Ignoring the Evidence

# 79 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 6:7-9 "Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. 8 "Then take the ark of the LORD and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. 9 "And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us-it happened to us by chance." (1 Sam 6:7-9) The Philistines with their vague ideas about the God of Israel are still not convinced that these plagues of hemorrhoids and rats were from the Lord, and so they come up with one incredibly rigged test. They make a new cart and take two cows who have never been yoked and hitch them up to the cart and then take their calves away from them. Then the put the ark on the cart and let the cows loose. No driver, just see where they go. I'm not a betting man, but my money is on the cows returning to their calves. Isn't it incredible how these people can ignore the evidence of the judgment of God. Dagon the lifeless statue on it's face before the ark, not once but twice. Rats everywhere, shelves at the drugstore emptied of Preparation H, and deep down they still don't want to send the ark back to the Israelites. But our world is no different today. The evidence of God is everywhere, yet most people refuse to bow to Him. We want to keep Him around, but we don't want to bow to Him. Ro 1:20, 21 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Read the rest of Romans 1 and see the end of foolish darkened hearts! The Philistines tried to treat God as a trophy and an ace in the hole. This incident should prove to us all that He is neither. He is God! He is to be honored as such and we are to live our lives in humble thankfulness to Him.