David Bahn – Reflections

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 1 Samuel 5-7, Psalm 107.

1 Samuel 6:13-21

Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴ The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. ¹⁶ And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸ and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

¹⁹ And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. ²⁰ Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹ So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

This incident is almost hard not to smile at. The Philistines capture the Ark of the LORD and place it in the temple of Dagon – their god of grain and provision. His name is likely related to dagan, the Hebrew word for grain. But Dagon is quickly shown to be nothing. The very next morning, his statue lies fallen before the Ark. And by the following day, his head and hands are broken off, lying on the threshold (1 Samuel 5:4). His supposed power is exposed as empty.

So much is revealed here. The LORD does not bow to idols. Dagon cannot speak, cannot act, cannot stand. It is a sad moment for the Philistines – but more is coming than the symbolic fall of their god. As they keep the Ark, the LORD afflicts them with painful tumors. Their trophy of victory becomes a heavy reminder of his sovereignty.

I remember first hearing this described – based on the King James translation – as a case of severe hemorrhoids. Whatever the exact nature of the affliction, it was no minor inconvenience. It may well have been something far more serious, perhaps even a plague, suggested by the offering of golden tumors and rats when they finally send the Ark away.

And yet, when the Ark returns to Israel, even God’s people do not fully understand. They begin to treat it as something of a talisman – a way to secure blessing or protection on their own terms.

That is a danger for us as well. As Paul writes in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked.” He is not a genie to be summoned, nor a power to be managed. He is the Lord – the God of creation, redemption, and judgment.

The men of Beth-shemesh ask the right question: “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?” It is a question we must also ask. And the answer is not found in anything we bring or control, but in what God himself provides.

We stand before him in humility and faith – with thankful hearts – trusting that this holy God has also shown himself to be gracious, merciful, and faithful. He is not only to be feared, but to be loved and trusted.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of 1 Samuel.