DIEU RÈGNE SUPRÊME MÊME DANS LE TEMPLE DE DAGON

CHRIST THE ROCK CONGREGATION

SUNDAY JUNE 6TH 2021

Sermon by Pastor Marc E Simeon

DIEU RÈGNE SUPRÊME MÊME DANS LE TEMPLE DE DAGON

GOD IS THE SUPREME RULER EVEN AT DAGON’S TEMPLE

1SAMUEL 5:1-6

1 ¶ Les Philistins prirent l’arche de Dieu, et ils la transportèrent d’Ében-Ézer à Asdod.

 2 Après s’être emparés de l’arche de Dieu, les Philistins la firent entrer dans la maison de Dagon et la placèrent à côté de Dagon.

 3 Le lendemain, les Asdodiens, qui s’étaient levés de bon matin, trouvèrent Dagon étendu la face contre terre, devant l’arche de l’Éternel. Ils prirent Dagon, et le remirent à sa place.

 4 Le lendemain encore, s’étant levés de bon matin, ils trouvèrent Dagon étendu la face contre terre, devant l’arche de l’Éternel; la tête de Dagon et ses deux mains étaient abattues sur le seuil, et il ne lui restait que le tronc.

 5 C’est pourquoi jusqu’à ce jour, les prêtres de Dagon et tous ceux qui entrent dans la maison de Dagon à Asdod ne marchent point sur le seuil.

 6 ¶ La main de l’Éternel s’appesantit sur les Asdodiens, et il mit la désolation parmi eux; il les frappa d’hémorroïdes à Asdod et dans son territoire.

INTRODUCTION

• While the greatest fear of the Israelites came to become a reality, and that the Arch of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines, yet God was not in captivity.
• The House of Dagon was forced to welcome an unwanted visitor.
• Back in the days, one of the choicest war trophies was the possession of the icon of the patron god of the conquered country.
• It was the custom of the people to station the captured god in the temple of the god of the land as to make the new god subservient to the patron god or gods of the land.
• It was with great honor and pride that the Philistines took the Arch of the Covenant to the house Dagon their god.
• If Dagon had any say that day, he would tell the Philistines to take the Arch of the Covenant back to where they found it.
• Dagon would have said: “this is a Trojan horse; there is a trick to it.”
• Dagon would have said I am not comfortable with the presence of the Arch of God here.
• Until God showed up, Dagon was the boss of the house.
• Dagon could tell all kinds of lies to his subjects, but when God showed up, the true has to be revealed.
• It was revealed that the God of the Jews was sovereign not just over one nation, not just over one geographical location, not just in one realm,
• But God reigns supreme over the whole universe.
• David said it best in Psalm 139

Ps 139:7-10

7  ¶ Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

Ps 139:7-10

7 ¶ Où irais-je loin de ton esprit, Et où fuirais-je loin de ta face?

 8 Si je monte aux cieux, tu y es; Si je me couche au séjour des morts, t’y voilà.

 9 Si je prends les ailes de l’aurore, Et que j’aille habiter à l’extrémité de la mer,

 10 Là aussi ta main me conduira, Et ta droite me saisira.

• The Philistines were about to witness where Dagon belonged with respect to the God of Israel.
• Have you ever host a so important person in your house to cause you to yield your bedroom to the visitor while you sleep on the couch.
• I have done that in a few occasions, but it was always my pleasure to do so.
• What if you were forced to give up your bedroom by order, would it still be pleasant?
• What if you were forced to take the posture of a servant in your own house, wouldn’t that be humiliating?
• The next morning when the Philistines paid a visit to the house of Dagon, they found that things were rearranged overnight.
• Satan depends on his followers to elevate him above God.
• He loves it when they call him almighty, while he is a fallen angel waiting for his final judgment.
• They call him just, while he is the father of lies.
• They call him provider, while he is the destroyer.
• They call him compassionate, while he is a monster of destruction.
• When we worship God, we acknowledge His true worth.
• When we worship God, all we need to take with us is facts and not fictions.

Ps 24:1 ¶ A l’Éternel la terre et ce qu’elle renferme, Le monde et ceux qui l’habitent! 2 Car il l’a fondée sur les mers, Et affermie sur les fleuves.

Ps 24:1 ¶ The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.

Job 41:11 ¶ (41:2) De qui suis-je le débiteur? Je le paierai. Sous le ciel tout m’appartient.

