God is not happy to share his dwelling place with idols. It is more then a known fact that idolatry is the first thing God has no room for. He does not want man to rely on his own imagination of what God is like. Philistines had designed a god of their own design and built house for him. They place the Ark of the one true God in the house of Dagon, a god that fish like. It had a fish head and tail but had the arms of a man. He was a god of fertility. (description coming from Hebrew dictionary). God would knock Dagon down the very first night he stayed in his house. The second night God removed the arms of Dagon, any clue why, I will tell you why because God did not design a fish to be a half man and half fish. The fact the God of Israel was beating up the god of the Philistines in his own house did not go over well with the Philistines so they moved to different place in their territory. Men began to be struck with emerods, which are tumors or hemorriods, ulcers or boils in their privates. It took teh Philistines several times of moving the ark to realize they could not keep the God of Israel for God kept striking them with the plague of emerods. God will not dwell in a city that will not allow Him to be Lord.

Good example of this is Sodom and Gomorrah, only one righteous man remain in the city when God went to destroy it but first he would remove the righteous man and his family from the city of Sodom. His name was Lot. His wife would turn to a pillar of salt because she looked back on the city has it was being destroyed. His two daughters would sin against their Father to have children. God is not pleased with sin nor with disobedience and so Lot wife was destroyed.

The power and the curse of any place without God means destruction will one day come. Now America has many idols within her borders because of freedom of faith. God not pleased with this. Yet it is not our job to remove the idols of others, it is our job to allow God to knock the idols down in our states. It is our place to share the love of God and Christ Jesus. To warn the heathens of our land of judgment and to demonstrate his love. When God is rejected do plagues come? Not always. In this story yes. He is demonstrating his power to destroy within the land of the Philistines. Philistines would not give up Dagon for Israel God, though they had fear of Israel God and power. There are those that fear God but never repent or turn to God. Our job as believers is to teach God's love for the believer and that is correction in a believers life is much as any parent would correct their children. God is a God to fear, but his children know that can come to his embrace. Come to his loving arms when in trouble and learn to turn from those things that do not please God.

This constant fighting with the Philistines would continue even into the time of David, who would kill the Giant of the Philistines in his day and kill many of these people. What is my point, when we fear God and Christ Jesus we know his word is true and solid. That without repentance mercy is not shown. Without faith their is no eternity with Him. God will not bow to the idols of man.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for teaching us your power is sovereign even when the enemy is allowed to take the believer into captivity. Thank you for your sovereighty of your word. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Romans 1:17-25 KJV
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world 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 that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.ever. Amen.