Following the Ark
We get to
leave the story of Samuel for a few days while we follow the story of the
Ark. I think this is an intentional
story-telling device because what is really happening in Israel is that Eli
(the current judge) is dead, his sons are dead, and the stage is being set for
the transition to Samuel carrying the mantle of God’s wisdom. Symbolically speaking, to make that
transition we have the story of the Ark leaving the Hebrew people and then
finding its way back.
Dagon
Since we
don’t talk much about Dagon, let me fill in some details. At one point scholars thought Dagon was a
fish god; but recent archaeology in Ugarit seem to indicate that Dagon was
actually the father of Ba’al, the Canaanite god we talk a lot about. The name Dagon is etymologically connected to
the words for “grain” and “rain.” This
probably meant that Dagon was a fertility god. Most gods of the harvest were connected to
fertility since harvest is seen as the earth being fertile. We do know that the worship of Dagon
persisted for a long time among the Canaanites as the Jews destroyed a temple
of Dagon in Ashdod during the Maccabean revolt in 167 b.c.
So these
Dagon-worshipping Philistines take the Ark of the Lord and put it in their
temple. Their statue of Dagon falls
before the Ark. This is typically
interpreted as an act of submission, which would seem out of place to a group
of Philistines who just defeated the Hebrew people. In the context of the battle and the
Philistine mindset, you would assume that it would be the God of the Hebrew
people that should be showing submission to Dagon. But this is not so.
For those
Philistines, this is a clear message to them.
The God of the Hebrew people has come among them and personally warned
them that although they have defeated His people, they defeated His people
because He allowed it to happen. The God
of the Hebrew people is demonstrating to these Philistines that He is still in
control and He is the most powerful player on the scene. It should be a warning to them that they need
to begin worshipping this more powerful God.
However,
these Philistines are not so quick to give up on Dagon, for that would mean
submission to God. It is far easier to
submit to a god that promotes behavior that you already want to do than it is
to submit to a God that promotes behavior requiring change. So these Philistines take their god, they set
him back up where they think he belongs, and they get up early the next morning
to see what happens. They expected
something to happen, that’s why they got up early! They are not disappointed.
Their god
has been knocked down once more, but this time his head and hands have been
separated from his torso. God is making
the point even more clearly to these Philistines. God is not only saying that He is more
powerful than Dagon, God is also saying that Dagon is unable to accomplish
anything in His presence. Without hands
and a head, people {and even gods!}
are pretty useless, right? God has sent
a clear message to the Philistines. If
they want to worship the greatest power, they need to give up their agendas and
their worship of Dagon. If they really
want to worship the true source of power in this world they need to humble
themselves before Him and worship Him.
The People’s Response to God
This they
cannot do. {Well, I suppose it is incorrect to say they “cannot do” it.}
This they
will not do. {There, that says it much better.}
The people
of Ashdod refuse to humble themselves and give up Dagon. So their lives become infected with tumors. {Some
historians think these tumors are similar to the boils that we know happen
through diseases like the bubonic plague.}
These Philistines send the Ark of the Lord away to another city. That right there is proof that they
understand the God of the Hebrew people is more powerful that Dagon. If Dagon was more powerful, Dagon could have
overcome the supernatural power of the tumors.
But since He is not, the only way to spare themselves and keep their
worship of Dagon is to get rid of the Ark.
And we know the Ark goes from city to city, inflicting tumors wherever
it goes.
When we
are confronted with the presence of God we have but two choices: fall on our
knees in submission or resist Him and allow the cancer of life to consume
us. If we choose the second option, we
will ultimately push God away because it is easier to live this life without
paying attention to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the confrontation of
His truth. Our hearts will become hard
and soon we won’t see the cancer of life that is in us anymore. We’ll have become so accustomed to it that we
see it as a normal part of existence.
That’s a
sad thought, but it is true. If we
humble ourselves, God can purify us and cleanse us. If we don’t humble ourselves we will push God
away and abide in our sin until it consumes us.
Those are the only options. The
Philistines had a great opportunity to repent and find the true power of the
true God. But it was easier to push God
away and hide him in a place they didn’t have to look.
Things
don’t change much in the world, do they?
People are still hiding God, burying God, running from God, sending Him
away, etc. Especially here in America we
have every opportunity to find God and live according to His ways. How well are we doing with that?
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