1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The Philistines thought their god, Dagon had brought them victory and they took the ark of God and placed it in the template of Dagon as a trophy of conquest. Their belief was that because Dagon had helped them with victory, it was fitting that Yahweh should serve as an attendant to their god, just as Israel would serve the Philistines. Not only is God omnipresent (everywhere present), but He is omnipotent (all-powerful). The next morning the people of Ashdod rose to find Dagon fallen prostrate before the ark of the Lord (his face was on the ground). They picked up their idol and put it back in its place. Their god they thought so powerful on the battlefield was unable to lift himself out of the dust. The next morning the same thing had happened again, this time with the head and hands lying severed in a manner that represented military executions. The Philistine deity had been thwarted in his own house.
God not only dealt with their deity, but His hand was heavy against the people of Ashdod. They were terrified and developed tumors that seem to have been carried by mice (1 Sam 6:4-5). The Philistines were aware of the plagues that God had brought against Egypt and now they had begun to suffer a similar, though less severe fate. The rulers of the Philistines gathered to discuss what to do. They decided to send the ark of the Lord to Gath. It’s not clear why they chose Gath but they must have believed the conditions there were more favourable towards the Israelites and were somehow immune from the Lord’s attack. But things didn’t fare any better in Gath. The hand of the Lord again was against the city and He afflicted young and old with the same tumors. so they sent the ark on to Ekron. As soon as it arrived in Ekron, the people cried out believing it was coming to kill them. They gathered the rulers of the Philistines and pleaded for them to send the ark of the Lord back to Israel. The entire city was panicked and those who did not die were struck with tumors and the entire city cried in anguish to heaven.
The Philistines thought that the God of Israel was in the box they could move around. This may seem naive to us but we are often guilty of boxing God and thinking we can manipulate Him according to our own will. Do you see God as the omnipresent, omnipotent God that He is? Or are you guilty of placing Him in a box of your own design?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Feeding the Five Thousand: Matthew 13-14