1-3 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4-5 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6-7 The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumours, both in Ashdod and its territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought round to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9 But after they had brought it round, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumours broke out on them.

10-12 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought round to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. The men who did not die were struck with tumours, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 1 Samuel 5:1-12 English Standard Version

Today's reading would be amusing if weren't for the fact that it was such a serious incident, and such a vital truth. One can picture the puzzled amazement of the people in Ashdod as they found their idol face down with broken limbs after having carefully put it back up the day before! But their confusion turned to terror as many in the city and surrounding area were struck with tumours. It led to the Ark being sent in panic from city to city like some dangerous radio active device. No one wanted it near them. What would you say is the vital truth these events should have made the Philistines come to understand?.

I think it is well summed up in Psalm 96 where the writer says: “Sing to the Lord. Bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols. But the Lord made the heavens. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the people, the glory due His name. Worship the Lord in the splendour of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth!” The prophet Isaiah described it well too when he said of idols: “The metalworker encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smooths with the hammer spurs on the one who strikes the anvil. One says of the welding, 'It is good.' The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.” Isaiah 41:7

The Philistines ought to have realized that God wasn't like the idols they made with their own hands, but that He is supreme over all, and that their existence depended upon His mercy. They ought, as the Psalm writer said, to have ascribed to God the glory due to His name, and to have worshipped Him in the beauty of holiness. And this is a truth that should be vital for all the families of the world. God isn't to be placed alongside other things we idolize in this life. He is worthy of the highest place in our affections. Like the apostle Paul we should be able to say “It is my eager hope that, now as always, Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ - and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21)