1st Samuel Ch 5

Recap Ch 4

So in chapter four we learned a few things that are pretty important

We saw in the first 10 verses Israel and their idolatry and how it had affected their ability to think

The placed their hope in the ark which was an object instead of placing their hope in God

then when the philistines heard that they had the ark they challenged them

remember the philistines had this mindset of its your God vs our Gods because they too saw that Israel was idolizing the ark

They ended up defeating Israel a second time but this time was different

they wiped out 30 thousand men including Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phineas

the prophecy we saw in chapter two vs 22-36 had finally been fulfilled

Eli and His sons would be dead and the Lineage or house of Eli would be no more

Eli specifically had become Old and it was apparent that his physical body was degrading

he died falling off the seat of his chair and breaking His neck

CHAPTER 4

Now also we saw that the Philistine Army Had captured the ark of the covenant

to them this was a big win , they had conquered the God of Israel in their eyes

SO They captured it and now we will see what they do with it here in Chapter 5

Chapter 5

1 Samuel 5:1 “1 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.”

so in this verse we see that they decided to trek the ark about 19 miles from Ebenezer to Ashdod

Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gaza, and gath were all 5 of the major cities in Philistia at the time

Some of us now know Gaza in Israel as the little strip of land that is always being fought over

this was a part of Land of Philistia

the philistines themselves were of Greek descent

1 Samuel 5:2 “2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.”

The philistines were known for their worship and idolization of other Gods and multiple Gods

Dagon was one of them

he was worshiped as the chief deity of the philistines

he was also known to be the father of Baal

who was the Canaanite storm god

Now they brought the Ark of the covenant to the “house of dagon “ also known as the “temple”

as a sign of defeat to the God of Israel

dagon was a god that had the body of a fish, the head and arms of a man

it was tradition for them in their culture to take the captured idols and place them in the temples of their own deities

they believed that their god had defeated the One true God

in the next few verses we will see that Satan the enemy even though the ark was in dagon’s temple was not in control

even in the darkest of place

1 Samuel 5:3 “3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again.”

1 Samuel 5:4 “4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it.”

So the next morning dagon is found on his face ,

the lord had not left the ark and his presence was still there even when it seemed he had been defeated

dagon was forced to worship the one true God

that is why they found him on the ground fallen

then they take this false god and reset him in his place

they must of thought it was an accident , thats how he fell by accident

after all they thought their god was Superior to the God of Israel because in their eyes they defeated Him

vs 4 we see a repeat of what happened in vs 3

but this time dagon’s head and hands were broken off

and the only thing left in tact was the torso of the statue

and this time we see that God literally brakes the enemy where he laid

the God of Israel was superior

1 Samuel 5:5 “5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.”

the priests of dagon were scared now , their god had been defeated

and this time they were in such fear that they didn’t even want to step into the same area that dagon had been defeated out of fear for their own life’s

1 Samuel 5:6 “6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.”

now here we see that the God of Israel has made the people of Philistia sick

God plagued them the same as he did the Egyptians like we saw in chapter 4 vs 8

with tumors and possibly what was known today as the bubonic plague

it is believed that not only did they get tumors but hemorrhoids as well

Again just throwing it out there , there is always a consequence for turning against God

1 Samuel 5:7 “7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.””

they are scared and instead of questioning the defeat of their God they decide to try and take him somewhere else

1 Samuel 5:8 “8 Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away.”

more than 20 miles away they sent the ark to a place called Gath

again no ability to see that the God of Israel was the one true God

they were trying to push the problem away instead of owning it and being wrong

1st Samuel 5:9 “9 So it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them.”

Now that the ark was in gath God makes the people there sick as well

everywhere they tried to pawn off the problem , became more problems

their plan failed

1 Samuel 5:10 “10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!””

So again they decide to take the ark to another one of their cities

this time Ekron

now Ekron wasn’t as stupid as the others

they cried out and wanted nothing to do with the ark

they knew what would come of it

sickness just like Ashdod , and Gath

1 Samuel 5:11 “11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.”

1 Samuel 5:12 “12 And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.”

Now the leaders of the Philistines meet up to finally figure out what to do with this Ark that was causing them all the trouble

they decide its only right to get rid of it and give it back to Israel so thats what they do

they didn’t want anymore people getting sick or dying

we see in the last part of vs 11 that again Gods hand was very heavy there

they were finally realizing that God didn’t need an army to fight for Him . He Himself handled the philistines

He alone had the ability to conquer them

Then in vs 12 we see that the men who did not die were hit with sickness and they cried out

there cry didn’t go to heaven since they did not believe in the God of Israel but there cry was heard by heaven

Now Theres One Point Id like to sit on here in this Passage

(A) God is the light in Dark Places

what are those dark places ?

it could be school

your home

a friends house

the movie theater

the internet

video games

tv shows

wrong place wrong time because of a bad decision

the things we let in to our life’s

it can be anywhere even un intentionally

a dark place could be anything

(1) and its important to note like the philistines, when the enemy has you in a dark place like they had the ark, they think they have won,

the enemy likes to look at you as a trophy brought into his house

(2)think again look at what God was able to do in that dark place He was the light

even after His people abused what was holy

like we saw here the philistine army took the ark into the House of dagon where God ultimately triumphed

