1 SAMUEL 5
This has got to be one of my all-time favorite chapters in the Bible. I think it’s hilarious. You’ll remember from the last chapter that the Philistines whooped the Israelites in battle, captured the Ark of the Covenant, and carried it off back to their land. The first thing they did was put it in the temple of their own god, Dagon. (Dagon was a man-fish idol.)
When the people of the city came into the temple the next day, they found Dagon face-down on the ground in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Ha! The Philistines had to prop him back up in his place. But he didn’t stay there for long. The next day, they came back, and not only was he back on the ground in front of the Ark, but his head and hands had been broken off and were lying some distance away on the threshold.
Photo © Unsplash/Aimee Vogelsang
Needless to say, the Philistines were pretty mad: "When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.'" (vs 7) In other words, This God is beating up our god—and in his own temple! We gotta get Him outta here!
You can’t tell me that God doesn’t have a sense of humor. Not even in the Philistine temple for 24 hours, and God is making Dagon bow down to Him. Even a good "propping up" couldn’t keep Dagon upright. And if I have just one prayer today, it’s that God deal with the idols in my life in such a straightforward, unorthodox way!
Photo © Unsplash/Pinho