven
he's pathetic
he's just a statue.
The God of the Bible
is not like us
he doesn't think
like us
he's not accountable
to us
and he doesn't
always work
in the way
that we would
expect him to
but that doesn't
mean he stopped
working.
It doesn't
mean he has
lost power
it doesn't
mean he's
beaten
he doesn't
require an
army to
defend him
he doesn't
need to be
put back in
his place
when he
falls over
he doesn't
need his
people to
stroke his
ego so
that he
knows that
he's
loved
Israel's
God
our God
needs
nothing
even
without the
army he
is quite
capable of
defending
himself
look at
verse 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
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
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
and they
answered
have the
ark of
the God
of Israel
moved to
Gath
so they
moved the
ark of
the God
of Israel
now it
basically cycles
on
issues
bump it
to the
next town
more issues
bump it
to the
next town
but I
want to
show you
a couple
of things
really
importantly
Dagon
had no
head
and no
hands
and straight
away we
hear about
a God
who does
have the
power to
act
did you
notice
that
Dagon
has his
head
and hands
removed
and in
verse 6
the first
thing we
hear is
that the
Lord's
hand
is heavy
upon the
people
of Ashdod
the writer
sets this
up on
purpose
in one
corner we've
got headless
handless
Dagon
the cheap
substitute
God
and then on the
other side we have
Yahweh
Israel's God
whose hand
is active
and heavy
and powerful
in judgment
on the
Philistines
the Philistines
are even
worried for
Dagon
now
quick send
God away
because Dagon
is struggling
while this
God is
around
God wins
the victory
that Israel
can't
he's not
just a
passive
bystander
while all
this is
going on
he used
the Philistines
to bring
judgment
on Israel
but now
he's showing
the Philistines
what true
reality is
just as he
would not
give in
to Israel's
false
perception
he will
not allow
the Philistines
to assume
that they
are more
powerful
than he
is
he will
not let
them think
that Dagon
is some
great and
mighty God
and so
true reality
in the words
of Hannah
from chapter
2
there is no
one holy
like the
Lord
there is no
one like
our God
all creation
is his
all creation
answers to
him and
not by
strength
will one
prevail
when our
perception of
God doesn't
line up with
reality
it's easy
to settle
for a
cheap
substitute
when we
put wrong
expectations
on God
and then
feel like
he's let
us down
we are
tempted to
look for
other
substitutes
but unfortunately
wherever we
look we get
disappointed
because all we
find are
headless
handless
helpless
powerless
cheap
imitations
if our
perception of
God is
wrong
then like
Israel
it starts
to damage
the way
we interact
with him
the relationship
gets distorted
if God is
somebody who
needs my
help
then serving
him as
part of a
ministry or
church in
my life
obeying him
becomes something
that I do
for his
benefit
as a
favour to
him because
I'm just
that kind
of person
if God
is someone
who needs
my help
then instead
of trusting
him with
my life
I'll look
after me
and then
once that's
done I'll
see what
God needs
but the
reality of
God is
shown here
again in
this passage
it's shown
over and
over through
all of
scriptures
and throughout
human history
God is in
control
God is
sovereign
he is
all powerful
all knowing
his love
is beyond
measure
and he is
good
and anything
that I offer
to God
any service
any obedience
is for my
sake
not for him
anything that
I do for
God is a
gift from
him for
me
the opportunity
to obey
him
the opportunity
to know
him
the opportunity
to serve
him
the opportunity
to give
finances
all of it
is a gift
from God
for me
because our
God needs
nothing
all creation
is his
already
all creation
will answer
to him
ultimately
and so we
must not
let our
perceptions
block our
view of the
reality of
God
when we see
who he
really is
we get
released from
these delusions
of self
importance
and instead
we can replace
that with the
joy of security
in a God
who is good
and a God
who is in
control
when perception
and reality
don't line up
we get into
trouble
but that begs
the question
how do we
focus on
reality
how do we
avoid the
perceptions
which our
society is
filled with
well let me
suggest two
things
I'm sure that
many of you
are familiar
with the
story of
Troy
whether you're
familiar with
the mythology
version or the
Brad Pitt version
doesn't really
matter
the point
of it is
that the
Greeks are at
war with the
Trojans
and the
battle's been
raging and
raging and so
the Greeks
come up with a
plan
let's pretend
that we've
left
let's leave
this statue
of a horse
as like an
offering
and they
stick some
soldiers hiding
inside it
and the
Trojans come
down to the
beach the
next morning
and think
we've won
we're fantastic
let's take
this statue
up inside
our city
walls
and celebrate
this victory
that we've
had
and sure
enough that
night the
soldiers sneak
out open the
gates and the
entire Greek
army descends
on Troy and
destroys it
two things when
it comes to
focusing on
reality beware
false victory
just like the
Trojan Israelites
marched off into
battle in chapter
four assuming
that victory was
good
assuming that
victory was
guaranteed because
up to this
point life was
going fine
up to this
point nothing
bad had
happened and
so they
assumed that
meant God
endorsed the
way they were
living they
assumed that
meant everything
was fine it's
the same with
the Philistines
they win a
battle against
Israel and
they assume
that means
Dagon is
equally powerful
with Israel's
God but
both times the
victories proved
to be false
proved to be
short-lived
Israel's confidence
is defeated by
the Philistines
