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The Rules of Divine Engagement

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In 1 Samuel 4, Israel carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle. The camp erupted with shouts, but heaven remained silent. God did not march with them. Why? Because they were carrying not the Lord Himself, but their own figment of who they thought God should be. The priests themselves were corrupt, called “scoundrels” by the Lord. They had no reverence, no repentance, no alignment. So when the Ark entered the battlefield, it was empty religion, not living presence. And the result was devastating. This story warns us about the danger of mistaking forms of godliness for God Himself. We may shout, sing, and carry religious symbols, but if our hearts are unrepentant and our worship is self-serving, heaven will remain silent. The Ark in the battlefield without God was just wood overlaid with gold. In the same way, churches, rituals, or even Scripture quoted without obedience become powerless trappings. But when His presence is truly among us—when there is repentance, reverence, and surrender—then there is life, victory, and glory.

Yet the same God who was silent for Israel was very active among the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 5, when they placed the Ark in Dagon’s temple, idols fell. When they tried to boast in victory, plagues swept through their land. God defended His honor, because He cannot deny Himself. He was fighting, but Israel was too blind to see. They could not take advantage of His power because they were not aligned with His will. This truth is sobering: God is always fighting against the agenda of the enemy, but if His people are misaligned, they cannot take the land in His name. Too often we are caught up in private wars, posturing for victory, while missing His greater battle. Joshua once met the Commander of the Lord’s Army. Joshua asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The reply was piercing: “Neither. But as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come” (Joshua 5:13–14). God comes only on His terms, not ours. If Israel in 1 Samuel 4 had remembered this, they would have bowed low before Him instead of parading the Ark as a charm.

The Philistines exclaimed, “A god has come into the camp of Israel” (1 Samuel 4:7). They reduced the Lord of Hosts to the level of their own idols, as if He were just another local deity to be managed or opposed. Yet even in their ignorance, God showed them He was unlike any other. Dagon fell before Him in his own temple (1 Samuel 5:3–4), and their cities trembled under His hand as plagues swept the land (1 Samuel 5:6–12). But notice carefully: God did not prove Himself for Israel. Why? Because Israel had not truly seen Him. They lacked reverence, so He let them fall (1 Samuel 4:10–11). Whenever God reveals Himself, the right response is not triumphal shouting but trembling awe. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, His robe filling the temple, he did not cheer; he collapsed, crying, “Woe is me, for I am undone! For I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:1–5). True vision of God always brings us low to our knees, because the clearer we see Him, the more clearly we see ourselves. If our encounter with God leaves us proud, casual, or self-assured, then it was not God we saw—it was only a shadow of our imagination. Sometimes we fall into the dangerous habit of recreating God in our own image—shaping Him to suit our desires, expectations, or fears—instead of bowing to the God who truly is.

And here lies the danger: if we do not see Him clearly, He cannot act on our behalf, for our lives are not aligned to His holiness. God will not lend His power to a heart that will twist it for its own ends. His strength flows where His name is honored (2 Chronicles 16:9). The same God who toppled Dagon in Ashdod and struck Egypt with plagues is the God who walks among the lampstands in Revelation, examining and refining His church (Revelation 1:12–13, 20; 2:1). When John, the beloved disciple who once leaned on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper (John 13:23), beheld Him in glory, he fell at His feet as though dead (Revelation 1:17). The same John who had walked with Jesus, heard His teaching, and touched Him with his hands (1 John 1:1) could not stand in the presence of His unveiled majesty. All familiarity melted away before the blazing eyes of fire and the voice like many waters. Every illusion of strength, every residue of self-sufficiency, was stripped away. And it was only then—when John lay utterly undone—that Christ laid His right hand upon him and said, “Fear not. I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I hold the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17–18).

Notice the sequence: it was not until John fell down in holy fear that he was raised up in holy confidence. Fear was met with reassurance, weakness with strength, mortality with eternal life. This is the divine pattern: revelation, humility, then empowerment. Isaiah saw it when he cried, “Woe is me” before the throne, and then the seraph touched his lips with fire, purging and commissioning him (Isaiah 6:5–8). Ezekiel saw it when he fell face down and the Spirit lifted him to his feet (Ezekiel 1:28; 2:1–2). Peter saw it when he dropped to his knees in the boat, crying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,” and Jesus responded, “Fear not; from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:8–10). Again and again, Scripture shows us this pattern: sight of God leads to surrender, and surrender becomes the doorway to service.

The measure to which we truly see God is the measure to which His power becomes active in our lives. If we only see Him dimly, we will approach Him lightly and walk in weakness. But if we behold Him in His holiness, our pride crumbles, our self-sufficiency dies, and His Spirit fills the void with resurrection power (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).

This is the pattern: revelation, humility, then empowerment. The measure to which we truly see God is the measure to which His power becomes active in our lives. The one who bows low before His holiness will be the one lifted up to walk in His authority (James 4:10; 1 Pet. 5:6). Heaven always bends low to the heart that has bowed down.

Reflection:

  1. When was the last time I encountered God in such a way that it humbled me, as it did Isaiah and John?
  2. Do I tend to approach God casually, or with the awe and reverence due to His holiness?
  3. Am I trying to rally God to my cause, or am I bowing low to align myself with His greater purposes?
  4. How does the truth that “the measure to which we see God is the measure to which His power is active in our lives” challenge me today?
  5. What specific step of repentance, surrender, or reverence do I need to take in order to walk more fully in His presence?

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