Though he died in 1980, John Lennon’s music remains influential. His lyrics from the song “Imagine” have become a kind of contemporary mantra:

Begin each day in God’s Word by listening to the Truth For Life daily devotional!

First Samuel 5 is a difficult chapter—a crystal-clear example of divine judgment and intervention. When we study it and consider the heavy hand of God, we have to remember that we’re dealing with events that happened a long time ago, around 1100 BC, and with what’s clearly an unrepeatable incident. It’s important that we approach passages like this one in light of the rest of the Bible. Scripture interprets Scripture in such a way that where one passage may not be as accessible as another, other portions enable us to approach those difficult texts properly.