I
S A M U E L
CHAP. V.
It
is now time to enquire what has become of the ark of God; we cannot but think
that we shall hear more of that sacred treasure. I should have thought the
next news would have been that all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, had gathered
together as one man, with a resolution to bring it back, or die in the
attempt; but we find not any motion made of that kind, so little was there of
zeal or courage left among them. Nay, we do not find that they desired a
treaty with the Philistines about the ransom of it, or offered any thing in
lieu of it. "It is gone, and let it go." Many have softness enough
to lament the loss of the ark that have not hardiness enough to take one step
towards the recovery of it, any more than Israel here. If the ark will help
itself it may, for they will not help it. Unworthy they were of the name of
Israelites that could thus tamely part with the glory of Israel. God would
therefore take the work into his own hands and plead his own cause, since men
would not appear for him. We are told in this chapter, I. How the Philistines
triumphed over the ark (ver. 1, 2), and, II. How the ark triumphed over the
Philistines, 1. Over Dagon their god, ver. 3-5. 2. Over the Philistines
themselves, who were sorely plagued with emerods, and made weary of the ark;
the men of Ashdod first (ver. 6, 7), then the men of Gath (ver. 8, 9), and
lastly those of Ekron, which forced them at length upon a resolution to send
the ark back to the land of Israel; for when God judgeth he will overcome.
|
The
Fall of Dagon.
|
B.
C. 1120.
|
|
|
1 And the Philistines
took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. 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. 5
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house,
tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
Here is, I. The Philistines' triumph over the ark, which they were the more
pleased, the more proud, to be now masters of, because before the battle they
were possessed with a great fear of it, ch. iv. 7. When they had it in
their hands God restrained them, that they did not offer any violence to it,
did not break it to pieces, as the Israelites were ordered to do by the idols
of the heathen, but showed some respect to it, and carefully carried it to a
place of safety. Whether their curiosity led them to open it, and to read what
was written with the finger of God on the two tables of stone that were in it,
we are not told; perhaps they looked no further than the golden outside and
the cherubim that covered it, like children that are more affected with the
fine binding of their bibles than with the precious matter contained in them.
They carried it to Ashdod, one of their five cities, and that in which Dagon's
temple was; there they placed the ark of God, by Dagon (v. 2),
either 1. As a sacred thing, which they designed to pay some religious respect
to, in conjunction with Dagon; for the gods of the heathen were never looked
upon as averse to partners. Though the nations would not change their gods,
yet they would multiply them and add to them. But they were mistaken in the
God of Israel when, in putting his ark by Dagon's image, they intended to do
him honour; for he is not worshipped at all if he is not worshipped alone. The
Lord our God is one Lord. Or rather, 2. They placed it there as a trophy
of victory, in honour of Dagon their god, to whom no doubt they intended to
offer a great sacrifice, as they had done when they had taken Samson (Judg.
xvi. 23, 24), boasting that as then they had triumphed over Israel's champion
so now over Israel's God. What a reproach was this to God's great name! what a
disgrace to the throne of his glory! Shall the ark, the symbol of God's
presence, be a prisoner to Dagon, a dunghill deity? (1.) So it is, because God
will show of how little account the ark of the covenant is if the covenant
itself be broken and neglected; even sacred signs are not things that either
he is tied to or we can trust to. (2.) So it is for a time, that God may have
so much the more glory, in reckoning with those that thus affront him, and get
him honour upon them. Having punished Israel, that betrayed the ark, by giving
it into the hands of the Philistines, he will next deal with those that abused
it, and will fetch it out of their hands again. Thus even the wrath of man
shall praise him; and he is bringing about his own glory even when he
seems to neglect it, Ps. lxxvi. 10. Out of the eater shall come forth meat.
II. The ark's triumph over Dagon. Once and again Dagon was made to fall before
it. If they designed to do honour to the ark, God thereby showed that he
valued not their honour, nor would he accept it; for he will be worshipped,
not with any god, but above all gods. He owes a shame (as
bishop Hall expresses it) to those who will be making matches betwixt
himself and Belial. But they really designed to affront it, and though for
some hours Dagon stood by the ark, and it is likely stood above it (the ark,
as its footstool), yet the next morning, when the worshippers of Dagon came to
pay their devotions to his shrine, they found their triumphing short, Job xx.
5.
1. Dagon, that is, the image (for that was all the god), had fallen upon
his face to the earth before the ark, v. 3. God had seemed to
forget the ark, but see how the Psalmist speaks of his appearing, at last, to
vindicate his own honour. When he had delivered his strength into captivity,
and all seemed going to ruin, then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and
like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine, Ps. lxxviii. 59-65. And
therefore he prevented the utter desolations of the Jewish church, because he feared
the wrath of the enemy, Deut. xxxii. 26, 27. Great care was taken, in
setting up the images of their gods, to fix them. The prophet takes notice of
it, Isa. xli. 7, He fastened it with nails that it should not be moved;
and again, Isa. xlvi. 7. And yet Dagon's fastenings stood him in no stead. The
ark of God triumphs over him upon his own dunghill, in his own temple. Down he
comes before the ark, directly towards it (though the ark was set on one side
of him), as it were, pointing to the conqueror, to whom he is constrained to
yield and do homage. Note, The kingdom of Satan will certainly fall before the
kingdom of Christ, error before truth, profaneness before godliness, and
corruption before grace in the hearts of the faithful. When the interests of
religion seem to be run down and ready to sink, yet even then we may be
confident that the day of their triumph will come. Great is the truth, and
will prevail. Dagon by falling prostrate before the ark of God, which was a
posture of adoration, did as it were direct his worshippers to pay their
homage to the God of Israel, as greater than all gods. See Exod. xviii.
