Who Is the Greatest: 1 Samuel 5:1-5
God wants us to live as though we believe there are no other God before Him. Anyone can say the words and understand their meaning. It is another thing to live it. When we say the words but don’t live it out in our life, we invite God to prove us wrong.
1 Samuel 5 is a genuinely supernatural story to put God’s power on display. Before beginning, though, the theme from the prior chapter needs to be affirmed. The ark is not a talisman of God’s power. As we read through this chapter, it is not the possession of the ark that has God’s attention. If we make the possession of the ark the focus of the story, we turn it into a talisman and make the same mistake as the Hebrew people.
When the Philistines triumphantly win in battle, they claim the ark of the covenant. To demonstrate the superiority of their gods over the superiority of the God of the Hebrew people, they put the ark in their worship space for Dagon. Dagon was the chief god of the Philistines and the father of Ba’al. Bringing the talisman of a foreign god into the area for worship of another god is a dominant sign. Ancient people believed when one group captured the talismans of another god it implied their god was stronger – at least, temporarily stronger.
God has an issue with this understanding. Over the night, God knocks over the Philistine statue of Dagon. After the Philistines set it up again, God knocks it over a second time. This time, God separates the head and hands of Dagon from his torso.
This is where caution must happen. God is not bothered by the fact that the Philistines have the ark. If He didn’t want the Philistines to gain possession of the ark, He is certainly capable of preventing it. What bothers God is how the Philistines use possession of the ark to confirm their belief that Dagon is more powerful than God. It’s the relationship dynamic that upsets God, not the possession of the ark. God takes action to demonstrate the false nature of their belief.
Time and time again we hear God tell the Hebrew people to have no God above Him. This idea is so important when God gives the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai it is one of the first things He says. Acknowledging this story involves Philistines and not Hebrew people, it would be natural for the Philistines to want Dagon to be higher than God. Even so, it still wouldn’t be a pleasing idea for God.
There is no God higher than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To assert a fact contrary to this would anger the Lord. When the Philistines act against God as a demonstration for this fact, they anger the Lord. God wants us to live out our belief that there are no other God before Him.
