Dr Paul Allen

“Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land” (1 Sam. 6:5). The ark of the covenant bounces around the cities of Philistia for seven months, bringing affliction wherever it goes. In Scripture, the number seven typically denotes completeness. In this case, it appears that, after seven months, God’s anger against both the Israelites and the Philistines is complete. The Philistine leaders finally realize what their people already have seen—the ark must go back to Israel. But sending it back is problematic. The Philistines are dealing with their enemy’s God—the return of the ark must be handled properly lest He is angered further. There is also the practical problem of transferring a national treasure during wartime. So the lords of the Philistines turn to their “priests and diviners” for guidance. These ...

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 back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people” (1 Sam. 5:7-12). Although the Philistines of Ashdod remain mired in their pagan devotion to Dagon, they gradually see at least part of the truth. They come to understand that “ ‘[Yahweh’s] hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.’ ”They are quite correct that God is causing their afflictions. But the solution, as they see it, is not to abandon worship of Dagon and turn to God. Rather, they want to get rid of the ark so that they can settle back into their “blessed” life under Dagon. “They were constrained to acknowledge [God’s] power and dominion, and confess themselves within His jurisdiction, and yet they would not renounce Dagon and submit to [God],” Matthew Henry writes. Of course, the ark is a Philistine national trophy, and the residents of Ashdod are not free to disp...

Dagon Bows to Yahweh And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD (1 Sam. 5:1-6). The unthinkable has happened —the ark of the covenant has been captured by Israel’s archenemies, the Philistines. While it rested in the tabernacle, it was a symbol of God’s presence with His people. In the same way, its removal is a sign to Israel that “ ‘the glory has departed’ ” (1 Sam. 4:22); that is, that God has removed His presence to chastise His people for their sin. God has allowed the ark to be taken. However, as we will see, He is fully capable of bringing it back. The Philistines take the ark to their city of Ashdod, site of the temple of Dagon, a fertility god worshiped not just by the Philistines but by other people groups in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Phoenicia during this time. The ark is set “by Dagon.” The Philistines may be placing the ark before their god as a symbol of his “victory” over ...

“For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” ( 1 Chronicles 16:25-26 ) This testimony is in the heart of a great hymn of thanksgiving ( 1 Chronicles 16:7-36 ) composed by David when the Ark of the Lord was brought back to Jerusalem . It is a testimony of the unique greatness of the God of Israel , with recurring expressions of gratitude for His deliverances and blessings. This God of Israel was no mere tribal-god or nature-god, such as Dagon , the fish-god of the Philistines from whose hands the Ark had been delivered. All such “gods” of the peoples of the earth—whether wooden images in a shrine, astrological emblems in the heavens, or mental constructs of evolutionary humanistic philosophers—are nothing but idols (that is, literally, “good for nothing,” “vanities”). It is Jehovah God who is not only in the heavens but who made the heavens! It is their Creator ...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "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. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again." ( 1 Samuel 5:3 )   The Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant , where God met with His people, and set it up in the temple of their god, Dagon. The first night, Dagon fell down before the Ark; the second night, he fell down broken in pieces. On the next day, a great plague fell on the people of Ashdod, and forthwith they sent the Ark away!   Just as Dagon fell before the Ark, which was a type of Christ , so the priests and soldiers, who came to take Jesus away, "went backward, and fell to the ground" in His presence ( John 18:6 ). Similarly, just as the temple of Dagon could hold the Ark no longer than three days, and the whale could only hold God’s prophet Jonah for three days, so the grave could not hold Jesus longer than three ...

Image via Wikipedia Through the Global Financial crisis , when the idols of our materialistic culture lie shattered on the floor, like Dagon before the ark of the Lord, and Australia's sense of security is in jeopardy, God has given the church an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that allegiance to Christ results in a distinct set of values and priorities that frees men and women from debilitating worries about money, an insidious slavery to the world’s goods, and most important, a sinful orientation of the heart that worships and serves “the creature rather than the Creator” ( Rom. 1:25 ).  Our perception and response to this global economic meltdown ought to be different because we are a peculiar people, a people who no longer belong to this world but to God. Jesus taught that if we love only those who love us and fail to love our enemies, we are no better than the pagans.  Likewise, if we are generous and cheerful in our giving only when times are good and our ba...

Image via Wikipedia Through the Global Financial crisis , when the idols of our materialistic culture lie shattered on the floor, like Dagon before the ark of the Lord, and Australia's sense of security is in jeopardy, God has given the church an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that allegiance to Christ results in a distinct set of values and priorities that frees men and women from debilitating worries about money, an insidious slavery to the world’s goods, and most important, a sinful orientation of the heart that worships and serves “the creature rather than the Creator” ( Rom. 1:25 ).  Our perception and response to this global economic meltdown ought to be different because we are a peculiar people, a people who no longer belong to this world but to God. Jesus taught that if we love only those who love us and fail to love our enemies, we are no better than the pagans.  Likewise, if we are generous and cheerful in our giving only when times are good and our ba...