He made dagon get down on his face and worship him

the presence of the Lord has that affect with evil

we all i’m sure have stories of God triumphing in evil places and being the light

the cool thing is when you look at this you see that no matter where you are or where you go , if you know God, He will protect you

you as a believer are a source of Gods light

John 1:4–5 “4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

darkness cannot overcome light

John 8:12 “12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

the first 11 verses explain what happened more in depth

Jesus Just had the opportunity to to go full court press with the Law on this lady and yet He chose to show her grace and mercy,

she had been caught in the act of adultery which in those days meant she would be stoned to death

but then He used this opportunity to show the scribes and the pharisees that He was the light of the world

those of us who chose to follow him do not walk in darkness

remember we do not walk in darkness because Jesus redeemed us on the cross

we can still make bad decisions but through His grace and mercy we are forgiven Just like this Lady here in John

She was walking in darkness and He showed her the light ,

So what we see here is a pretty big contrast from what we read in 1st Samuel

the Philistines had the opportunity to walk in the light and they didn’t

they pawned the problem off continually

they experienced the Light of the one True God and like it says in John chapter 1 , the darkness cannot comprehend the Light

so many of them died and continued being sick if their life was spared

Matthew 5:16“15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

We are to be an extension of the Ministry of the Lord

We as light should not contain our light but set it free and share it with all who need it

Christs ministry is for everyone not just some

I remember first becoming a Christian and learning that just because I was saved didn’t mean that was it

the first missions trip i went on a few years ago was a trip to Alabama and I remember the Leaders here at the church were like stressing that this trip was going to be one that tested us spiritually and I remember being extremely nervous

they said we would be there to be lights for those who are living in probably the worst times of their life and we would be there to support them and share Jesus with them

Man i was nervous because I had never truly shared

it was honestly so dumb that I had gotten that nervous but anyway i remember a few occasions on that trip praying for people who didn’t know the Lord and we could see how even though we were only praying for people that God was using it

Share the time with Mikey Rodriguez and the (black guy)

God gave us the opportunity to be the light in a dark place

(Expound )

Proverbs 4:18 “18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”

God being light, with light darkness cannot exist

the Light of the world cannot be put out

we again as believers are a bright Light

John 12:35–36 “35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.”

Light is not only something we see but it also points us in a direction

it gives us a bearing like on a compass

we cannot get lost when we are in the light

the light guides us through darkness , sin and life

Now sometimes it can be a struggle being in the light;

in my life there was a point where i was genuinely saved but God was still working out certain things in my life

but i remember really struggling at one point with being able to live a double life as a christian and my old self

i had many different encounters with darkness while i had the light in me

it was like the light in my life was flickering

but at the end of the day i had to come to a realization that you cant live both life’s

your either in the light or in the darkness

that doesn’t mean you wont struggle at times or stumble but you cant live both

1 John 1:5–7 “5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Guys Jesus is the light His death on the cross and the belief in that is the light

its what keeps us on the right path

the way we live our life also determines wether or not we have the light in our life

The best testimony you could ever have is the way we live our life

as an example to others

Yesterday in the study we had with men we talked about being distributors of Gods word and how at times as believers we tend to want to shy away from being the light that we are suppose to be

Matthew 15:21–28 “21 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” 27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

Matthew 15:13–15 “13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” 15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.””

In these two passages in Matthew we see that the disciples didn’t want to be distributors of Gods word

they didn’t want to deal with what they saw as problems

again Just like we read in 1st Samuel the Philistines wanted to Pawn off the ark of the covenant

trying to get rid of the light that was in front of them

but Jesus being the perfect example does the complete opposite of what the disciples wanted them to do

He showed His light and poured out His love on the Gentile woman and the little children

God wants us to be loving

He wants us to be merciful

He wants us to be graceful

He wants us to be the light in dark places

How do we Become the light of the World ?

simple we accept Jesus into our life and we live a life thats an example to others

Let me read to you a definition of what the Light is:

Light = is often used in Scripture as a symbol of the presence of God in the world. It is often especially associated with the word of God, the salvation brought about by God, or the person of Jesus Christ.

Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).

So when you look at this definition of Light you can see the examples it gives

it says the presence of God in the world

Gods word

Salvation through God

and the person of Jesus

so Gods word , the transforming power of Jesus dying on the cross and the life of Jesus himself when he was here on earth is the light of the world

Now when we have that in us we are adopted into that

we become light for Jesus , again a distributor of His light

The opposite of Light is darkness

darkness symbolizes ignorance , confusion , and the way of the world

It is up to us to chose what we want to be

do we want to be light

or do we want to be darkness

every light needs to be charged , or needs new batteries

Gods word , prayer , His example all need to be plugged in and digested in order to produce light for His kingdom

a relationship must be developed if we want to be a light

Again if we are not light then we are darkness

Im just going to share some more verses with you guys and then we will close

James 1:17 “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Isaiah 2:5 “5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the Lord.”

Psalm 139:12 “12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.”

Daniel 2:22 “22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.”

1 Timothy 6:16 “16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”

Psalm 119:1 “1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord!”

Remember this walk in the Light and it will direct you

Lets Pray