The Philistines and the Ark
5:1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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.
6 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. 7 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.” 8 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. 9 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. 10 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.” 11 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. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (ESV)
4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord,
Talk about facedown worship. Throughout the Bible people are falling down before God. In Revelation 1, John falls down like he is dead before Jesus. And now here we have a statue falling down on its face in front of the ark which represented the presence of God. What a powerful God we serve that false idols even fall down in front of his box. God used this to teach a powerful lesson to the Philistines. And I pray that all of us will have awe and reverence for God so that we will worship him in a Facedown kind of way. (Great song by Matt Redman by the way if you don’t have it from iTunes.) Maybe take some time in your comment today to write about why God is awesome and we should worship him facedown!
Check out a video clip from the Street Cred Christianity sermon on the blog page! “We need more Christians like Darth Vader!” Strike back against sin!
love it Pastor Bobby!! This encouraged me so much!!
We need to take seriously our worship of God. Like the idol that falls facedown before God, we should fear not worshiping him. The only alternative is death!
1 Samuel… better than Twilight and Indiana Jones… The scence with the ark doesn’t compare to this chapter!
9 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
this entire passage really shoows how powerful God is and He is a God that is perfect and righteous and cannot even ascociate with sin. He does not tolerate it but wars against it just as we are called to do as His people. ok, maybe we can’t give people boils and tumors and other cool stuff like He can, because we are human and far from perfect, but we can flee from this unrighteousness just as we are told to do numerous other times in the Bible. <3333 see you at school dana go-ers!
great comment Shannon!
Love seeing you on here early in the morning!!! Keep it up!
6 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.
This verse reminded me of what will happen to all of those who are against the Lord on the day He returns! They will be cast into everlasting destruction for their wicked deeds and lack of repentance. Same concept here – those against the God of Israel received tumors and pain just from His ark! What a crazy sight that must have been!
If we truly love others, then why do we just sit around and pretend like everything is ok? Some of our good friends are not saved and their future is nothing but pain and suffering! WE need to rise up and obey the commands of the Lord to make more disciples on the battlefield!!! Lets live each day like its our last in the Lords name! Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pray that He opens doors today to share the cure for cancer with our lost friends! AMEN Derek!
You’re right Derek…we need to love others and share the gospel! Good post!
Thanks guys!
I love this chapter! It really shows us the power and strength of our Lord. He so great that our only response to him should be falling face down in worship and praise. Our God is amazing, and we need to have that worship mentality as we go through our days.
Don’t forget that he LORD’s hand was heavy against both the Israelites and the Philistines – anyone who opposed Him. who opposes Him? Everyone who is not perfect, or since we are all not perfect, everyone who doesn’t repent and trust entirely in Christ Jesus. Even those ‘good friends’ that Derek calls out in his post today. Like Derek says, we can’t sit around and pretend everything is ok when they will receive the full wrath of God. Let’s all pray today that God will move us to share with our lost family and acquaintances.
This reminds me exactly of what the little kids in AWANA learned last year. She had gone over 1st Samuel and really brought that picture of God’s Word to my head. It is awesome to see how powerful God is and how much He hates sin, like I said yesterday. God is truly a loving God though who is merciful and full of grace. He could have just killed them all of, but He decides not to. He has a PERFECT plan for everyone and He knows when a person shall die and hoooow. He is the ultimate designer also, that created me and everyone else the way He wanted to.
Thinking of some of His qualities always can make me happy! I have a bunch of them on my wall, it just reminds me that I need to continue it. Believe it or not, when I’m sad, I just look at my wall and see all of God’s awesome qualities annnd it makes me joyful. God is good, all the time, and allll the time, God is good. 
Love it Bethany! So encouraging and true!
AMEN bethany !!! I agree with you 100% and i love what you said
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Good morning!!!
Verse 4 “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. ”
Our GOD is the supreme power. No demigod or idol can so much as stand in HIS presence. HE has the awesome power.
Amen Connor … Nothing is as PERFECT AND HOLY as God and Nothing can conpair to him !!
What Mike wrote yesterday coincides with today’s chapter, as it strikes me. God doesn’t need anyone to have his back; He’s got His OWN. But what He DOES call us to is obedience and righteousness. Some of us know how to play a really good game, and front themselves like the Bible outlines for us in Scripture. But God knows our hearts, and the day is impending when He will reveal us for what we are. Might as well be legit! I pray for broken and contrite hearts for TN’ers. I pray for authenticity. I pray that there would be no, “going through the motions.”
IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I todally agree!!!
4 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.
