This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1 John 5:4, 11.

I can’t help but dwell today on what occurred over 2,000 years ago. How could those closest to Him bear watching the horror of humanity killing our Creator God? The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Psalm 110:1.

What enemies? Every age of man can look around and see them if they truly search their hearts with God’s help. Hate. Racial Superiority. Class Superiority. Greed. Injustice. Poverty. Violence. Prejudice. Intolerance.

When our Creator God came to live among us He displayed none of those things. He loved. He healed. He ate with “sinners”. He laughed. He cried. He gave up His life for us. And as He hung on that cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34. He knew what He was doing. The Father knew and was there. Holy Spirit knew and was there. They never left Him and They will never leave us.

As I read 1 Samuel 6 this morning with these thoughts in my heart, I couldn’t help but wonder how any people worshipping false gods would feel if their idols did what our Lord did for us. I doubt it would even compute in their wildest imaginations. Isn’t that where false gods arise from…wild imaginations? When the Philistines called for their priests and diviners to tell them what to do to return the Ark to Israel, they gave specific instructions they thought would appease the God of Israel. They had them make gold replicas of the tumors plaguing the Philistines and gold replicas of the rats and send them in a chest along with the Ark on a cart pulled by 2 cows. Wild imaginations indeed. They followed. They watched. v. 1-16.

The Philistines had to have touched the Ark and yet they didn’t die immediately. They knew nothing about God or His directions regarding the Ark (Numbers 4:20). Israel knew or should have known. But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?” v. 19-20.

Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? Crowds stood before Him as he was nailed to the cross for us. Family, friends, the disciples lived with Him.

One day the Philistines will stand before Him. They won’t see an ark or a statue. They will see their Creator God who loves them. How many of our misconceptions, false beliefs, hates, will fall at His feet as we gaze into the eyes of our Holy Creator God who loves us enough to die for us so we can be healed of all that caused His death?

This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:2-5.

That is our faith. Our faith is in the One who gives His life for us. The world steeped in violence and hate cannot understand but one day they will. That, truly, is our hope. It is a good hope and God is working to bring it to fullness. This is the victory: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17.

The way of this world – violence and hate – is already condemned. It will not survive. God’s love and healing is eternal and will heal every hurt, every wrong. That’s why Jesus, the Lamb of God, is worthy. Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29.