WHEN GOD SHOWS UP!

1 Samuel 5:1-5 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

5:1 The Philistines brought the ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

2 They took the ark of God into the house of Dagon and set it beside Dagon [their idol].

3 When they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again.

4 But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had again fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and [his] head and both the palms of his hands were lying cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left him.

5 This is the reason neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

Back story: The Israelite's are at war with the Philistines (again). Samuel had just been appointed prophet to Israel. Israel had already 4,000 men in battle.

Picture this the Philistines on the side of one mountain and Israel on another. Below is a wide flat valley, with a creek running through it and a deer getting a cool drink.

The Philistine's yelling across this peaceful valley, cursing, raising Cain, blasphemies spewing out against the Lord of Hosts. Saying things like:

"Hey you little punks! Where is your God now?!" or"Did this God really deliver you from the Egyptians?" and "Well, He won't deliver you from us!"

So, what does Israel do? Do they retaliate with words? No. They got together and sent a messenger to Shiloh. Why did they not let the Philistines taunts goad them in to a fight at that precise moment? They had a better plan. They sent to Shiloh for 3 things Hophni, Phineas, and God Himself!

You see the Israelite's thought this was their idea, but God had a bigger plan, and not one they expected.

This whole time Israel played the part, they were quite. Probably whispering prayers, getting game ready! I used to coach football, 30-45 minutes before the game started we would lower lights in the locker room and tell them to get ready. Not "dressed" ready or "physically " ready ( they should've done that at practice the week before). But mentally ready! We, the coaches, would be in our office making final adjustments to the GAMEPLAN. I would look around the locker room and see the guys some would be listening to music, stuff that made their blood pump. Some would sit quietly and others would be in groups going over blocking assignments or technique assignments. But when we would walk to the back of the end zone and 53-60 young men plus coaches and on cue we would let out a shout together. Fans would join in the stadium would echo with that sound.

But that was nothing compared to the shout that Israel gave when the Ark of God showed up in the camp. It says in 1 Samuel 4:5 that their shout shook the EARTH.

Now this got the Philistines attention for real. The quiet as church mice Israelite's letting out a shout this loud. Sitting around their fire and drinking their ( whatever they drank), playing cards. shooting dice and every once in a while going out to thumb their noses at the Israel. When they heard this shout I am sure they were saying " What do they have to shout about?" The one who's turn it was to thumb their nose at Israel not only heard the shout but they saw the reason why. When he told the others the got scared and rightly so. I can almost hear them now in a frightened, monotone, unison voice saying "God has come into the camp!" They were so afraid they forgot that he is only one God in 1 Sam. 4:8

" Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with every kind of plague in the wilderness"

You see when God showed up He turned this bunch of snarling barbarians into a bunch of sniveling brats. Oh, but wait there was one, there is always one. " Suck it up you bunch of cupcakes, we're Philistines! Dry it up and fight like men!" (vs. 9 paraphrased).

Fight is what they did and defeated Israel. Wait, what DEFEATED? Yes badly defeated but you remember I said God always has a plan?

Israel lost 30,000 men that day. They also lost Eli, Hophni, and Phineas but most importantly the Ark of God was lost. But there is a bright spot in the day. You see Phineas wife was pregnant. and when she heard all that had happened that day " She bowed herself and gave birth..." But she paid no attention to the child. Right before she died she named the child "Ichabod" literally "inglorious" she said...

"The Glory of God has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured."

Then she took her last breath.

Now the Philistine have the Ark (the physical presence of God in those days). What are they going to do with it? They put it in the temple of their own god...Dagon. Now, Dagon was their chief idol. Dagon had the torso of a man and the lower body of a fish(believed to be the father of Baal). By all reason he was a"MERMAN"

So, they put the Ark in the there with Dagon. Patting each other on the back. Laughing, saying "We defeated the God that destroyed the Egyptians (178 earlier) He's not so mighty." What they didn't really know what they really had in "THE BOX" was the Lion of the Tribe of Judah

What they really, really didn't know was... he was lying in wait, because he could have killed them all, ask Uzza (43 chapters ahead). But he had bigger plans.

