1st Samuel 5:2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3 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. 4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.
This passage of scripture teaches us how God warns nations and individuals of impending destruction through His providential working in the literal world. In the passage above we see where the ark of the covenant was taken in battle by the Philistines, who then presumed to place it next to their idol god Dagon, an idol that was made of half man and half fish, or the equivalent of what we know as the little Mermaid. Now, it is true that the Philistines were obviously not aware of the sacredness of the Ark, nor of the grave sin they were committing by placing it next to Dagon, and so, the Lord in His mercy gave them ample warning by His providential work, in smiting Dagon in the dead of night.
The following morning when the priests returned they found their idol lying flat on his face before the ark, something that had never before taken place. This first warning raised some eyebrows, but the natural tendency of human nature to reason away the most undeniable evidences, caused them to put back their idol in its designated place. But the following morning when they opened the temple doors, they found Dagon badly mutilated, and this time his hands and legs were amputated, and again, he was found lying face down before the ark.
These were the warnings of God through His providential work, cautioning the Philistines not to proceed with keeping the ark in their possession, for deadly destruction was right around the corner. But again, human pride prevents them from returning it to the land of Israel, for by so doing they would be greatly humbled. What follows next contains very great instructions for us who are living in the 21st century, for the providential working of God is across the land, warning us of impending doom, if the ark containing His sacred law is not returned to its rightful place in our lives. Let's read:
1st Samuel 5:8 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto 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 about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. 9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. 11 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 again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
In our day the same ark containing the sacred law of God has been removed from its rightful place in society, and instead, the laws of men have taken precedence. In other situations, Dagon and the Ark have been placed together on the same pedestal of our hearts, for many people adhere to some of God's laws and some of "Dagon,s", in a vain attempt to serve two masters. But The God of heaven has declared that He is not going to share His glory with graven images, and for this reason, the many Dagons which we now serve are soon to be badly mutilated by the terrible judgments that are soon to be revealed.
It is therefore of critical importance for us not to trifle with the warnings given in God's word, against tampering in any way with His sacred law, because the history of the Philistines was written so that we may make straight paths for our feet. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which cautions us against hardening our hearts, when The Holy Spirit brings conviction with startling clearness to our minds, bidding us to turn from our evil ways and live. Let's read:
Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!