Our God is worthy of ALL praise and worship and He will not tolerate anything less. What God did to the false God Dagon in this chapter shows that God demands to be worshipped as the one, true God. The Philistines put the ark of the covenant into Dagon’s temple to honor their god because they thought he helped them defeat the Israelites and that he deserved the honor for their victory. The way that Dagon was prostrate before God is a symbol of submission and sent a clear message that the LORD will not tolerate any false gods. It got me thinking, do I have any false gods in my life? Anything or anyone that I figuratively bow down to by giving them the credit for my successes? This chapter was a great reminder that I must take my worship of God seriously because He is the one and only true God and He is worth it!
God should be feared. It’s really an amazing thing that we’re even given the privilege of worshiping God. The fact that as His children, we’re allowed into His presence to offer worship–even more amazing. When we see Him someday it will knock us to the ground like John in Revelation. I need to remember that in my attitude toward God when I worship here and now.
Throughout this whole chapter I’m reminded that God doesn’t need my help in orchestrating his will. He’s got that completely covered. In the previous chapter, the Israelites brought down the ark for good luck to defeat the Philistines. In the process, they trusted in the ark itself for their victory rather than the Lord, and were defeated. However, in this chapter, the ark brings great calamity on the Philistines. God uses the circumstances of the Israelites’ defeat for his purposes. While many may question why God would allow them to be defeated, He had another plan to reveal his power to the Philistines. I will not completely understand the Lord’s will in my own circumstances, but I must remember that his will is perfect! His thoughts and plans are far above my own. My purpose here on earth is to bring him glory. I can do this through faithful obedience to his perfect plan.
12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
Wow! Our God is a jealous God. He wants our full attention, and He will bring down anything else distracting us. I have seen this happen in my own life. Everytime God saw that (for example) a certain friend was influencing me to sin, he took them out of my life. It caused me to question the goodness of God, however, now I see that it was a major act of love and grace toward me. I am so thankful for a God who will take out any distractions I have in my relationship with Him- even if I’m not humble enough to ask Him too. This is a great reason for me to always fall facedown to God- because He works in my life in loving ways without me asking Him to.
great comment Elise!
ELLO… I read
I like verse 11,”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.”
I like this verse because it shows how fearful the people are of GOD. They were doing everything in their power to get the Ark away from them. They were scared of what GOD was going to do to them. I need to have this kind of fear of GOD. HE can do anything HE wants and HE is the maker of the earth and everything in it. I need to fear HIM so that I do not sin more cause each time I sin I am going to have to recount that sin straight to GOD’s face and I really don’t want to do that.
CYA
What another great chapter that shows that what God says goes! He is in control and any one who tests Him will lose! GO GOD!!! :]
***Our GOD is GREAT!!!***
1 Samuel 5:3 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.
Wow, even idols fell before the glory of the LORD! There is to be nothing before God, because He is the sustainer and creator of the universe. We may not worship statues as an idol, but things like videogames, relationships, appearence or even the internet can become an idol. Anything that we put before God is an idol.
I need to make sure that there is nothing being put before God in my life. God needs to be my constant focus all the time. I need to be constantly in God’s word so that I will be able to discern right from wrong and to know if there is any idolatry in my life.
God is holy and deserves my praise and full focus. He saved me from His wrath and should be praised extremely for giving salvation to me, an undeserving sinner.
Amen!
This chapter reminded me of Romans 14:11
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”
We can either bow down now or later, but eventually everyone, including false gods, will bow and worship God. M
11 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. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
well this is interesting, the cities didn’t want the ark. they were playing hot patatoe with it haha cuz it causing people to die because the hand of God was heavy upon the city and people causing them to basically go crazy. Shows that God is in control. Sure they might have lost the ark for awhile, but God had no trouble getting the ark back for the Israelites.
4 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.
Mmmmmmmm I love what Beth said about this verse! God will not tolerate the worshipping of false Gods. He is the one and only true God who deserves everything! The Lord deserves all our worship! He is the potter and I am the clay. He is in charge of my life and I want to fall facedown because of what he did on the cross. These verses are awesome!!!!! Psalm34:1-3~ “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”
At all times” worshiping, “always” worshiping. I thought that these verses best summarized the life of a true worshiper. A good example of a worshipper is David, who is of a lifestyle worshiper. David worshiped continually. His praise and worship to God didn’t was ongoing. My prayer is that we will all worship God wholeheartedly and for the right reasons! All the glory and praise goes to God!!!!
2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.
