Joel M Bradshaw

1When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon.3And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.

 4But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward 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. 5This 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.–1 Samuel 5

From the outside perspective, it appeared that the Philistines brought the only “statue” of Israel’s God and placed it into a room with the statue of their god. Even though Israel’s God forbade statues to be made of him (Exodus 20:4-5), the mercy seat on top of the ark of the covenant was where God symbolically chose to meet with Moses (Exodus 25:22). So they put Israel’s God in the same category and place as theirs.

Except Israel’s God has nobody else in His category. Egypt’s pantheon learned this in the Exodus narrative. The 10 Plagues Yahweh sent them proved their impotence at best and their non-existence at worst. It’s the same story here for Dagon of the Philistines. The symbolism is clear. Dagon bowed before Yahweh. Even when set upright, Dagon was powerless before Yahweh.

The great question the Old Testament asks is who is like Yahweh? The great answer is there is simply no God like Yahweh.

The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? (Psalm 113:4-6)

Israel’s greatest struggles stemmed from worshipping other gods. They made others equal in their eyes to Yahweh. And yet, whenever there was any contest, Israel’s God proved it never was a contest in the first place. Notice in the New Testament how Satan and his demons never are victorious in any matchup with Jesus. He is God and they knew it. Same with Dagon here. He knew it too.

In the famous armor of God passage, Paul said that our battle is spiritual and not physical (Ephesians 6:12). How do you perceive this divine battle? Is the God of the Bible equally matched against other rivals or does he stand alone in his category? How you answer that question will define the perspective you maintain. Our God is the source of strength and hope on which we depend and to which we cling. You either trust an serve him exclusively or you do not.–JMB