1 Samuel 5:1-12

Dagon Falls before the Ark

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1After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,

2carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.

3When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.

4But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained.

5That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.

6Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors.

7And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.”

8So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” “It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.

9But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.

10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!”

11Then the Ekronites called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!” For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was very heavy upon it.

12Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

The Philistines take the captured ark from Ebenezer to Ashdod and place it beside the statue of Dagon in Dagon's temple. They have won a battle, and the ark appears to be a trophy placed beside the god of the city. The next morning, Dagon is lying face down before the ark of the LORD.

The people set Dagon back in his place. The following morning he has fallen again, but now his head and hands are broken off on the threshold. Only his torso remains. The people must lift the statue that was supposed to represent their god’s power. The narrator connects this event with the custom of avoiding Dagon’s threshold.

The LORD's hand is heavy on Ashdod and its surrounding area, and the people are afflicted with tumors. They recognize that the trouble is not confined to a broken statue. When the ark is moved to Gath, the same judgment reaches that city. When it is sent to Ekron, the people cry out that the ark has been brought to kill them.

In Ekron the crisis becomes deadly. Those who do not die are afflicted with tumors, and the city’s outcry rises to heaven. The rulers are summoned, and the people demand that the ark be sent home. Capturing it has brought them no mastery over the God of Israel.

Israel has suffered defeat despite bringing the ark into battle, and the Philistines now suffer despite having captured it. Neither army controls the LORD. His rule reaches into the cities that seemed to have won the victory.

Questions

1 Where did the Philistines place the captured ark?

AnswerThey carried it to Ashdod and placed it beside Dagon’s statue in his temple. The following mornings exposed how powerless that statue was before the LORD.

2 What happened to Dagon on the first morning?

AnswerDagon had fallen face down before the ark of the LORD, so the people set him back in his place.

3 What was broken when Dagon fell the second time?

AnswerHis head and hands were broken off and lay on the threshold; only his torso remained.

4 Why did the Philistines keep moving the ark?

AnswerThe LORD's hand was heavy on each city, and the people were afflicted and afraid that the ark would kill them and their people.

What This Means for Us

The LORD does not need the Philistines to recognize His authority before He can act. Nor is He helpless because His people have suffered defeat. When the things we rely on prove weak, turn to the living God rather than trying to prop them up as substitutes for Him. His rule reaches places where we have no control.

Prayer

Living God, You remain Lord when our strength fails and our plans collapse. Expose the things we trust in Your place, and teach us to worship You with humility and confidence. Amen.

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