Sadly, this is what many people today try to do with God. They want Him in their lives, but they are not willing to surrender their desires completely to HIm. So instead, they try to keep him together with their own sins and desires and plans. This chapter could not be more clear that God will not tolerate that. He struck down the Philistine idol, and He will also strike any Christian who tries to live both for Him and for themselves. I need to be completely given over to Christ, submitting al my wishes, thoughts, and lans to His will and living solely for His glory.
11 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.”
WoW!! Reading this chapter makes me realize how powerful God is!!! everyone in this chapter also realized how powerful God is!!! I need to be thinking about that the next time I am being disobediant!! Everything I do that is sinful is against God!! Thinking about that alone makes me not want to be disobediant!! But knowing that he is this powerful makes me have more of a fear of him!!!!!!!
MARANATHA
7 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.
Even they realized that God’s hand was against them and their false God. He doesn’t take worshiping idols lightly and the seriousness of the situation cost them lives. Earlier on even Dagon fell facedown before the only true living God! I know that in these times, idols are disguised really cleverly by the enemy as not necessarily as bad things. I remember at a campus lunch that some things that we let control our lives might not seem bad like getting good grades, a sport, pleasing people.Some things that are convicting me is worry and personal comfort. I want God to be my life. Not my number 1 priority in my life. If I know that He is sovereign and in control and surrender myself to Him I know that there would be a lot less worrying and a lot more trusting in God.
great comment Jasmine!
totally agree!
I read…
Today we see the power of the Lord against unrepentant sinners. In the last chapter, we discovered that He would rather be with those who sin and hate Him than those who claim to know Him but do not. However, this does not mean that He will not hold them accountable. Because of God’s coming wrath, we need to evangelize to others without Him. I pray that we would all respond to this and minister to others.
this entire chapter really shows us God’s power! no matter where the pagans move the ark of the covenant, they cannot stop the Lord from working and afflicting them. our God is not confined to any idols or statues, like the pagan gods were. the God that we serve in an infinite and holy God, who also is so powerful! as Christians, one way we can recognize God’s power is by looking at what He has done in our lives. i was once dead in my sins (Ephesians 2:1), but now the power of God through the gospel has saved me (Romans 1:16). i need to also be sharing the gospel with others, just like Bryan before me said. God is powerful, holy, and just, and i need to be sharing with others the power of God, which is through the gospel!
MMM another benefit of recognizing God’s power is knowing if ITS A TRAP when anything sinful comes along in our lives that will cause us to compromise our faith and take us away from being fully devoted to Him!
haha! Good comment Acbar. God’s power rocks my socks!
6 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.
God is obviously angry with these people for worshipping another God but it is cool how God shows them that what they are doing is bad by having their idol fall facedown before the ark of God. And then when God started killing/giving people tumors, they feared God and wanted the ark out of there. When we go against God, he know and he will discipline us for what we do. I pray that I would constantly stay with God and in his word and whenever tempted I would pray, read my Bible, or seek accountability.
i really liked this section and when i read this it reminds me once more of how great and powerful god is. I think its neat to see how God shows his people that what they are doing is bad and makes the idol fall down infront of the ark of god. powerful!
What an intense chapter?!
Tumors breaking out on the Philistines, a false God dismantled (more then once), and a great uproar of distress among the Philistine people, yet this was all because the ‘symbolic’ presence of the Lord was among them. Now imagine the actual LORD, face to face… In our sinful nature we would tremble in our boots and die. Who could stand before the Lord Almighty?
I can. Why? Because I have been clothed with the beautiful righteousness of Jesus Christ. Because of the finished work of Christ I look forward to meeting the Lord. In my sinful self I am doomed, but in Christ I have a hope of peace with God. How could I not be thankful…my sin deserves punishment, but Jesus paid it all. Maranatha!
Praise the One who paid my debt! — Jesus
Please pray for the SC True North Christian Club going on tomorrow.
11 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. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
The power of the ark of the covenant over the people is amazing! They feared God and his power. I need to fear God more and remember that He is also a judging God, not just a loving God. This passage also reminds me I need to be obedient to God. The people who were serving idols knew they were sinning and feared God’s wrath. I need to remember that idols in my life are not carved little wooden figures, but things that take up more of my time away from God. It is so easy to become distracted with activities, school and extracurriculars. God needs to be the center of my life 24/7 and the center of my thoughts all the time. The more I think about God and spend time glorifying Him, the less I will be led toward temptation:)
No verse truley just stuck out to me, but I do like this chapter because it shows the power and glory of God. It also shows the God is a jealous God, they made an idol and it angered him, but he is so powerful that he made the idol fall down in front of the ark.
