Beginning of the End: Heathen Gods Cannot Stand Before the Ark of God

 In triumph the Philistines took the ark to Ashdod and placed it in the house of their god Dagon. They imagined that the power that had gone with the ark would be theirs, and that this, united with the power of Dagon, would make them impossible to defeat.

But when they entered the temple the following day, they saw a sight that filled them with dismay and confusion. Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the Lord. The priests reverently lifted the idol and restored it to its place.

But the next morning they found it strangely mutilated, again lying on the earth before the ark. The upper part of this idol was like that of a man, and the lower part like a fish. Now every part that resembled the human form had been cut off, and only the body of the fish remained. Priests and people were horror-struck—they saw this as an evil sign, predicting destruction to themselves and their idols before the God of the Hebrews. They removed the ark from their temple and placed it in a building by itself.

The people who lived in Ashdod were struck with a distressing and fatal disease. Remembering the plagues inflicted on Egypt, the people blamed the presence of the ark among them for their sufferings. It was decided to take the ark to Gath. But the plague followed, and the people of that city sent it to Ekron. Here the people received it with terror, crying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!” The work of the destroyer went on, until “the cry of the city went up to heaven.”

Afraid to keep the ark any longer among their homes, the people then placed it in the open field. A plague of mice followed, which infested the land, destroying the crops in the storehouse and in the field. Complete destruction now threatened the nation.

For seven months the ark remained in Philistia. The Israelites made no effort to recover it, but the Philistines were eager to get rid of it. Instead of being a source of strength to them, it was a burden and heavy curse, yet they did not know what to do. The people called for the princes of the nation, with the priests and diviners, and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.” They were advised to return it with a costly trespass offering. “Then,” said the priests, “you will be healed.”