5 When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. 6 Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
Israel had turned away from God and were clinging onto a form of godliness. They assumed wrongly that God would give them victory because he had given them victory in the past. The problem with this is that they had strayed from God. How do you attain victory? You must have a continually renewed relationship with God. Do not live off of the past. Remember what God has done for you and the blessings that he has given you and be thankful, but keep your relationship with God new and fresh. When you do this in your life, you keep away from a form of godliness. With a continued relationship with God, you will have the peace of a solid foundation and the assurance of God’s presence in your life.
