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Punishment: The Ark Taken
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had gone with the ark would be theirs, and that this, united with the
power of Dagon, would make them impossible to defeat.
But when they entered the temple the following day, they saw a
sight that filled them with dismay and confusion. Dagon had fallen
on his face before the ark of the Lord. The priests reverently lifted
the idol and restored it to its place.
But the next morning they found it strangely mutilated, again
lying on the earth before the ark. The upper part of this idol was
like that of a man, and the lower part like a fish. Now every part that
resembled the human form had been cut off, and only the body of
the fish remained. Priests and people were horror-struck—they saw
this as an evil sign, predicting destruction to themselves and their
idols before the God of the Hebrews. They removed the ark from
their temple and placed it in a building by itself.
The people who lived in Ashdod were struck with a distressing
and fatal disease. Remembering the plagues inflicted on Egypt,
the people blamed the presence of the ark among them for their
sufferings. It was decided to take the ark to Gath. But the plague
followed, and the people of that city sent it to Ekron. Here the people
received it with terror, crying, “They have brought the ark of the God
of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!” The work of the destroyer
went on, until “the cry of the city went up to heaven.”
Afraid to keep the ark any longer among their homes, the people
then placed it in the open field. A plague of mice followed, which
infested the land, destroying the crops in the storehouse and in the
field. Complete destruction now threatened the nation.
For seven months the ark remained in Philistia. The Israelites
made no effort to recover it, but the Philistines were eager to get rid
of it. Instead of being a source of strength to them, it was a burden
and heavy curse, yet they did not know what to do. The people called
for the princes of the nation, with the priests and diviners, and asked,
“What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should
send it to its place.” They were advised to return it with a costly
trespass offering. “Then,” said the priests, “you will be healed.”