1 Samuel 5-7 / John 6:1-21 / Psalm 106:13-31 / Proverbs 14:32-33
I’ve found another passage of scripture that makes me laugh, but it’s also bewildering. I’m speaking about the beginning of 1 Samuel 5 and the account of the Philistines having captured and kept the Ark of the LORD. I guess they saw it as nothing more than an ornate artifact, probably worth a lot of money since it was fully covered in gold.
What they may not have been fully aware of was that it housed God’s presence between the cherubim. As a matter of fact, the previous chapters told us the Lord of the Armies of Heaven was sitting upon the ark in that place. They had unwittingly invited a mighty warrior and commander with unlimited power and authority into the place they lived. Big mistake!
Interestingly enough, they soon found out that the Ark of the God of Israel was a threat to their lives! But first the funny part. It appears they at least knew the artifact was religious in nature, so they housed it in the temple of their own god, Dagon in the city of Ashdod. The next morning is when the funny part begins. Their god – really just a statue sitting in their temple – was found facedown on the ground in front of the ark.
So, they placed the statue upright again. It’s a good indicator that your god has no power if you have to pick it up off the ground. I wonder why they didn’t think of that! Again, the next morning Dagon is bowing on the ground before the real God, and this time both his hands and his head are broken off. Hm, it seems the God of Israel has defeated the god of the Philistines. I think I would have at least considered switching my allegiance.
Not only did the God of Israel knock over Dagon, He also brought a disease and rats into the town, showing His power over man and nature. It was at this point the Philistines decided they had better do something and get the ark out of their city. I don’t know why they thought it would be any better for the next city to house the Ark. Or perhaps they didn’t care, but simply wanted to save themselves.
The Ark finally made its way back to Israel. This account in history had me wondering if anyone who saw what was happening even questioned whether their statue god was really God at all. Were their eyes so blinded by deception that they couldn’t see the truth? That’s likely what was happening with the heathens around Israel.
God had opened the eyes of His people (and they still set up idols and ignored the One true God). But the eyes and hearts of the heathens could neither understand nor believe in a One God. Perhaps this was God’s attempt to show them the truth, but the account doesn’t indicate that anyone changed their minds about who they would worship.
Do you wonder why your friends and family don’t see Truth? Simply, their understanding is darkened, and they cannot see. It’s not that God doesn’t want them to see; He does! But the god of this world – satan – deceives those we love, causing them to worship pieces of wood and stone, or other false belief systems. It really seems quite absurd to those whose eyes are able to see.
But on the other side of this story is a heart of thanks that the LORD was able to show me the way through Jesus Christ. The way is there for everyone to find – and the name of that Way is Jesus. Remember He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.”
