Ark Taken by the Philistines
529
They imagined that the power which had hitherto attended the ark
would be theirs, and that this, united with the power of Dagon, would
render them invincible. But upon entering the temple on the following
day, they beheld a sight which filled them with consternation. Dagon
had fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. The
priests reverently lifted the idol and restored it to its place. But the
next morning they found it, strangely mutilated, again lying upon the
earth before the ark. The upper part of this idol was like that of a man,
and the lower part was in the likeness of 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 looked
upon this mysterious event as an evil omen, foreboding destruction to
themselves and their idols before the God of the Hebrews. They now
removed the ark from their temple and placed it in a building by itself.
The inhabitants of Ashdod were smitten with a distressing and fatal
disease. Remembering the plagues that were inflicted upon Egypt by
the God of Israel, the people attributed their afflictions to the presence
of the ark among them. It was decided to convey it to Gath. But the
plague followed close upon its removal, and the men of that city sent
it to Ekron. Here the people received it with terror, crying, “They have
brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our
people.” They turned to their gods for protection, as the people of Gath
and Ashdod had done; but the work of the destroyer went on, until, in
their distress, “the cry of the city went up to heaven.” Fearing longer
to retain the ark among the homes of men, the people next placed it in
the open field. There followed a plague of mice, which infested the
land, destroying the products of the soil, both in the storehouse and in
the field. Utter destruction, by disease or famine, now threatened the
nation.
For seven months the ark remained in Philistia, and during all this
time the Israelites made no effort for its recovery. But the Philistines
were now as anxious to free themselves from its presence as they had
[587]
been to obtain it. Instead of being a source of strength to them, it
was a great burden and a heavy curse. Yet they knew not what course
to pursue; for wherever it went the judgments of God followed. The
people called for the princes of the nation, with the priests and diviners,
and eagerly inquired, “What shall we do to the ark of Jehovah? tell us
wherewith we shall send it to his place?” They were advised to return