Anesti Ministries

God is sovereign over the spiritual realm.

Ashdod was one of the 5 cities of the Philistines to the west of Israel. The hebrew name for Ashdod (אַשְׁדּֽוֹדָה) means fortress and it was the spiritual stronghold of the cult of Dagon. In the Ancient Near East, Dagon was worshipped as the god of agriculture and fertility. The fallen idol of Dagon points to God’s supremacy over Dagon. God does not share His temple with any other god. When God’s presence enters a space, all spiritual powers are subjected to Him. When you made a decision to open your hearts to Jesus, God’s presence entered your life. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). All other spiritual powers have no hold over your life. And God desires your whole heart.

God is sovereign over the nations.

In the Ancient Near East, gods were thought to have dominion over specific geographical locations. However Dagon was powerless to protect the Philistines against the God of Israel. God’s power was not limited to the land of Israel alone but over all the nations including Philistia. God was waging a spiritual war against the worship of the false god Dagon. The 10 plagues in Egypt were also a spiritual war against the gods of Egypt and not the people (Exodus 12:12).

The Philistines thought that they were victorious over the God of Israel. But God does not need humans to fight His battles for Him. God’s presence brings heavy judgment on his enemies, but shows mercy to those who keep His covenant. Despite this, the pleas of the Philistines touched the heart of God. Even though the Philistines were Israel’s ancient enemies, God never forgot Philistia in His plan of salvation. In Acts 8:40, God sent Philip the evangelist to preach the Gospel of salvation in Azotus. Azotus (Ἄζωτον) is the Greek name for the ancient city of Ashdod. God’s desire was never to punish the Philistines but to turn them away from worshipping a false idol.