Job 41:11 ¶ Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine. (NKJV)

Ro 11:34 Qui a connu la pensée du Seigneur, Ou qui a été son conseiller? (LSV)

 34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?” (NKJV)

 35 Qui lui a donné le premier, pour qu’il ait à recevoir en retour? (LSV)

 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” (NKJV)

 36 C’est de lui, par lui, et pour lui que sont toutes choses. A lui la gloire dans tous les siècles! Amen! (LSV)

 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (NKJV)

• The first mistake the Philistines made was to seize the Arch of the Covenant of God.
• The second mistake they made was to take the Arch of God to the house of Dagon.
• The third mistake they made was to put the Arch side by side with the statue of Dagon as if to say that God is in equal footing with Dagon.
• In the first night, God was nice enough to just rearrange the statue of Dagon in its proper place with respect to the Arch of the Covenant.
• When the Philistines woke up in the morning, they found Dagon face down at the foot of the Arch of the Covenant.
• The servants of Dagon rushed in to put Dagon next to the Arch of God as if some intruders sneaked in during the night and did that.
• This is typical of what we witness these days, certain people who assume to be spiritual authorities are busy trying to level the Judeo Christian God in equal footing with all the major deities in the world.
• Some want to level the Creator God with other deities in order to enhance world peace, since religions tend to divide people.
• Some try to lower God to other deities so that they themselves can have a universal acceptance on earth in hope to later dominate the world.
• In the trinity of Satan, there will be a false prophet who will be universally accepted.
• I have been in a university chapel here in Massachusetts where they erect a a temple dedicated to three major faiths, namely Christianity, Buddhism and Judaism.
• There are many universal and interfaith churches in this State.
• God is not subjected to human voting or favoritism to assume his rank over the creation, much like people don’t vote their landlords to ownership.
• The whole world is subjected to the Creator God.

Ps 148:1 ¶ Louez l’Éternel! Louez l’Éternel du haut des cieux! Louez-le dans les lieux élevés!

 2 Louez-le, vous tous ses anges! Louez-le, vous toutes ses armées!

 3 Louez-le, soleil et lune! Louez-le, vous toutes, étoiles lumineuses!

 4 Louez-le, cieux des cieux, Et vous, eaux qui êtes au-dessus des cieux!

 5 Qu’ils louent le nom de l’Éternel! Car il a commandé, et ils ont été créés.

 6 Il les a affermis pour toujours et à perpétuité; Il a donné des lois, et il ne les violera point.

 7 ¶ Louez l’Éternel du bas de la terre, Monstres marins, et vous tous, abîmes,

 8 Feu et grêle, neige et brouillards, Vents impétueux, qui exécutez ses ordres,

 9 Montagnes et toutes les collines, Arbres fruitiers et tous les cèdres,

 10 Animaux et tout le bétail, Reptiles et oiseaux ailés,

 11 Rois de la terre et tous les peuples, Princes et tous les juges de la terre,

 12 Jeunes hommes et jeunes filles, Vieillards et enfants!

 13 Qu’ils louent le nom de l’Éternel! Car son nom seul est élevé; Sa majesté est au-dessus de la terre et des cieux.

• The Philistines have had their chance to either take the Arch out of the House of Dagon, or take Dagon out of the house of Dagon while the Arch was lodging there.
• Out of reverence for Dagon, they put Him back on the stage next to God.
• Well! God had no choice but to do a different show and tell for them.
• This time, they found Dagon scattered in pieces.

³ Nan denmen maten byen bonè, lè moun lavil Asdòd yo leve, yo wè estati Dagon an te tonbe fas atè devan Bwat Kontra Bondye a. Yo pran estati Dagon an, yo mete l’ kanpe nan plas li ankò.

⁴ Nan denmen ankò lè yo leve nan maten, yo wè estati Dagon an te tonbe fas atè devan Bwat Kontra Seyè a. Tèt li ak de bra l’ yo te kraze, yo te sou papòt tanp lan. Se rès kò a ase ki te rete.

• It seems as if Dagon was trying to run away from God.
• This scene will repeat itself to anyone who thinks that they can make a co-habitation for God and other deities.
• I hope that it blows in their faces when they commit such infamy.
• They make the mistake thinking that Jewish God was in captivity.
• This proves that God willingly allowed the Arch to be captured in order to teach Israel a lesson.
• The Philistines also learned their lessons and decided to remove the Arch from the house of Dagon.
• The priest of Dagon from that day on refused to walk on the carpet of the temple in fear of stepping on the debris of Dagon.
• Besides that, the presence of the Arch began to cause troubles in the land of the Philistines.
• People were getting sick, mouse invaded their land, and people were dying nonstop.
• Out of pride, they could not return the Arch to the Jews, so they kept on moving it from place to place.
• It got to the point where no Philistine city wanted to host the Arch. Asdon and Gath had enough and Ekron said no way.

1Sa 5:7 Voyant qu’il en était ainsi, les gens d’Asdod dirent: L’arche du Dieu d’Israël ne restera pas chez nous, car il appesantit sa main sur nous et sur Dagon, notre dieu.

