1 Samuel 5 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 1 Sam 5:1-12

1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.

6 The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumours. 7 When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, ‘The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.’ 8 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, ‘What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?’

They answered, ‘Let the ark of the god of Israel be moved to Gath.’ So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

9 But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, ‘They have brought the ark of the god of Israel round to us to kill us and our people.’ 11 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, ‘Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.’ For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

A. Find Out:

1. Where did the Philistines take the Ark? v.1,2
2. What happened to the idol, Dagon? v.3,4
3. What happened to the people of Ashdod? v.6
4. What happened to the people of Gath? v.9
5. What was the reaction of the people of Ekron? v.10,11
6. What was happening to them? v.12

B. Think:

1. What was God causing to happen in every city of the Philistines where the Ark was taken?
2. What do you think was His purpose in doing that?

C. Comment:

     Merely because God has allowed the Philistines to defeat Israel, it doesn’t mean He is going to let them get away with it and hold onto the Ark. The Philistines were idol worshippers, so they put the Ark in their temple alongside their god or idol, but God will not stand for competition! He had the Ark made as a place identifying His presence, whether it is in Israel or anywhere else. If it is next to a false idol then the idol had better watch out!

     Not only that but the Lord then afflicted the people of the town with some form of tumor. Gradually they become aware of what is happening, associate it with God and demand that the Ark be removed. Rather than send it back to Israel, they send it to another Philistine town where the same thing occurs. When it is sent to a third town, the results came very quickly and the people cried out in distress. It was as if God was saying, “I am a holy God and if you bring my presence into your unholy midst, you must expect holy judgement upon your sin.” The thing to do is either repent or remove yourself from God’s presence. The Philistines sought to do the latter. “Religious” people are the first to be disciplined if they seek to come close to God in the wrong way!

D. Application?

1. God has no equals; there is no other worthy of worship.
2. Be holy as God is holy (Matthew 5:48)