1 Samuel 5-7 describes a time during Samuel the prophet’s ministry when the Philistines seemed to have the upper hand against the children of Israel. When chapter five opens, the ark of the covenant has been captured, the high priest Eli has died from shock, and Eli’s grandson is named Ichabod upon his sudden birth: the glory of the Lord has departed.

It was a troublesome time for the Israelites, while the Philistines rejoiced in their victory. Little did they know that God would soon trouble them.

The victorious Philistine warriors took the ark of the covenant—the representation of the presence of God among His people—and set it up in a pagan temple next to one of their gods, Dagon. The Got Questions? website gives us a few details on this deity:

Dagon was the chief deity of the Philistines, and the worship of this pagan god dates back the third millennium BC. The Ugaritic tablets, a main source of information on Canaanite mythology, seem to have Dagon as Baal’s father. He was the fish god (dag in Hebrew means “fish”), and he was represented as a half-man, half-fish creature. This image furthered an evolutionary belief that both men and fish had evolved together from the primal waters. Dagon may also have been the provider of grain. So Dagon was similar to many other idols in that he personified natural forces that had supposedly produced all things.

I guess Darwin wasn’t the first to propose the erroneous (and preposterous) theory that we evolved from pond scum. Time hasn’t lessened man’s ignorance!

I diverse.

Imagine the Philistines’ surprise when they awoke the next morning and went to their temple to worship.

1 Samuel 5:4 – But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on 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 on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

Why were the hands and head cut off? What a striking visual that illustrates the condition of ALL false gods when compared to our God, the Most High God!

False gods have no authority!

False gods have no wisdom!

False gods have no power to act!

False gods are an empty shell!

False gods fall in the presence of the One True God!

The Philistines recognized the power represented by the ark. They had heard the stories of how God rescued His people from the hands of the Egyptians and were aware of the history of how this powerful deity fought battles on their behalf (1 Samuel 6:6). Their mistake was thinking He was just another “god” they could add to their religious practices, on par with or lesser than Dagon, Baal, or the Ashtaroth.

They didn’t know Who they were dealing with!

I think that’s often our problem as well, even as followers of Jesus. We understand God has power, but really, how much? Has He become just someone we place on the shelf alongside our gods of self-sufficiency, materialism, and religious good works? Do we truly recognize that He is God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:5,22, 46:9)? Do we take seriously His command to worship Him and Him alone, having no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3)?

Do we know Who we’re dealing with?

The Philistines soon discovered the truth. In fear, they passed the ark of the covenant from city to city, only for God to systematically dismantle their self-confidence by afflicting their health with tumors and clouding their human wisdom with fear and confusion. Ultimately, in desperation, they placed the ark on a cart pulled by oxen and sent it out of town. As the oxen moved directly into the territory of the children of Israel, they realized without a doubt that they had encountered the Most High God.

Israel rejoiced in recovering the symbol of God’s presence, but even they did not treat Him with the respect He demanded and deserved. More than 50,000 died when they took lightly the command that only the priests were to handle the ark, even looking inside it as if it were a curiosity, not something God had designated as holy and precious to Him.

What’s our takeaway?

I believe this account in scripture has many applications, but for me, it’s a call to examine my view of God. Do I recognize who He is—the all-powerful, all-wise, sovereign Creator who has authority over me? Or have I relegated and downsized Him to just another god, adopting an attitude of “take Him or leave Him” as it suits my needs?

God may need to cut off the hands and head of our little gods so we get the message. Before that happens, let us heed Samuel’s advice to the children of Israel as they returned the symbol of God’s presence to its rightful place. He is not a God to be trifled with; let us serve the Lord alone.

1 Samuel 7:3-4 – Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord alone.