The ark brings disaster to Philistine cities
5
📚And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 5:1 Ashdod was one of the major cities of the Philistines.⚜
2 📚When the Philistines brought the ark of God, they took it into the house of Dagon and set it near Dagon 📖. 3 📚And when the people of Ashdod arose early the next day, there was Dagon fallen on his face 📖 to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And they picked Dagon up and set him in his place again. 4 📚And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both palms of his hands were severed and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left to him.
5:4 Since the Philistines would not learn the first time, Jehovah gave them a second and a stronger lesson. He was the mighty God, their Dagon was helpless and false. In different ways the true God has demonstrated this same truth again and again in human history concerning the gods and idols men have chosen.⚜
5 📚Therefore to this day 📖 neither the priests of Dagon, nor anyone who comes into Dagon’s temple, will step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod.
6 📚But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and he destroyed them and plagued them with tumours, both Ashdod and its territories.
5:6 God continued to judge Dagon and his worshipers. Compare Ex 12:12.⚜
7 📚And when the men of Ashdod saw that, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us, for his hand is severe on us and on our god Dagon”. 8 📚So they sent men and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to 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 around to Gath”. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel around there.
5:8 Instead of admitting that their god was false and that the LORD (Jehovah) was the true and living God, they preferred to get rid of the evidence. How like men in general!⚜
9 📚And it happened, after they had carried it around there, that the hand of the LORD was against the city, causing very great destruction. And he plagued the men of the city, both small and great, and they had tumours in their secret parts.
5:9 All this happened but it seems there was no repentance, no abandoning of idolatry, no seeking of the true God. Compare Rev 9:20. Such is fallen man.⚜
10 📚Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came about, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us, to kill us and our people”.
11 📚So they sent men 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 its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people”. For there was death and destruction throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 📚And the men who did not die were plagued with the tumours, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.