1 SAMUEL 5:1–4; 6–12
AND the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod, and they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
3 ¶ And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. (The true God would not endure that an idol should stand erect in the same temple with his ark, therefore down it must go. The ark was brought into the house as a captive, but immediately became a Conqueror. If the Lord, by his Spirit, comes into the human heart, sin soon falls before him.) And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. (It was a wretched god that needed setting up. If idolatry did not make men foolish, they would see the absurdity of their conduct.)
4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. (The second fall was greater than the first, for the fish-god was broken, and only his scaly tail remained. The head and hands which symbolised wisdom and power were dashed to atoms. Thus does grace in the heart destroy the sovereignty and energy of sin.)
6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
7–9 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.
10 ¶ Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.
11, 12 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (This disease was not only extremely painful but was meant to put the Philistines to shame, because they insolently dared to seize the ark of God. How glad they would have been to be rid of their captive, which even in captivity triumphed over them.)
IN the Psalms we have a summary of this part of Israel’s history. Let us read it—
PSALM 78:58–66
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
59, 60 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: so that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; (Shiloh was abandoned, the ark never returned to it, and the place became such a desolation that not one stone was left upon another. The candlestick was removed out of its place.)
61, 62 And (the Lord), delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand. He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation. (The wife of Phinehas was too much burdened with a heavier sorrow to be able to lament for her husband.)
65, 66 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach. (Not long shall wickedness triumph. God is evermore victorious.)
Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 229). Baker Book House.
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