12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven
The power of God is amazing. He could do anything at anytime. I know that this is a well known fact but to actually think about it and to try to understand the severity of how much He can really do is mind blowing.
4 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.
Wow! This verse really shows how powerful and mighty God truly is! For when the ark was put up next to dagon, God made the dagon fall down and pretty much bow down to the ark which in a way represents Him! This really showed me how holy God is. In fact, every single thing in the universe will one day get down on there knees and bow down to him! Its so amazing that God has given me the privilege to be one of his followers; and I will never stop standing for God! Because God never gave up on us, how then can i give up on him? We must represent Christ in the most holy and godly way as possible. For we are not of this world!
When Jesus started killing the people they were starting to get very afraid of God they are so scared they sent the ark of God back to Godes people.
4 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 story is an amazing example of theophobia. 1 Samuel really does have a theme of fearing God. I should keep in mind bowing down to God, because he is my master and commander. I should not bow down or give in to any idols in my life, yet fear God before fearing man. God is loving, yet also just, and therefore I should act with that in mind so that I can “keep my conscience clear before God and man” (Acts 24:16).
4 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.
the Lord made the idol fall in front of the ark, our God is a powerfull God
2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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.
These verses are just so awesome!! The Philistenes stole the ark of God. They put it in their pagan temple to their false god Dagon. They had a statue of Dagon there, next to the Ark. And when they came back the next morning, the statue was on the floor, face down before the Ark of God! So they put him back up, and left till the next day. The next day, the statue had not only fallen over again, but it’s arms and head were cut off!! That scared the pagan priests so bad that they never went back into the temple again! God showed He is the One and Only! There is no one other than Him, and all those false gods are just statues that He has complete control over! God destroyed that statue! Booyah! Take that false idols! God is more powerful than any stupid old statue!
This chapter is so intense!! Just the presence of the ark of God caused great panic and glory to His name!! He brought down an idol and gave the Philistines tumors to prove to them that He is NOT someone to mess with!! The Philistines now had a bad reputation among other cities because they were known as the ones who carried the power of God with them in the Ark!! God is worthy of all my praise; He is all powerful and needs to be glorified!!
This passage shows how incredibly powerful God is. He illustrates to a pagan people that HE is the One and Only. The Lord afflicts the Philistines so much that they ask for the ark to be sent away ” that it may not kill us and our people”. How often do we forget the awesome power of our God? Yes, He is a merciful and loving God, but He is also the creator of our universe, all powerful and all knowing. He does not tolerate sin. The only reason he calls me daughter is because his son lived the perfect life and paid my debt. All the more reason to fall face down at his feet and worship with all of my heart.
Great comment Jessica! This chapter definitely reminds me of how powerful my God truly is!
4 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.
I think this is the funniest chapter that I have ever read in the Bible. Here, the Philistines have just stolen the ark and think that they are so cool because they have just defeated Israel’s God and taken Him hostage. But then for two straight days, their idol Dagon keeps falling on His face before God and then crumples into pieces. The Philistines then send the ark from town to town but it keeps infecting the citizens with sores. Eventually the Philistines are led to bring the ark right back to the Israelites. God is so incredibly powerful. This is in contrast to the Iraelites who thought they had everything under control but lost the ark. But then God brings the ark back Himself by causing inanimate objects to move and fear to break out among the Philistines so that the Philistines themselves (Israel’s enemies) carry the ark back to Israel.
God is so awesome and is all about making sure that He is glorified. If He gets inanimate objects like the idol Dagon to fall flat in front of Him then I His servant definitely need to be on my face in worship. A lot of people have talked about how God’s amazing power is displayed in the work He has done in saving us from sin. I should be remembering and praising God all the time for what He has done for me. On a similar note, the whole strike back like the empire idea made me think how every thought of mine needs to be made captive to Christ. I spend so much time thinking about this world like a pagan but God is the only one who is important. LORD, please take my thoughts captive to you so that I would truly be concentrating on how great you are and falling flat on my face to bring you praise because only you deserve it.
4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord…
This verse really jumped out at me!! Its crazy that even false gods and statues fell down at the ark of God!! This shows how powerful God is and what he can do. He gave tumors and gave panic to the people. This is scary just to think about and especially for all the nonchristians here with us. We need to be spreading the gospel to others so that they will be saved and live eternity in Heaven and not burning in hell like a lot of others.
