February 17, 2024

The Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant, took it home with them, and placed it beside Dagon, their idol. The next morning, Dagon had fallen over and was on his face before the Ark of the LORD. They set it back up, but the next day, it fell over again; this time, Dagon's head and hands were broken off. The people of that city, Ashdod, began dying and getting tumors. They knew God and the Ark were causing their pain, yet continued to revere Dagon more than Him. They sent the Ark to two other Philistine cities, and the people of those cities also had death and tumors come upon them. They missed the point! Why couldn't they see that God was more powerful than Dagon? Yet instead, they decided to remove the symbol of God rather than renounce their worship of Dagon and worship Him as He desires from all people. Their hearts were so hardened they couldn't see their ignorance. We are seeing more and more people turn away from worshipping God to worship idols like Dagon. I expect we will start seeing God punish them and show them his power; I hope they are smart enough to renounce those idols and turn their hearts to God. No one who denies God will win.  

But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. 1 Samuel 5:6-7