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The Philistines and the Ark
5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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.” 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. 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. 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.” 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. The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
(ESV)
1 Samuel 5 Commentary
In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines took the ark of the covenant from Ebenezer to Ashdod and placed it in the temple of Dagon beside his statue (1 Samuel 5:1-2). The next morning, they found Dagon fallen face down before the ark, so they set him back up (1 Samuel 5:3). The following morning, Dagon had fallen again, this time with his head and hands broken off on the threshold, leaving only his torso intact (1 Samuel 5:4). Because of this, the priests and visitors of Dagon’s temple avoided stepping on the threshold (1 Samuel 5:5).
The Lord then afflicted the people of Ashdod with tumors, causing great terror (1 Samuel 5:6). Realizing the ark’s presence was against them, they sought to remove it (1 Samuel 5:7). The Philistine rulers decided to move it to Gath. Again, the Lord struck the people with an outbreak of tumors, causing widespread panic (1 Samuel 5:8-9). The ark was then sent to Ekron, but the Ekronites feared for their lives and pleaded for its removal, as God’s hand was heavily against them (1 Samuel 5:10-11). Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the city’s cries for relief reached heaven (1 Samuel 5:12).
The Ark in Dagon’s Temple
1 Samuel 5 is a continuation of the narrative which started in 1 Samuel 4. Israel went into battle with the Philistines without consulting God and the results were devastating. Lives were lost and the ark of the covenant that had historically housed the presence of God was taken by the Philistines. This was a sign to the Israelites that the Lord’s presence had left them.
Though God was disciplining Israel by allowing the Philistines to capture the ark, He would not permit His Name to be mocked or defiled by the false gods of the enemy. Despite the Philistines’ victory in battle, their attempt to place the ark alongside their idol, Dagon, only revealed the supremacy of the One True God. This is striking. Their attempt to place Yahweh among Dagon’s shrine (as if they were on the same level) would never succeed.
Dagon was repeatedly humiliated. His presence fell prostrate before the ark and was ultimately shattered This demonstrated that no false god could stand in the presence of the Almighty.
“Dagon’s head and hands had been “broken off” (Hb. krt; “cut off”) in a manner reminiscent of grisly military executions (cf. 17:51; 31:9; 2 Sam 4:12). The Philistines’ conquering divine hero had been humbled and then mercilessly executed in his own stronghold. Though “in exile,” the Lord had proven his superiority to the regional supreme deity.”
The New American Commentary
Furthermore, the plagues and devastation that followed the ark’s presence in Philistine cities made it clear that the Lord was not to be treated as a mere trophy of war. Instead of proving Israel’s God to be weak, these events declared His unmatched power and holiness, forcing even Israel’s enemies to acknowledge His authority. It was a complete reversal.
“Now the pagan Philistines began to have the respect for the ark that Israel should have had at the beginning. They were playing with fire, and they needed to know what to do. The Philistines were learning lessons in “arkeology” the hard way.”
Holman Old Testament Commentary
Propped Up
Dagon needed to be propped back up after he fell. If a “deity” must be propped up by its followers, it is not a true god. Unlike the Living God, who sustains all things (Col 1:17), idols require human effort to maintain their existence (Isa 46:6-7). Consider – the Philistines initially credited Dagon for their victory over Israel, yet their god could not even stand on its own! This reflects the reality that anything we trust in apart from God (money, power, status) will ultimately fail and require constant effort to sustain (Psa 115:4-8).
The One True God does not need humans to defend or uphold Him; rather, He upholds all creation (Heb 1:3). The contrast between Dagon’s helplessness and God’s decisive action against the Philistines (despite Israel’s corruption) emphasizes God’s unrivaled supremacy.
In our culture today, we may not bow before statues like the Philistines did with Dagon, but we still “prop up” modern idols. These are things we trust in, rely on, or pursue for meaning apart from God. Even when these things fail to satisfy us, we often continue to justify or cling to them instead of surrendering them to the One True God.
Application
The Philistines had all the evidence they needed to convince them that Yahweh was superior to Dagon, yet, their desire was to continue in their ways. Just as Dagon fell before the ark of the Lord, anything we place above God will eventually be exposed as powerless. Instead of holding onto what is broken, we must let our idols fall and trust in Christ, who alone gives lasting satisfaction, purpose, and peace (Joh 6:35, Mat 6:33).
Here is what is interesting. In 1 Samuel 5, God showed the Philistines grace. He did not destroy the them for their blasphemy. He met them where they were and revealed His power and superiority to them. But be warned – it was their bias which prevented them from being able to see that Yahweh was superior. This strikes a nerve.
- Has your allegiance to politics prevented you from trusting fully in the sovereignty of Christ?
- Has your allegiance to money blinded you to the security and comfort that can only come from Jesus?
- Have you placed your career or achievements above your identity as a follower of Christ?
- Do you seek more validation from social media and people’s approval than from God’s Word?
- Are you more passionate about defending your personal opinions than loving your neighbor?
- Is your sense of peace dependent on circumstances rather than God’s promises?
- Do you only turn to God in crisis, but rely on yourself when things seem fine?
We all enter into a relationship with Jesus with our own bias, but He does not expect us to stay in that state. Jesus will meet us where we are. He will come to our turf and reveal Himself. He is doing it every day – that’s not a question (Rom 1:20). The real question is whether or not we will release our grip on the things of this world in order to tighten our grip on Jesus.
Ultimately, we become what we worship. People who worship politics become angry and unhappy. People who worship money become greedy and corrupt. People who worship achievements become restless and unsatisfied. People who worship social approval become anxious and insecure. People who worship personal opinions become divisive and hardened. People who worship comfort become complacent and stagnant. People who worship control become fearful and exhausted.
People who worship Jesus become like… Jesus.