I pray that there will be a revival at all the schools in Orange County and that the Grace of God will be heard by many. I also pray that we will have reverence for God so that we will worship and praise Him in a Facedown kind of way, just like Pastor Bobby said. MARANATHA!!!!!:)
amen girl!
praise the Lord
9 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.
Another reason why its so good to be on God’s team. Not having the hand of Lord against me is amazing and is why I am so thankful for what Jesus Christ did on the cross. It is truly amazing grace. God’s riches at Christ’s expense.
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.
God tolerates NO idols! This passage, while literal & historical, is a great reminder of how seriously God takes it when we allow anything else in his presence of our heart & lives. Dagon is one inanimate casualty of God’s jealousy; imagine what can happen when we idolize a person, an idea, or even material stuff. If we’re truly Xians, God won’t allow something to compete with him for long because he OWNS US!
2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 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
This is such a cool verse. It shows me how God is powerfull and is jelous God who wants us to worship him and not any other thing. One day every knee will bow down to him so lets tell every one we can.
4 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.
Wow God is so powerful! His holy ark was brought in the presence of an idol, and instead of being in the presence of this fake god, he makes it fall face down in a seemingly worshipping position. Not only that, but He Darth Vader-ed it–he took off its head and hands!! Our God is so amazing and powerful and He deserves all of my praise and worship. I will try to worship Him more this week and get more excited about our amazing Lord.
9 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.
Im really liking 1 Samuel, because it keeps stating over and over again how much the Lord should be feared! I am so amazed at God’s power, and his authority to do what he wants, when he wants. Nothing can stand in the way of God, he created the universe, and he created us, therefore, he can do what he wants with us! If we arent on God’s side, we should be terrified of him. Just by reading these verses of what God is doing to these people, i get shivers down my back because I know that I deserve this wrath of God. I will praise Jesus Christ for dying on the cross and saving me, and i will praise God for not opening up a can of wrath on me!
Totally agree! I need to be fearing the LORD a lot more!!
4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord,
I think we all need to have this kind of respect, reverence, and awe before our lord Jesus Christ! This is an attitude i need to have daily.
4 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. 5 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.
God says we are to worship only him and he is angered by the idols and causes Dagon to fall face down in front of him and we need to rely on God for all things so that we may not fall flat on our faces like Dagon
6 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. 7 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.”
This chapter had to be the inspiration for the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Philistines (like the Nazis, led by that creepy little scarred-hand guy) are all pumped up about defeating the Israelites and capturing the ark, and then God shows them who is truly in charge. Even though He allows the ark to be captured in order to send His people a message, He doesn’t allow anyone to doubt His authority. These verses are a strong reminder that God will never be second-best. All will submit to Him and recognize His might. I need to keep that in mind whenever I hear people speak against God. 1) Those people will eventually be held accountable for their words and actions, therefore 2) I should fear for them because I know the power of God and how intense those consequences will be. That should fuel me to tell people about the gospel and encourage them to become saved.
11 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.
This just really reminds me of the “No Excuse Lunch” we just did. Even the Philistines saw the almighty power of God and they were terrified and did all they could to get rid of the ark. Even people who are nonchristian see the power of the LORD and they either quake in fear or try to ignore it. No man can ignore God’s power forever though and those who try to claim their is no God will learn the hard way. It may be through tumors or it may be through seeing Him face to face on the day of judgement. Either way our God will be known by all and no man will not be afraid of Him and His amazing wrath.
9 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.—Like Mady said, 1 Samuel is awesome because it reminds me of why I should have fear towards the LORD because he is my Creator and he is very powerful! God sent his son to die for us so that we may carry out his will and that is what I need to be doing everyday! I need to be watching my life because God’s wrath will be coming one day and especially because I know the consequences, I shouldn’t just be sitting around because the punishment will be so much more greater for those who are on the fence and are not 100% on God’s team! I also need to be sharing this with non-believers so they know what will be coming for those who are disobeying the LORD. Praying that I won’t be a hypocrite and I can be a Street-Cred Christian and everyone will know what I’m all about.
MARANATHA!!!
Wow, after reading this chapter for sure and the the previous chapters in 1 Samuel, continues to remind me how powerful God is! We can see God’s wrath and what He can really do and what He does! The Lord NEED’s to be feared! I need to continue to gain fear for the Lord, a healthy fear in which I know who is in control. That I will do what is right because I love God and I want to obey Him! It can be so easy to forget that God has his standards, and we will all face judgment… we don’t want to cross the line but I want to fear the Lord and remember who is in control! The Lord is in control of MY life…..NOT me!!
4 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.