What were his plans? First, while they were out celebrating all night. Reveling in their victory, God was working. The one who is in charge of all of the spoils of war goes to the Temple to look one more time and laugh. But, what he finds not only sends shock waves through him but through all of Philista. Dagon was on his face before the God of Israel!

Remember I said there's always one? We probably just partied to hard last night.

Goliath or one of his gigantic brothers probably bumped him on their way home. Just stand him back up. So they do. Then they go about their usual routine. Not giving another thought about how their day started until the next morning.

You know in Isaiah 45:23 & 24 :

"...That to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath (confess)..."

Well, God did this here becasue the next morning when the Sgt. of spoils goes to check not only was Dagon fallen but his head and hands were broken off ( literally cut-off).

Wait a minute?! Cut off?! Yes, Cut off! You see if they were merely broken off they could've explained that away. Oh, they just broke off when he fell. Gravity vs. a hard surface. broken implies jagged edges, cut off implies smooth ones.

The head is where your brain is, right? Where you have thought, ideas, and this is where your motor skills take pace. Without the head the body doesn't operate. No voice, no movement this is the power plant of the body which in turn means what? No power plant, No power. ( Not that Dagon had any).

So, what is the deal with the hands? The hands is how we do work. Till the soil, turn a wrench, take an oath. So, now Dagon has no power and unable to do works (not that he could).

Now, not only were Dagon's head and hands cut off. They were lying on the threshold. This is important because they were moved from their original location to block the entrance to the temple. It says in 1 Sam. 5:5 "...that no priest or follower of Dagon tread the threshold to this day."

Not only did Yaweh (GOD) wreak havoc within the temple. He reached out in to the town. He struck the towns people with tumors. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 5:6

"...He ravaged them and struck them with tumors..." (NKJV)

Not just within the city of Ashdod but also all of its territories. So, this gets the attention of the city leaders (the Mayor and town council). they had a meeting because the people of the town were crying out "You all have do something about this!"

So, the lords of the Philistines ( this would be like the governor, house and senate) said "Take the Ark to Gath."

The same thing happens here, the Bible says this

"...The hand of the Lord was against the city with a great destruction..."

Tumors (similar to bubonic plague) break out among the towns people. They begin to cry out as well and say "Get this Ark away from here!"

Now when the people of Ekron hear all of this they were possibly saying "Thank God it is not happening here!" (pun intended)

Until it was , the lords of the Philistines ordered the Ark to be moved to Ekron. The people cry out our own people are trying to destroy us. The Bible says here in 1 Samuel 5:10

"...They (the Philistine lords) have brought the Ark of God of Israel to us to Kill us and our people."

So they (the Ekronites) called the lords and said "Let's just send the Ark back to Israel and stop the destruction of our own people. (Vs.11 paraphrased).

The Bible says that there was a deadly destruction through out all of the city so much so that they turned their hearts to God! v.12 says this

"...and the cry of the city went up to Heaven."

Did you notice that? The cry went to Heaven not to Ashdod, not to a fallen Dagon, but to Yaweh in Heaven.

You see many times we cry out to God in our desperation . We expect things to become instantly better. But God always has a B.B.P (Bigger, Better, Plan). We fell a lot like Ichabod ( not Crain). There are several examples of this in the Bible. Not going to list, read and find them .

What we fail to understand is when we call God to war He goes to war. Probably not the way we think he should. We want Him just to take care of the immediate problem. You see when we go to war we start with the foot soldiers. At the bottom and work our way to the top. When God goes to war HE starts at the top and works downward until he gets to your immediate problem or situation.

So no matter the battle you are in when God shows up He will utterly destroy the enemy you are facing. Whether that be addiction, financial problems, depression , no matter what it is. He will cut off the head and hands of the problem and them eradicate all the loose ends that can trip you up to make you fall into the same trap.

Victory is ours sometimes the battle maybe longer than we want but we are VICTORIOUS.