11.
2. The priests, finding their idol on the floor, make all the haste they can,
before it be known, to set him in his place again. A sorry silly thing it was
to make a god of, which, when it was down, wanted help to get up again; and
sottish wretches those were that could pray for help from that idol that
needed, and in effect implored, their help. How could they attribute their
victory to the power of Dagon when Dagon himself could not keep his own ground
before the ark? But they are resolved Dagon shall be their god still, and
therefore set him in his place. Bishop Hall observes hence, It is just with
God that those who want grace shall want wit too; and it is the work of
superstition to turn men into the stocks and stones they worship. Those
that make them are like unto them. What is it that the great upholders of
the antichristian kingdom are doing at this day but heaving Dagon up, and
labouring to set him in his place again, and healing the deadly wound that has
been given to the beast? but if the reformation be the cause of God, before
which it has begun to fall, it shall not prevail, but shall surely fall before
it.
3. The next night Dagon fell the second time, v. 4. They rose early,
either, as usual, to make their addresses to their god, or earlier than usual,
being impatient to know whether Dagon had kept his standing this night; and,
to their great confusion, they find his case worse now than before. Whether
the matter of which the image was made was apt to break or no, so it was that
the head and hands were cut off upon the threshold, so that nothing
remained but the stump, or, as the margin reads it, the fishy part of
Dagon; for (as many learned men conjecture) the upper part of this image was
in a human shape, the lower in the shape of a fish, as mermaids are painted.
Such strong delusions were idolaters given up to, so vain were they in their
imaginations, and so wretchedly darkened were their foolish hearts, as to
worship the images, not only of creatures, but of nonentities, the mere
figments of fancy. Well, the misshapen monster is by this fall made to appear,
(1.) Very ridiculous, and worthy to be despised. A pretty figure Dagon made
now, when the fall had anatomized him, and shown how the human part and the
fishy part were artificially put together, which perhaps the ignorant devotees
had been made to believe was done by miracle! (2.) Very impotent, and unworthy
to be prayed to or trusted in; for his losing his head and hands proved him
utterly destitute both of wisdom and power, and for ever disabled either to
advise or act for his worshippers. This they got by setting Dagon in his place
again; they had better have let him alone when he was down. But those can
speed no better that contend with God, and will set up that which he is
throwing down, Mal. i. 4. God, by this, magnified his ark and made it
honourable, when they vilified and made it contemptible. He also showed what
will be the end of all that which is set up in opposition to him. Gird
yourselves, but you shall be broken to pieces, Isa. viii. 9.
4. The threshold of Dagon's temple was ever looked upon as sacred, and not to
be trodden on, v. 5. Some think that reference is had to this
superstitious usage of Dagon's worshippers in Zeph. i. 9, where God threatens
to punish those who, in imitation of them, leaped over the threshold. One
would have thought that this incontestable proof of the ark's victory over
Dagon would convince the Philistines of their folly in worshipping such a
senseless thing, and that henceforward they would pay their homage to the
conqueror; but, instead of being reformed, they were hardened in their
idolatry, and, as evil men and seducers are wont to do, became worse and
worse, 2 Tim. iii. 13. Instead of despising Dagon, for the threshold's sake
that beheaded him, they were almost ready to worship the threshold because it
was the block on which he was beheaded, and will never set their feet on that
on which Dagon lost his head, shaming those who tread under foot the blood
of the covenant and trample on things truly sacred. Yet this piece of
superstition would help to perpetuate the remembrance of Dagon's disgrace;
for, with the custom, the reason would be transmitted to posterity, and the
children that should be born, enquiring why the threshold of Dagon's temple
must not be trodden on, would be told that Dagon fell before the ark of the
Lord. Thus God would have honour even out of their superstition. We are not
told that they repaired the broken image; it is probable that they sent the
art of God away first, and then they patched it up again, and set it in its
place; for, it seems, they cannot deliver their souls, nor say, Is there
not a lie in our right hand? Isa. xliv. 20.
|
The
Distress of the Philistines.
|
B.
C. 1120.
|
|
|
6 But the hand of the LORD
was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with
emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. 7 And when the
men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of
Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon
our god. 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. 10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came
to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out,
saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us
and our people. 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.