When we rise early in the morning we should start the day off with praising the Lord. and I fall facedown before the Lord so that He can show me all of things that are around me. I pray that I will wake up everyday and the start of my day will be the start of my praise and worshiping to God.
I really liked this chapter because it really shows the Lords power. Gods power can be showed in so many ways! I think it is really cool how the Lord can go to drastic measures to reveal himself! I am really enjoying reading through 1 Samuel!
4 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. 5 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.
I love this verse. GOD completely takes out the idol of the Phillistines. He makes a statue of their fake GOD bow down to him! That is so cool. GOD can do amazing things and the proof of his glory can be seen all around us, not just in his miracles.
Like I said in my post yesterday, 1 Samuel truly shows why we are to fear the Lord. Our God is so indescribable and so worthy of all praise! I am so thankful for Jesus Christ’s sacrifice so that God’s wrath would no longer be upon me, as it was against the Philistines in this chapter. This is why I want to worship my God face down! I want my life to be all about praising the Lord for his wondrous attributes!
Pray for the SC campus lunch tomorrow!
Amen Sister!
4 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.
I really like this chapter! What a truly amazing and powerful God we serve. He even makes a foreign idol bow to Him! how much more clear can you get? God is the ONLY true and almighty God. Nothing else can compare. We need to get out there and share God’s amazing power and glory with everyone. This chapter is great inspiration
wow this chapter shows how amazingly powerful God is that when His ark was somwhere he didnt want it to be he just basicaly tourhcered the people until they set it away. also people were falling down in front of God left and right it seemed. i need to think every hour of the day about how amazingly powerful God is and the response to that should be fear.
MARANATHA!!!!!!
“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.
God has no tolerance for false idol worship. Anyone in posession of the ark would be painfully killed if they worshipped their false gods. I pray that if I ever find myself putting something in my life as more important than God that God will strike it down and lead me to repentance.
This chapter reminded me of the power of God. He has control over everything and even false idols bow down to him in worship. He even found a way to have the enemies of the Israelites to personally deliver the ark back to them. Praise the Lord!
3 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.
I totally agree with what Bobby said. Thorughout the Bible there are examples of people falling facedown on their knees in awe of God. I read in the book called the Practice of Godliness about how a fear of God is translated to be a state of awe of God. In revelation, John falls facedown in awe of being in the presence of God. It also reminds me of that song Facedown, where it says I’ll fall facedown as your glory shines around. I can’t wait for that day in Heaven where I’ll be on my knees in awe of Jesus’ glory.
The ark if god is ao powerfull his struck the people with tumors. Bobby last sermon really took into my heart and told me that being a hyprocite is what god hates the most. This really encouraged me to pick my bible up and start reading it.and also to post on the scripture of the day. I want to Dave my friends and also me to stop the bad behavior at school and being more of a Christian than a hyprocite
Awesome Garrett! Great to see you on here!
Again in these passages we see the absolute power of God and what he can do. Also i like how it adress false idols and that they are obviously bad.
3 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
I can’t wait till the day when Christ comes back for us and takes us with Him. The moment when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
((Philippians 2:10-11))God is so perfect that we can’t even think how perfect he is. He couldn’t even look or be near us because we were so dirty and so full of sin and he was NOT. Until he sent his Only son to die for our sins so that we can be with him and that we can bow down at his feet!!! GOD Thanks for sending your son to forgive pay my price so that I may be able to be with you and worship Him forever.!!!!
4 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 chapter is GREAT!!! What an amazing story of how even a statue falls before the presence of GOD!!!! I always wonder what it would be like to have met and known Jesus back when he was a man. I always think its awesome to see the humble attitudes of the people that met Jesus. BUT, while that all is cool and great, we have a statue, an idol, an inanimate object falling FACE DOWN before GOD. THAT IS CRAZY!!!!! It reminds me of the torn curtain in the Holy of Hollies after Jesus death. It’s one of the AH-MAZING images God used to show us his love. This verse inspires me to worship the LORD face-down. Jesus paid it all! Let’s worship him for it!!!
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Maranatha!!!!! Have you signed up for Winter Revival yet?!
4 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.
Our God is soooo incredible! False gods and religions are nothing compared to our true LORD and Savior. He alone is worthy of worship and He is holy. I just think it is awesome how God glorified Himself in this way, it’s like nothing can shut Him down. I realize that I should have more faith and be more devoted to my God who is the King of Kings and the Holy One of Israel.
7 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.”
