Ep. 74. 1 Samuel 5-7 | The Ark

EPISODE 74

THE ARK: 1 SAMUEL 5-7

The imagery of 1 Samuel 5 is locked in my head forever. I love that the Philistines set up the Ark before their idol, Dagon. I do not know how big of an idol we are talking about here, but I imagine him to be sizeable. I've seen some pretty big ones on my trips to India, and I imagine a statue of Dagon towering 10-12 feet high with the Ark of God before it. The following morning, the Philistines went into their temple to find Dagon on his face before the Ark of the Covenant. So they set him up, as you do for your false god. The next morning, Dagon had fallen down again, but this time, his head and hands had broken off and landed on the threshold of the temple door. What a crazy site that must have been. It was so impactful on the Philistines that from that moment forward, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon "do not tread on the threshold." It's a specific act. They can't dare to step where the head and hands of their so-called god had fallen. But what is perhaps most interesting is that the Jews adopted this practice.

God, through the prophet Zephaniah, pronounces judgment against the idolatrous priests who bow down to the hosts of heaven, who say they serve God, but also serve the false god Milcom, those who turned away from God and seek him no longer, those who "leap over the threshold." The priests of God have rejected him and turned to all manner of idol worship. The priests of God clothed themselves in the attire of the idolatrous priests and learned their ways.

There is a warning in these things. Hundreds of years separate the story of Dagon from the prophecy of Zephaniah; hundreds of years for the traditions of the idol worshippers to become the traditions of the priests and people of God. In fact, before the people ever crossed into the Promised Land, God instructed them not to inquire as to the practices of worship the idolaters engaged in. To do so would lead them astray from what was true and right in God. It would do us good to consider the origins of our traditions as well. Not every tradition of the Christian church is grounded in the things of the Bible. It does not make everything wrong or evil, but it should make us more cautious. For example, baptism has its origins in pagan cultures and Jewish purification rites. We don't balk at baptism simply because there are other cultures and religions that make use of it. So we examine our traditions and customs, but we don't feel the need to bury them necessarily. Plus, it is important to realize the people God is rebuking in Zephaniah were false toward God. Their hearts didn't belong to him. They were not what we would call people of faith.

When the Ark was returned to Beth-Shemesh, either 70 people or 50,070 died. That is a pretty massive difference. As I said in the video, almost every Hebrew text gives a reading of 50,070. Yes, that is a lot of deaths. Whether it was 70 or 50,070, the point was made, and the people rightly adjusted their view of God's holiness. Furthermore, the Law of Moses had previously declared that "they shall not go to look at the holy things for even a moment, lest they die." All of them should have died. God would have been right to do so.

Once the Ark was returned, we see Samuel appeal to the people to "put away the foreign gods from among you." Jacob, when Israel was just twelve sons and a couple of flocks, said the same thing, "put away the foreign gods." Joshua, prior to his death, warned the people to "put away the foreign gods." We know and remember that the people of God had been turning to idols since they left Egypt about 400 years earlier. The Hebrew people turn away from God and back to idols for the duration of their story. (And will continue to do so until the Spirit draws them to obedience through faith)

Make a mental note of the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. These are the cities Samuel will conduct his ministry in during the days of his life as prophet, priest, and judge. He will also return to his hometown, Ramah, from time to time. Knowing these cities will help you to better understand the rest of First and Second Samuel.

ADDITIONAL READING: 1 Samuel 12:23; Numbers 4:20; Zephaniah 1:9; 1 Corinthians 14:33; Exodus 23:27; Deuteronomy 7:23; Deuteronomy 28:20,28; 1 Samuel 14:20; Isaiah 22:5; Micah 7:4