and in turn the
Philistines are
afflicted by
God
beware false
victories
so often in our
lives and in the
lives of those
around us we
let our
situation and
our circumstance
dictate our
perception of
God
so if life is
good that means
God's good
that means God's
happy with me
if life's bad
either God's
powerless to fix
it or he's not
good or he
doesn't care
and so our
situation dictates
what we think
God is like
but learn the
lesson from
Israel beware of
false victories
don't let the
situation dictate
your circumstance
there is another
parable that Jesus
tells in Luke 16
about a rich man
and a beggar
the rich man is
wealthy and the
story describes him
as being someone who
enjoys fine foods
and fine things in
all of his life
and Lazarus is a
beggar who sits
outside this rich
man's house
begging for
anything even the
scraps from this
rich man's table
and to look at the
two it would be
easy to guess that
maybe God is happier
with the rich man
than he is with
this beggar
even the dogs
lick the sores of
Lazarus
and then it fast
forwards to the
end
Lazarus sits in
heaven with God
and the rich man
is in hell
begging for
relief
God is good
God is powerful
and he is
fulfilling his
plan whether it
looks like that to
us or not
his will of
revealing himself
and calling people
into a relationship
with himself
will not fail
no matter how
it looks
we must be
careful
not to be
convinced by
false victory
even as Israel
fails to be the
instrument that
reveals God to
the nations around
he is still
revealed
we finished last
week with a sad
conclusion from the
woman giving birth
that the glory has
departed Israel
just a couple of
verses later we
find that glory being
revealed in the
temple at Ashdod
God reveals that he
is still in control
he is still more
powerful than
whatever else anyone
may put their trust
in regardless of
how it might look
God is fulfilling
his plan and
purpose and even
in our world which
denies that God is
even there God
will have his way
even in a world
full of wrong
perceptions about
God eventually all
will see him all
will recognize him
all will bow before
his majesty and
his holiness
how do we focus on
reality we beware of
false victories
and secondly we look
to the place where
God has revealed
himself we look to
Jesus in Hebrews
chapter 1 says that
in the past God
spoke to our
ancestors through the
prophets at many
times and in various
ways but in these
last days he's spoken
to us by his son
whom he appointed
heir of all things
and through whom he
made the universe
the sun is the
radiance of God's
glory and the exact
representation of his
being
Colossians 1
the sun is the
image of the
invisible God
John 1
no one has ever
seen God but the
one and only son who
is himself God and
is in closest
relationship with the
father has made him
known
in Jesus you see God
shining brightest
if you want to see
the reality of God
there is only one
place to look and
that is where God
has shown himself
and that is in
Jesus his power
his love his
righteous judgment
his patience with
sinful people his
provision his
faithfulness it's all
on display in Jesus
life and death on
the cross now for
everyone else the
cross looks like the
moment where God
loses for the
Romans at that point
that was where they
stamped out this
annoying little sect
that was starting up
this new church this
new religion for the
Jewish leaders they
finally got rid of
the competition for
Satan he thought he'd
won as Jesus hung
there dying it looked
like God was either
powerless or he didn't
care but beware false
victory in the empty
tomb God is vindicated
not even death can stop
God's plan not
not soldiers not
plotting politicians
not rebellious people
nothing can stop the
will of God
nothing can stop what
he is doing and his
will is that all
might see his glory and
honor him as God
that is his plan that is
his desire and the joy
for us is that the
reality of who God is
far exceeds any
perception that we
might invent God is
more loving than we
hope God is more
powerful than we
imagine God is more
in control than we
can begin to
understand our false
perceptions of God
fall so far short of
who he really is the
watered-down versions
miss out on so much
goodness and holiness
and love and mercy if
your perception of God
doesn't drive you to
your knees in humble
dependence on his
power while at the
same time drive you
into the air leaping
for joy and singing
with thankfulness in
light of his unfailing
love then look again
look again at Jesus
look again at the
empty cross and the
empty tomb look again
at the risen Savior look
again at God because
the reality far exceeds
any perception that we
could invent far exceeds
any vision we might
hope for look again at
Jesus
Father God we thank and
praise you that you
have chosen to reveal
yourself that we don't
have to guess at what
you're like but God we
want to confess that when
things don't go our way
when things aren't
exactly the way we want
them to be that so often
we begin to doubt you
God help us to see in
Jesus the limitless love
that you have for us
help us to trust your
goodness and your power
and your sovereignty
God if there are blind
spots in our vision of
you if there are things
that are wrong about the
way that we see you and
the way that we love you
and the way that we
follow you show us
Jesus help us to see you
clearly so that we might
love you as you deserve
and so that we might
know the joy that is
only found in the one
true God
Father we thank you that
in Jesus we pray
confident
in Jesus we know that it
is done
in Jesus our hope is
secure
Father open our eyes
help us to look again
Amen
God right
Amen