Village Schools of the Bible

A Devotional Study of 1 Samuel 5 & 6
by Max Frazier, Jr.

Well, now for some interesting and reflective thoughts from 1 Samuel 5 and 6. Chapter 5 is the account of the punishment God inflicted upon the Philistines after they had captured the ark; chapter 6 describes the return of the ark of the Lord from the Philistines back into Israel.

I. The idol Dagon falls before the ark of God (1 Samuel 5:1-5)

II. God inflicts punishment upon the Philistines (vs. 6-10)

III. The Philistines decide to return the ark (vs. 11-12)

I believe that the scene of Dagon, the great fish-shaped god of the Philistines, fallen flat on his face before the ark of God, is representative of that great scene that has yet to occur. Paul trumpets that someday, there in glory, every knee that has ever been will bow down and every tongue that has ever spoken will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He alone is worthy to be praised by all. We do not need to put any comfort in the gods of this world. They are as worthless as Dagon.

Idolatry really is the height of foolishness. Just a side note...What I found amazing was the reaction of the Philistines. When they saw their god fallen and broken before the ark of God and when they had become afflicted with tumors, they acknowledged these as the power of God. Yet, they did not bow before God but sought to appease God by fleeing from His hand. Today many people can see God's hand at work, yet they continue in their sinful ways. How sad!

I. The plan of the Philistines to return the ark (1 Samuel 6:1-9)

II. The plan enacted (vs. 10-12, 17-18)

III. The ark reaches Beth Shemesh (vs 13-16)

IV. Sins at Beth Shemesh (vs. 19-21)

A disaster had overtaken the victorious Philistines. For seven months the people were plagued with an inundation of rats and a painful physical condition, the nature of which we are uncertain. The leaders realized that there was a reason for these events to have occurred. Either they were under the curse of Israel's God or they were victims of a random act of nature. In the case of these Philistines it was God's hand of judgment that was upon them. But not every case of physical illness or disease is a sign of God's judgment. Illnesses strike because our bodies are subject to disease. So we get colds and the flu. We experience sore throats and ear infections. When illness does strike we need to examine ourselves to see if it is sin that has led to our illness. And if we determine it is, then we need to deal with it as did the Philistines. But if it isn't, then we just need to pray for God's grace for endurance.

How wise the Philistines were. They thought that Israel's God was behind the suffering they were now experiencing. They remembered the stories that came out of Egypt and did not want to experience the total destruction of their land as had happened to Egypt because of the hard-heartedness of their leaders. History motivated the Philistines to respond properly in this situation and God honored their response with healing. The Bible reminds us of the importance of learning the lessons from the past. To learn from history is often a step toward healing.

1Samuel 4 Return to the Table of Contents 1Samuel 7-8