The God who confounds expectations – Dagon falls down (1 Sam 5:1-5)

Our last reading finished on a defeatist note: the ark was captured, the glory departed from Israel. To God’s people their tragic loss seemed like the end of hope and the end of their God. In the ancient Near East whoever was victorious in battle also had the stronger gods. Thus, the idols of defeated peoples were placed into the temple of the triumphant god to add to his retinue and worship him. Since Israel had no image of the Lord, the ark was taken instead into the sanctuary of the Philistine’s god, Dagon (1 Sam 5:2). Israel’s humiliation was thus complete.

This is where events take an unexpected turn described in almost humorous terms. When the Philistines wake up in the morning, they find their god toppled over, flat on his face in front of the ark (1 Sam 5:3). Oops! Perhaps not sure what to make of this, they prop up their idol, the irony of the situation that later prophets will mock without mercy (Jer 10:4-5; Isa 46:6-7) entirely lost on them. The next morning, however, the point is reinforced by Dagon losing both his head and hands as he falls. A headless god is clearly dead and a handless one is powerless (hand is a symbol of power – 1 Sam 4:8). Once again, we are confronted with a surprising reversal between appearances and reality. The seemingly defeated God of Israel forces the by-all-appearances victorious Dagon to bow down before Him. An idol would have been set up opposite the entrance and the fact that Dagon’s head or hands reached the threshold when it fell suggests that the statue was quite tall.[1] In comparison, the ark would have been much less impressive (about L115 x W69 x H69 cm or L45 x W27 x H27 in). Yet, what seems insignificant and small in human terms, is a force to be reckoned with when it carries God’s power.

We are familiar with this kind of thinking from the NT. The seeming weakness and defeat of Jesus’ life on the cross that turns into unexpected victory in the resurrection is repeated in the life of us, disciples. How did the apostle Paul put it?

1 Cor 1 ²³ … [W]e preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ²⁶ For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; ²⁷ but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are…

Knowing that both testaments witness to the activity of the one God, it should be no surprise for us to see the same pattern in the OT.

I suspect that all of us have experienced in our lives at one time or another circumstances that seemed overwhelming. Whether we face illness, the uncertainty of decisions to be made, financial struggles, challenges at work or in relationships, we feel thrown into the furnace of fire and wonder if we will ever make it out at the other end. We look at our defeats, our lack of strength, wisdom and resources and feel discouraged. Yet, what makes the difference in our lives is not what we possess and are capable of but the God who indwells us through His Holy Spirit. It is this we need to remember and place our trust in. The Lord is greater than what we possibly lack.

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[1] V. Orel, ‘The Great Fall of Dagon’, ZAW 110 (1998): 427-32, cited in David G. Firth, 1 & 2 Samuel, AOTC (Nottingham: Apollos; Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2009), 95.

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