These people were truly in fear of the Lord because He was tired of the idol worship that was taking place. This just shows me that the Lord can do whatever He would like so I need to fear Him. I do not want to be like those people who gave praise and worship to the idol of Dagon because we can see what the Lord does to those who do not give all praise to Him. He plagues them with tumors and the likes.
4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord,
I think this is really cool. But my only question is to why do the people continue to worship their god if they know it is inferior
It is so amazing to read this Book and to see a glimpse of the Lords almighty power here in a tangible thing on earth. The Lord as a perfect will and a perfect plan. I need to trust in him and rest in the fact that he works everything together for the good of those who love him. I am so excited to be growing in the knowledge of the Lord.
God will share His glory with no one….Why? because the glory belongs to him…Why? because He is God, the creator of the universe….I mean if I write a song…I don’t want the “glory” going to Lady Gaga…..the pagan gods in a sense mock the deity of God….God doesn’t take that lightly…Let’s not mock God with our gods today…(money, power, whatever)… God is altogether glorious and let us praise him as such!
Reading this chapter just reminded me that I should be living for God in astonishment and amazement everyday. Like Pastor Bobby said in his comment for this chapter, “What a powerful God we serve that false idols even fall down in front of his box.” If false idols are falling facedown for God, then shouldn’t someone as blessed as me be doing something even moreee extreme than that?
7 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.”
Wow, God seriously opened a can of wrath on the Philistines in this chapter. Even though the Israelites had failed to both trust and fear the Lord, he still cleaned up the mess they made, and got the ark back. This is such a great example of how God’s plan is always the best his will is done in the long run. I need to make sure I am not like Israelites were, and really fear the Lord. Maybe not in the way as sheer terror like the Philistines had, but more like a son disobeying his father. Yes, I am saved from eternal punishment, but I still am disobeying the Lord whenever I sin, and will have to own up to those things. I want to have a clear conscience in everything I do so that no matter what the situation, I know that I am doing things that are pleasing to God, and no man can accuse me of hypocrisy, like Pastor Bobby talked about this weekend! I want to strive to have a true reverence and fear of the Lord so that I can also understand his love, be fully devoted to him, and have a desire for him!
MARANATHA!!
Wow it’s incredible that the power of God is strong enough to have idols fall down to him in fear. So powerful that every enemy of the Israelites was forced by their fear of Gods strength that they would return the arc of God even though they battled so hard to capture it. It’s just great to see his might at work. God is good and we need to worship him all the time this way we can live in him with security because he is pleased with us . =]
10 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.
During, all things, God knows the plans that he holds for each and every part. He knew that in sending out the ark, the people would expect for it to be God’s Word delivered. God used those who were not his to carry his purpose to his people. I need to always be watching for how God works in my life. I may never see what he is doing, but I need to trust in his perfect, good, and pleasing will for me. He has already planned what’s best for me and, though I may not know, I always need to trust in him!
3 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. 4 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.
I love this! It is one of my favorite parts of the Old Testament! The Philistines think that because they have defeated the Israelites and captured the Ark of the Covenant their gods have defeated God. Here God is saying, NO WAY! The idol of the Philistine god Dagon cannot even stand before God. In fact, like Bobby said, all throughout the Bible people are falling on their faces before God. God is so powerful and so holy that nothing can stand before him. I’m looking forward to the day when I can literally bow facedown before a holy God.
I really liked these verses today!
wow! talk about the power of God! The false gods were falling before the ark, tumors spreading and killing so many people, all because of the amazing power of God. If these people were afraid and felt the LORD’s power and presence, then how much more should I as a Christina understand how powerful He is and fear HIm. Such a great reminder and example of the power of God.
4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord
I’m trying to remember anytime that I have ever fallen face down. I think I have once and it really hurt!!! People used to fall face down before God just to worship him!!! God is so holy and powerful that people would just fall face down flat on the ground!!! And this isn’t the kind of fall where you throw out your hands to catch your fall. They would legitimitely fall right on to their face probably to the point of bleeding or even a concussion or fracture!!! We sing a song in True North called face down, and I am trying to imagine everyone in the room falling straight face down for the Lord!!!! That would be awesome!!!
wow… nice picture..
This chapter describes how almighty and powerful our Lord is. The only response we will have when we see him will be to fall face down as his glory shines around. I pray that I would fear the Lord to the point where I am afraid to sin, cause sin makes God angry.
God is so awesome and so powerful! Even fake idols fell facedown before his ark!!! God is so holy and soverign and great that I need to make sure I am worshiping him with both my words and actions all day long and make sure I have a true heart of worship and worship God in spirit and truth praising him in all his glory! “Welcomed in to the courts of the King, I’ve been ushered in to your presence, Lord I stand on your merciful ground, yet wiht every step tread with reverence, and I’ll fall facedown, as your glory shines around!!! “
3 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.
