1 Samuel 5; 6; 7:4
DO you not wish to know what the Philistines did with the ark?
They were very glad to get the ark of the God of Israel; for they knew that He was a very great God. The Philistines took the ark to one of their cities, or towns; and they put it in the house of their idol. Their idol's name was Dagon. The Philistines had made an image like a man, but with the tail of a fish, and they called it Dagon, and they had built a house for Dagon, and they had set Dagon up on a high place; so they used to come and worship Dagon very often in this house.
The Philistines left the ark all night in the house of Dagon: the next morning they got up early, and went into the idol's house. But what do you think they saw when they went in?
They saw their idol Dagon fallen down from the high place, and lying upon his face before the ark.
Who had thrown Dagon down? It was God, Who wished to show the Philistines that He was stronger than idols, and that He hated idols.
The Philistines were not quite sure that it was God Who had thrown Dagon on the ground: so they lifted up Dagon, and set him in his place again near the ark: and they left him.
The next morning they rose up early and came into the idol's house. What do you think they saw this time?
Dagon was fallen down again on his face, before the ark: and this time Dagon was broken: his head and his hands were broken off from his body. The Philistines were very sorry their idol was broken. I do not know whether they mended the idol, or whether they set him up again: but God soon made something much worse happen to the Philistines. God made them very ill indeed, and full of pain. They said one to another, 'What shall we do with the ark? for it shall not stay in this city any longer.' So they sent it to another city, where some other Philistines lived. What do you think happened to the people of that city, when the ark of God was come into it?
They fell very ill indeed, and a great many of them died. So the people of the city sent it to another city of the Philistines. The people of the other city were very much frightened when they saw the ark coming: they said, We shall die now the ark is brought here.
Soon they fell very ill, and a great many of the people died, and the city was full of people groaning and crying.
At last the Philistines thought they would send the ark back to the Israelites; but they did not feel quite sure that the God of Israel had been angry with them for keeping the ark.
Do you think the God of Israel was angry with them? Yes, my dear child: you know that it was God Who had made them so ill, and Who had killed so many of them.
The Philistines made a plan for sending back the ark. This was their plan. They said, 'We will put the ark in a new cart, and we will take two cows that have never drawn a cart before; and we will tie them to the cart, and we will shut up their calves in this place where we live. No one shall drive the cows, but we will see what they will do. If the God of Israel is so great, He can make the cows take the ark back to the Israelites. If the cows leave their calves, and go to the place where the Israelites live, then we shall be quite sure that it was the God of Israel Who made us so ill, to punish us for keeping the ark.'
This was the plan of the Philistines. They had heard how God once sent plagues to Pharaoh, and they were afraid lest God should do the same to them. They said, 'We will not harden our hearts, as Pharaoh and the people of Egypt did.'
The Philistines took two cows that gave milk, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home, and they laid the ark of God upon the cart, and they watched to see what the cows would do.
Then God made the cows do a wonderful thing. They drew the cart, without being driven, along the road which led to the place where the Israelites lived. They lowed as they went, and never once turned out of the road.
Some of the Philistines followed the cart. At last the cart came to a place where some of the Israelites were reaping grain in a field. These Israelites looked up, and saw the cart coming, and soon they saw the ark, and then they were very glad indeed. The cows brought the ark into the field, and then stopped by the side of a great stone.
The Israelites saw that it was God Who had sent the ark back to them again: so they wished to offer a sacrifice to God to thank Him. They took the ark out of the cart, and placed it on the great stone, and they took the cart, and cut it up for wood for a sacrifice, and they killed the two cows and burned them as a sacrifice. They did this to show they were grateful to God Who had made the cows bring the ark back.
The Philistines were much surprised at the wonderful thing that God had done, and they went back to their own land. Ought they not to have left off worshipping idols, when they saw how great the God of Israel was? Yes, they should have burned their idols when they got home, and only worshipped the true God. But they went on worshipping idols, and God was angry with them for it.
And the Israelites did a thing that displeased God very much. They looked into the ark. God did not allow anybody to look into the Ark. You know what there was inside the ark. The tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written.
God is very angry when people dare to disobey Him: so He made those Israelites fall very ill, and a great many of them died. Then they were afraid of keeping the ark in their city; and they sent messages to some other Israelites to come and fetch it: and they came and fetched it, and put it in the house of a man. This man lived upon a hill, and he and his son took care of the ark in one of the rooms of his house.
Do you know why the ark was not sent back to the tabernacle at Shiloh? God was angry with the people of Shiloh for all their wickedness. The people of Shiloh had worshipped idols, and so God was angry and would not let the ark go back to Shiloh.
It was very kind of God to let the ark come again into the place where the Israelites lived, and all the people in Israel who loved God were very glad that the ark was come back.
Philistines dared with heathen pride,
To set the ark by Dagon's side,
Within their idol's temple walls;
The door they close,—
Lo! Dagon bows,
And on his face he falls.
In vain they set him up again;
He cannot near the ark remain;
Ah! see, he trembles where he stands,
Falls from his place
With dire disgrace,
And breaks his head and hands.
Child
And are some children taught to pray
To such a god as fell that day?
My parents, in my babyhood,
Instructed me
To bow the knee
To Israel's mighty God.
Questions on Lesson 4
Where did the Philistines first place the ark? What happened to Dagon?
What other punishment did God send to the Philistines for keeping the ark?
Why did the Philistines at last determine to send it back to the Israelites?
Who carried it back?
Why did the Philistines shut up the calves of the cows?
Where did the cows stop?
What did the Israelites sacrifice to God, to thank Him for letting the ark come back?
Did the Philistines go on worshipping idols, after the wonderful thing that God had done?
How did some of the Israelites offend God after the ark was brought back?
Where was the ark kept?