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Israel sadly lost the Ark of God’s Testimony in battle with Philistia by treating it as a talisman of victory rather then depending on God Himself. In this passage, Philistia learned unpleasantly that the God of Israel superseded their god Dagon.
Philistia falsely believed their victory came from the benevolence of their gods, particularly Dagon, their fertility god. However in 1st Samuel 5-6, we discover God’s hand in this event as the Philistines slowly discover who is more powerful — Dagon or the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — and how God, with patience and humor, revealed His power to the ignorant Philistines.
Food for thought from the recorded discussion
How many people really died in either Philistia or Beth Shemash?
Some translations speak of tumors, some speak of hemorrhoids? What were these sores?
Where did the Philistines first place the Ark when they took it from the Israelites? What was the name of the town?
What is Dagon? Were the Philistines monotheistic? What kind of rites were performed in Dagon’s temple?
What happened to the statue of Dagon when the Ark was in the temple? How did the Philistines respond to the collapse of the idol of Dagon?
What illness happened to the people while the Ark was in Philistine territory? Were the judgments on the Philistines similar to the judgments against the Egyptians?
Where did the Philistine’s move the Ark next? What happened to the people of Gath (1st Sam. 5:9)?
Where was the Ark moved next? What happened in Ekron?
Why were the judgments intensifying in severity? How long had the Ark been in Philistine territory (1st Sam. 6:1)?
Why did the Philistines want to send the Ark back with gifts? What gifts back were sent with the Ark? Why did the Philistines use milk cows to return the Ark rather than oxen? Where did the cows take the Ark? What happened to the Ark after it arrived in Beth Shemesh? How did God judge the residents of Beth Shemesh? Where did the Ark go from there?
How does this story connect with the story of the matriarch Sarah (Genesis 20)? How did God close up the “holes” of people of Abimelech’s household? What does that tell us about how God communicates with people in judgment?
What does it mean to carry the promise of God? Why was this story recorded? How many times has this pattern happened in history?
Reader: Dave DeFever. Speaker: Daniel Agee.
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