God is above all, no one can even compare to him! It is foolish to try to turn to man made objects to worship or trust in as a pretend god! This chapter made me think of Psalm 135 where it says:
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but they cannot see;
17 they have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
We don’t carve out statues to bow down to, but our hearts easily run to other things that we try to hope in or feel secure in. They are nothing like the living God, Maker of heaven and earth! This chapter really encouraged me to keep my whole heart fixed on God and worship him alone everyday with all that I am!
7 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.
When I was reading this chapter about how everyone was so afraid because of the things that God had done it made me think about what their response was. instead of recognizing these things as the works of the almighty God and worshiping Him instead of their God, they just chose to get rid of the God that made sense completely. God threw down the statue of their god twice and still they chose their evils ways over Gods righteous ways. I am glad that my God is the real and true God and that He gave us a way out of our destiny for hell.
God will not honor men who simply try to make him a part of their system. Yesterday we saw how God did not honor the Israelites for their mere lip-service to him. Today we see him showing the Philistines that he will not allow the ark to sit at the feet of some fish-god.
Do I honor God as God, or do I just try to make him a convenient part of my system?
Good thought.
Thanks Ben
3 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
WOW! THis shows how powerful God really is! Even the false gods and idols fell face down before the Lord. THis gets me excited for the day when the Lord returns and every knee will bow down and every tongue will confess to God (Romans 14:11) This verse alone, is so powerful and shows so much! No false gods or idols can ever beat the Lord. God is number 1 and all those false idols have no dominion over God because he is all mighty and all powerful! This also tells me that i need to fall face down to the Lord and pour my heart out to Him like Hannah(: I need to fall facedown to the Lord and let his glory shine around (:
Praise the Lord <3
6 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.
Alot of verses are great examples of Gods power. God punishes the people of Ashdod and tears down the statue of their god. He really shows his intolerance for sin and chapters like this is what makes me really fear God. I am very thankful that I do not have to suffer that rath of God though because Jesus died for my sins and I am presented as perfect infront of God.
10 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.”
The people of Ekron knew what had happened in Ashdod and they were afraid. They know how powerful God is and what He can do to them! And God is *still* that powerful! I *still* need to be afraid of Him. If I’m not afraid of Him, then I don’t really understand His holiness and my sin.
I agree with Meisha that this chapter could be one of my favorites. It shows the dominance of God and how no other god can compete with him. It reminds me of when Elijah prayed to God and the Lord sent fire on his sacrifice when the gods of the others could not. There is only one true God. I am unable to read this passage without thinking about if I truly fear the Lord for who He is and if I always have an elevated view of Him. Again the God of the Old Testament is the same as today and I need to see the power and exclusivity of God as motivators for obedience in my life.
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.
God is a jealous God and commands that we worship him and him alone. He does not share the spotlight with anyone or anything. This really convicts me to think how many times I place other things before God and as the Philistines did try and combine my idols with God. He will not stand for it. As we see hear the god Dagon is destroyed by God. We must fear God and we must honor him with our lives and place him before everything thing else because he is GOD. Exodus 20: 3-4
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Pastor Bobby,
there are endless reasons why our God is awesome and why we should worship him facedown!! Let me just start by saying that God is awesome because tonight, my aunt and uncle gave their lives to the Lord. I have had a wonderful weekend with my family in Mexico. My grandpa is sick and so we are spending some time together before he passes away. We took this opportunity to share the gospel with non believers in my family. Let me just say that heaven is rejoicing right now in their salvation! Tonight just reminded me of God’s faithfulness and grace and ability to change ANYONE’S heart. We just need to be faithful as his servants to share truth and he will take care of the rest. Thank you, Lord for saving my aunt and uncle!!!!
<3
1 Samuel 5
How ironic is it that the Philistines god Dagon falls facedown at the feet of the Living God. We see how God’s glory and power is revealed to the nation of the Philistine people thru their afflictions. They bore witness to the fury of the Lord because He will not tolerate other gods before Him. Today we bear witness to the same intolerance God has when we put our idols before Him in our lives. You don’t want to place your gods near the Living God. Just ask the Philistines.
Isaiah 44:15 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.
This chapter stresses the importance of our worship to God is!!! We can absolutely have no other Gods!!! God made it the first commandment for a reason!!! The worship of our God is so important on how we respect and honor Him!!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!