08/02/2026
ADULT STS LESSON 198_ DIVINE JUDGMENT FOR DESECRATION OF THE ARK
MEMORY VERSE: “And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you” (1 Samuel 6:3). TEXT: 1 Samuel 5:1-12; 6:1-21
On capturing the ark, the Philistines immediately “brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod”, one of their five strong cities and placed it beside their god, Dagon. It was customary in all nations then to dedicate the spoils of war to their gods, so they thought it was proper to bring the ark into Dagon’s shrine. Recall that David deposited the sword of Goliath in the house of God (1 Samuel 21:8,9). When Saul was killed in Mount Gilboa, the Philistines put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth (1 Samuel 31:9,10). Obviously, they placed the ark beside Dagon with a feeling of triumph and as a mark of subjection, submission to it and a humiliation to the God of Israel. But God defended His name and glory and proved that He could not be compared with any other god. “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42:8). To their shock, “…when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD…” Determined not to accept this reality or to prove that it was a coincidence, “they took Dagon, and set him in his place again” (1 Samuel 5:3). To their utter humiliation, “…when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him” Samuel 5:4). It is utter abomination to equate the God of heaven with idols of this world. There is only one God and beside Him, there is no other. He sometimes allows the wicked t
