The Philistines Stole the Ark of God
v1 When the Philistines stole the ark of God they took it from Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. v2 They carried it into the temple of their god. The name of their god was Dagon. They put the ark next to the idol of Dagon. v3 The next morning the people of Ashdod got up early and went to their temple. They saw that Dagon had fallen down in front of the ark of the Lord. He lay with his face touching the ground. So, they picked up Dagon and put him back in his place. v4 They got up early the next morning and went to the temple of Dagon. Again, they found that Dagon had fallen down in front of the ark of the Lord. He lay with his face touching the ground. His head and his hands had broken off. They were lying in the temple doorway. Only his body was not broken. v5 Dagon’s priests and other people still go to the temple at Ashdod. But since this happened no one will step on the doorway of Dagon’s temple.
Commentary
The Philistines stole the ark, and they believed they were stealing the God of Israel too. By the end of the chapter, they wanted to return it. They discovered that the God of Israel is different and more powerful than other gods.
Ashdod is about 30 miles south of where they had their battle. Every time the Philistines won a battle, they stole the figures of the gods of that nation. They put them in Dagon’s temple. This showed that Dagon was more powerful than the other gods. The Bible calls these figures "idols." People went to the temple to praise Dagon. The Philistines took the ark of the Lord and put it in Dagon’s temple. In the morning, Dagon was in front of the ark, not next to it. He had fallen down in front of the ark of the Lord. He lay with his face touching the ground (verses 4 and 5). Sometimes people do this in front of a king. This is how they give him honor. They show that the king is more powerful than they are.
The Philistines put Dagon back in his place. The figure of Dagon was probably on a high table. This made him look powerful and important. The next day he was lying in front of the ark again. This was not an accident as it happened twice. But this time Dagon was broken. In those days, when men won a battle, they often cut off their enemies’ heads and hands. The Philistines won the battle with the Israelites. But God showed the Philistines that he is more powerful than Dagon. Philippians 2:10-11 says that one day everyone will bend down to Jesus. They will admit that he is the most important God.
People Are Punished Because of the Stolen Ark
v6 The Lord punished the people of Ashdod and their neighbors. They were very frightened. God made them suffer from a disease that gave them tumors. v7 The men from Ashdod saw what was happening. They said, "The ark of God must not stay here with us. The God of Israel is punishing us and punishing Dagon our god." v8 So they called the Philistine kings together. They asked the kings, "What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" The kings answered, "Take the ark of the God of Israel to Gath." So the men moved it to the Philistine town of Gath.
v9 After they had moved the ark to Gath, God punished the people in Gath. He sent great terror to them. Old and young people suffered from disease and tumors. v10 So the people sent the ark of God to the Philistine town of Ekron.
When the ark of God came into Ekron the people in the town shouted. They said, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us. It will kill us. It will kill the people who live here." 11 So they called the Philistine kings together. The people from Ekron said to them, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel. Send it back to where it should be. If you do not do this, it will kill us. And it will kill all our people." All the people in the town had terror because God was punishing them. v12 Many people died and the rest of the people had tumors. So, the people of the town of Ekron cried aloud to heaven.
Commentary
God punished the people everywhere that the ark of God went. A tumor is a type of spot or lump. It grows very big in your body or under your skin. In 6:4-5, it says that there were also rats. In 4:6-8 the Philistines remembered what the God of Israel did in the time of Moses. Now God was punishing them. The people in Ekron were so frightened that they prayed to God in heaven instead of to their own gods.
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