The downfall of Dagon (if the people had made a good use of it, and had been
brought by it to repent of their idolatries and to humble themselves before
the God of Israel and seek his face) might have prevented the vengeance which
God here proceeds to take upon them for the indignities done to his ark, and
their obstinate adherence to their idol, in defiance of the plainest
conviction. Lord, when thy hand is lifted up they will not see, but they
shall see, Isa. xxvi. 11. And, if they will not see the glory, they shall
feel the weight, of God's hand, for so the Philistines did. The hand of the
Lord was heavy upon them (v. 6), and he not only convinced them of
their folly, but severely chastised their insolence. 1. He destroyed them,
that is, cut many of them off by sudden death, those, we may suppose, that had
most triumphed in the captivity of the ark. This is distinguished from the
disease with which others were smitten. At Gath it is called a great
destruction (v. 9), a deadly destruction, v. 11. And
it is expressly said (v. 12) that those who were smitten with the
emerods were the men that died not by the other destruction, which
probably was the pestilence. They boasted of the great slaughter which their
sword had made among the Israelites, ch. iv. 10. But God lets them know
that though he does not see fit to draw Israel's sword against them (they were
unworthy to be employed), yet God had a sword of his own, with which he could
make a no less dreadful execution among them, which if he whet, and his
hand take hold on judgment, he will render vengeance to his enemies, Deut.
xxxii. 41, 42. Note, Those that contend with God, his ark, and his Israel,
will infallibly be ruined at last. If conviction conquer not, destruction
shall. 2. Those that were not destroyed he smote with emerods (v.
6), in their secret parts (v. 9), so grievous that (v.
12) the cry went up to heaven, that is, it might be heard a great way
off, and perhaps, in the extremity of their pain and misery, they cried, not
to Dagon, but to the God of heaven. The Psalmist, speaking of this sore
judgment upon the Philistines, describes it thus: God smote his enemies in
the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetual reproach, Ps. lxxviii.
66. The emerods (which we call the piles, and perhaps it was then a more
grievous disease than it is now) is threatened among the judgments that would
be the fruit of the curse, Deut. xxviii. 27. It was both a painful and
shameful disease; a vile disease for vile deserts. By it God would humble
their pride, and put contempt upon them, as they had done upon his ark. The
disease was epidemical, and perhaps, among them, a new disease. Ashdod was
smitten, and the coasts thereof, the country round. For contempt of God's
ordinances, many are weak and sick, and many sleep, 1 Cor. xi. 30. 3.
The men of Ashdod were soon aware that it was the hand of God, the God of
Israel, v. 7. Thus they were constrained to acknowledge his power
and dominion, and confess themselves within his jurisdiction, and yet they
would not renounce Dagon and submit to Jehovah; but rather, now that he
touched their bone and their flesh, and in a tender part, they were ready to
curse him to his face, and instead of making their peace with him, and
courting the stay of his ark upon better terms, they desired to get clear of
it, as the Gadarenes, who, when they had lost their swine, desired Christ to depart
out of their coasts. Carnal hearts, when they smart under the judgments of
God, would rather, if it were possible, put him far from them than enter into
covenant and communion with him, and make him their friend. Thus the men of
Ashdod resolve, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us.
4. It is resolved to change the place of its imprisonment. A great council was
called, and the question proposed to all the lords was, "What shall be we
with the ark?" And at last it was agreed that it should be carried to
Gath, v. 8. Some superstitious conceit they had that the fault was in
the place, and that the ark would be better pleased with another lodging,
further off from Dagon's temple; and therefore, instead of returning it, as
they should have done, to its own place, they contrive to send it to another
place. Gath is pitched upon, a place famed for a race of giants, but
their strength and stature are no fence against the pestilence and the emerods:
the men of that city were smitten, both great and small (v. 9),
both dwarfs and giants, all alike to God's judgments; none so great as to
over-top them, none so small as to be over-looked by them. 5. They were all at
last weary of the ark, and very willing to get rid of it. It was sent from
Gath to Ekron, and, coming by order of council, the Ekronites could not refuse
it, but were much exasperated against their great men for sending them such a
fatal present (v. 10): They have sent it to us to slay us and our
people. The ark had the tables of the law in it; and nothing more welcome
to faithful Israelites than the word of God (to them it is a savour of life
unto life), but to uncircumcised Philistines, that persist in enmity to
God, nothing more dreadful nor unwelcome: to them it is a savour of death
unto death. A general assembly is instantly called, to advise about sending
the ark again to its place, v. 11. While they are consulting about
it, the hand of God is doing execution; and their contrivances to evade the
judgment do but spread it. Many drop down dead among them. Many more are
raging ill of the emerods, v. 12. What shall they do? Their triumphs in
the captivity of the ark are soon turned into lamentations, and they are as
eager to quit it as ever they had been to seize it. Note, God can easily make
Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all that heave at it, Zech. xii. 3. Those that
fight against God will soon have enough of it, and, first or last, will be
made to know that none ever hardened their hearts against him and prospered.
The wealth that is got by fraud and injustice, especially that which is got by
sacrilege and robbing God, though swallowed greedily, and rolled under the
tongue as a sweet morsel, must be vomited up again; for, till it be, the
sinner shall not feel quietness in his belly, Job xx. 15-20.
Contents
|
Next
Section