1Sa 5:11 Et ils firent chercher et assemblèrent tous les princes des Philistins, et ils dirent: Renvoyez l’arche du Dieu d’Israël; qu’elle retourne en son lieu, et qu’elle ne nous fasse pas mourir, nous et notre peuple. Car il y avait dans toute la ville une terreur mortelle; la main de Dieu s’y appesantissait fortement.

 12 Les gens qui ne mouraient pas étaient frappés d’hémorroïdes, et les cris de la ville montaient jusqu’au ciel.

• With great reverence for God, the Philistines were going to find a way to get the Arch of Covenant back to the land of Israel.
• The Jews had nothing to do with the return of the Arch of the Covenant; it was the solitary act of God.
• God cannot be captured.
• God cannot be submitted to another deity.
•  God cannot be cohabited with another deity.
• God reigns supreme over His creation.

THE RETURN OF THE ARCH OF THE COVENANT

• The Philistines have had to take theological classes to learn how to properly assure the safe return of the Arch.

1Sa 6:1 ¶ L’arche de l’Éternel fut sept mois dans le pays des Philistins.

 2 Et les Philistins appelèrent les prêtres et les devins, et ils dirent: Que ferons-nous de l’arche de l’Éternel? Faites-nous connaître de quelle manière nous devons la renvoyer en son lieu.

 3 Ils répondirent: Si vous renvoyez l’arche du Dieu d’Israël, ne la renvoyez point à vide, mais faites à Dieu un sacrifice de culpabilité; alors vous guérirez, et vous saurez pourquoi sa main ne s’est pas retirée de dessus vous.

 4 Les Philistins dirent: Quelle offrande lui ferons-nous? Ils répondirent: Cinq tumeurs d’or et cinq souris d’or, d’après le nombre des princes des Philistins, car une même plaie a été sur vous tous et sur vos princes.

 5 Faites des figures de vos tumeurs et des figures de vos souris qui ravagent le pays, et donnez gloire au Dieu d’Israël: peut-être cessera-t-il d’appesantir sa main sur vous, sur vos dieux, et sur votre pays.

• The Philistines were proven to be wiser with respect to how to handle the Arch of God than the Israelites.
• Even animated with good motives, David was latter going to know a major setback in the first effort to take the Arch of God to Jerusalem.
• The Philistines learned about making a proper sin offering to God.
• They learned to make images of the plagues that God sent on them, just like Moses elevated a snake in the desert.
• In other words, they pay God a proper ransom in their pleas to make Him leave their territories.
• It always amazed me to find pagans paying a higher due respect to God than the children of God’s kingdom.

CONCLUSION

• As Christians, we may be overwhelmed to see how Christianity is been trashed around the world.
• If we are not careful, we can begin to think that God has become weak.
• The present age only reflects our shortcomings and not God’s.
• If God is not revered in the mainstreams of society, it’s our fault and not God’s faults.

Isa 59:1-3

1 ¶ Non, la main de l’Éternel n’est pas trop courte pour sauver, Ni son oreille trop dure pour entendre.

 2 Mais ce sont vos crimes qui mettent une séparation Entre vous et votre Dieu; Ce sont vos péchés qui vous cachent sa face Et l’empêchent de vous écouter.

 3 Car vos mains sont souillées de sang, Et vos doigts de crimes; Vos lèvres profèrent le mensonge, Votre langue fait entendre l’iniquité.

Isa 59:1 ¶ Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.

• If we fail to serve God right, the shame will be upon ourselves and not upon God.
• God can defend Himself without us.

Isa 48:11 C’est pour l’amour de moi, pour l’amour de moi, que je veux agir; Car comment mon nom serait-il profané? Je ne donnerai pas ma gloire à un autre.

Eze 20:9 Néanmoins j’ai agi par égard pour mon nom, afin qu’il ne soit pas profané aux yeux des nations parmi lesquelles ils se trouvaient, et aux yeux desquelles je m’étais fait connaître à eux, pour les faire sortir du pays d’Égypte.

Eze 36:21 Et j’ai voulu sauver l’honneur de mon saint nom, que profanait la maison d’Israël parmi les nations où elle est allée. 22 C’est pourquoi dis à la maison d’Israël: Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l’Éternel: Ce n’est pas à cause de vous que j’agis de la sorte, maison d’Israël; c’est à cause de mon saint nom, que vous avez profané parmi les nations où vous êtes allés.

• Let’s not act in ways to make God look weak in the eyes of this generation.
• You can be sure that God’s name will be glorified if not by you, then by your enemies.
• If we sin, God will allow us to experience defeat, but His name will still be glorified by all.
• We are two messages short from these series of messages on the life of Samuel.
• Next week God willing, we will see a great national repentance lead by Prophet Samuel.
• And then we will see the last report on the life of Samuel and he graciously pass on the baton to other to carry on with the work of God.
• May God add hiss blessings to His Word.

AMEN!