Originally posted: 11/24/2019
Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?”... (6:4).
These pagan idolaters, committed worshipers of a powerless, headless and handless Dagon, have been dealt a severe blow, plague-ridden with boils and rats. Held in the grip of His wrath, there was not a doubt in anyone’s mind this was God’s hand of judgment.
Despite the deadly confusion, alongside the tumors and rats (1 Samuel 5: 9, 11), there was complete comprehension as to the catalyst of their catastrophic condition. They were to blame; it was their own guilt moving Almighty God’s hand against them, for the One Who Makes Known Our Guilt left no room for misunderstanding.
Consider Him Who Makes Known Our Guilt
- He Makes Known Our Guilt… that we might seek His healing.
- “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but you shall surely return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you,” (6:2-3).
- “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but you shall surely return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you,” (6:2-3).
- He Makes Known Our Guilt… and we are without excuse.
- For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man… (Romans 1:18-22).
How do we respond to Him Who Makes Known Our Guilt?
The sad commentary on the Philistines is they devised their own self-help plan; they determined their only hope of healing was in sending Him away. But even in this ill-advised decision, they understood the need for a guilt offering.
Notice the guilt offering was representative of both the plague and individual cities affected.
Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords,” (6:4).
We too must have a guilt offering, representative of our individual need for healing, but not of our own making; for in our own merits we are unfit to approach Holy God.
“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?” (6:20).
- His Guilt Offering represented the plague of sin.
- He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- His Guilt Offering must be individually received by faith.
- He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God, (John 1:11-13).
- For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God, (Romans 14:10-12).
It is His gift of grace in Making Known Our Guilt, that we would turn to Him and be saved.
“And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.
22 Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other,” (Isaiah 45:21-22).
“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” (Acts 3:19).
We must begin with acknowledging our own Guilt and receiving the promise of His Guilt Offering through faith and repentance.
“Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself,” (Acts 2:37-39).
And the promise is not only for us, but also for our “children and for all who are far off.”
I can’t help but think of our own our nation, so far off from where we began.
We must commit to pray for our nation, our president and leaders; for we know the Lord, Who Makes Known Our Guilt, desires all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
Father, we are desperate for Your mercy and grace, and we ask Holy Spirit, Make Known Our Guilt and awaken our nation to our great and desperate need for You.
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time, (1 Timothy 2:1-6).
Let us commit to pray in faith, for all in authority, that they would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. May the Lord lead us in intercession on behalf of our nation.
Oh Lord, please Make Known Our Guilt and lead us Lord, to pray as Daniel prayed… “for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God,” (Daniel 9:18-19).
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—… 8 Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12 Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
15 “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. 16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name,” (Daniel 9:4-19).
Oh Lord, please grow us in Your truth and intercessory prayer; and in Your great compassion Make Known Our Guilt that we would turn to You and be saved. In the Great Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.