CONTENTS This chapter relates to us the history of the ark of God while in captivity. The Philistines for a short space rejoice over their spoil. But this joy is turned into sorrow. God visits the Philistines with plagues, till at length they are constrained to call a council in order to deliver th... [ Continue Reading ]
(1) В¶ And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. (2) When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. What the Philistines design was in bringing the ark into the house of their idolatrous God, is not so... [ Continue Reading ]
(3) And 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. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. Had the men of Ashdod only considered this as a supernatural work, instantly they must have seen in it the fing... [ Continue Reading ]
(4) And 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. (5) Therefore neither the priests of D... [ Continue Reading ]
(6) В¶ But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. (7) And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and... [ Continue Reading ]
(8) They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, 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 about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. (9) And it was s... [ Continue Reading ]
REFLECTIONS How very precious it is to observe, the attention which God hath over his own cause. Though Israel is sunk so low as to be supine and inattentive to the attempt of recovering the ark, yet God will be jealous of his own honor. Reader! do you not see a sweet instruction veiled under this?... [ Continue Reading ]