DAGON MUST FALL!
1 Sam. 4:2-5:12
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: HOMELAND SECURITY OVERLOAD
1. Homeland Security has gotten especially concerned about terrorism since we pulled our military out of Afghanistan. They’ve tightened security at airports and on planes.
2. Just the other day I heard they arrested a lady on a plane because she was carrying knitting needles. Evidently, they were afraid she was going to knit an Afghan!
B. TEXT & THESIS: 1 Sam. 4:2-18; 5:1-12
4:2 Israel was defeated by the Philistines…. 3 The elders of Israel [said]...“Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.” 5 When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. 6 Hearing the uproar...7 the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. 8 “We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues…9 Be strong, Philistines! Or you will be subject to the Hebrews. Be men, and fight!” 10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and…the slaughter was very great; Israel lost 30,000 foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured...13 [The High Priest] Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God....18 When he [heard about] the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died. 5:1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it…to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold. 6 The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod… he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors. 7 …They said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” 8 So they moved the ark of the God of Israel [to Gath]. 9 But…the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, 11 “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it… 12 and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.
C. THESIS
1. We're going to look this morning at how God is the Living God; He’s not a fabrication of human ingenuity. He is able to uphold his own Name & honor, and doesn’t need our help.
2. Secondly, we’re going to see what happens when God comes into a human life; He turns things upside down and refuses to allow sin to stand unchallenged.
3. This message is entitled, "Dagon Must Fall!"
I. WHY THE ARK WAS TAKEN
A. ISRAEL’S RABBIT FOOT
1. Israel had been defeated by the Philistines. Instead of 1). Seeking God for the reason, 2). Praying, or 3). Checking to see if they had sinned, Israel sent off for their heavenly rabbit's foot or good luck charm -- -- the Ark.
2. The Ark was a small wooden box, covered with gold (4’ x 2’) with two Angel figures on the lid. This "Ark" represented the very presence of God.
3. Good luck charms really don’t help you. Take a rabbit's foot for an example; it sure didn't help the rabbit! Approximately ¼ of all US adults have some kind of good luck charm: a horseshoe, Rabbit’s Foot, lucky penny, four-leaf clover, a cross, knock on wood, cross their fingers, etc.
4. The Hebrews thought they could never be defeated in battle if they had the Ark. But they were trusting in a box instead of God. It was a play to manipulate God.
B. OUR MISPLACED TRUSTS
1. We put our faith in the wrong things.
2. Many trust in: someone else's prayers, their good deeds, their goodness, or their accomplishments. They think these make them more acceptable to God.
3. It’s only the Blood of Jesus that makes us acceptable to God! And our daily Battle won’t be won by good luck charms, but by prayer and faith in the Living God!
C. PHILISTINE’S PERCEPTION OF ISRAEL’S GOD
1. When the Israelites brought the Ark into their camp, the Philistines said, “We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues…” (4:8).
2. It’s amazing that people who DON’T serve the Lord often have a better opinion of God than God’s people! The Israelites might have forgotten the power of God displayed in Egypt, but the Philistines hadn’t!
3. The Lord Jesus marveled at the faith of the Canaanite woman and the Roman centurion, but was disappointed with His own people. Let’s be sure to remember how mighty and awesome OUR God is!
D. WHY WAS ELI AFRAID FOR THE ARK?
1. The High Priest trembled for the Ark. He was afraid God would fail! LOL! There are times when it LOOKS LIKE God’S not working. Recently, Christians in China and Africa have been persecuted.
2. Has God failed? No. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” (Quintus Septimius in Tertullian). Persecution only makes the church grow bigger!
3. You don’t need to do any worrying for God. The Living God doesn’t need any propping up; He’s able to take care of Himself and do what He’s promised.
4. GOD DOESN’T NEED...
a. Evolution to create biological life;
b. The Big Bang to start the universe;
c. The Red Sea to be 2 ft. deep for the Israelites to cross;
d. A big fish to swallow Jonah (whale is ok!);
e. A natural earthquake to free Paul & Silas;
f. A solar eclipse for darkness at Christ’s crucifixion;
g. A conjunction of planets for Bethlehem’s star;
h. A gimmick to explain Jesus walking on the water, the water turned to wine, the multiplying of the fishes and loaves, nor the falling of the walls of Jericho!
5. MY GOD IS SO POWERFUL HE DOESN’T NEED ANYBODY’S HELP TO WORK MIRACLES; HE’S WELL ABLE TO DO THEM ALL HIMSELF!
II.WHEN THE PHILISTINES SHOUTED
A. CELEBRATION AFTER THE PHILISTINE VICTORY
1. If you've watched an NFL game you've seen what the players do in the Endzone after touchdowns: Strut, Gyrate, High-5, Jump up & down, Yell, Spike the ball, Run around.
2. That's what the Philistines did after their two great victories over the Israelites, & especially after capturing the Ark. Probably the whole city of Ashdod was assembled to celebrate.
3. They brought the Ark -- as a trophy -- into the Temple of Dagon, and probably shouted, "Praise to the Mighty Dagon, who has defeated the God of the Hebrews, Jehovah." And they put the small box before the giant statue of Dagon, pictured as half man and half fish (a merman).
4. This scene reminds me of a humorous commercial a few years ago with the punch line, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" And mother nature would zap them with bad weather. It relates an accurate truth:
B. IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO MOCK GOD!
1. God is jealous for His Name & honor. When the enemy brags, that's good news for God's people, because it will provoke God to vindicate his name!
2. We should take warning; Always be respectful towards God's name & the Bible. Don’t tell jokes about God.
3. ILLUSTRATION.
a. I remember the story of a notorious atheist who liked to brag and make a public scene when he would blaspheme against God. One day he challenged God, if such a Being existed, to meet him in the woods and fight him.
b. The next day he went into the woods, stayed a few hours yelling and throwing things, and then returned home, gloating more than ever that, if there was a God, He hadn’t shown up.
c. What he didn’t know was, when he'd been in the woods, a tiny gnat had bitten him on his eyelid. That night it swelled up and blood poisoning set in. Within a day or two he died! God had used the weakest and tiniest of creatures demonstrate that He is not to be mocked! [Knight’s Master Book of New Illus., p. 24].
III. THE ARK PUT INTO DAGON’S TEMPLE
A. A PICTURE OF CHRIST ENTERING THE HUMAN SOUL
1. Christ finds our hearts dark and under the dominion and power of sin.
2. Imagine Dagon and God in the same heart! It would be impossible for them to remain that way long. “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2 Cor. 6:14-15.
3. The two forces will inevitably conflict. They are as different as: Good and Evil, Fire and Water, Heat & Cold! Be assured: God will ultimately triumph. "Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound."
4. Dagon immediately fell upon his face. Notice, Dagon didn't partially fall over, but FELL ONTO HIS FACE! The Ark was set at the foot of Dagon, but now Dagon lay at the foot of the Ark!
5. SOME TRY TO KEEP BOTH! Your Dagon could be...
a. Your Fear of surrendering all the way to Christ.
b. A cherished sin you don’t want to give up.
c. Your love for the world and its pleasures.
Either you're going to put the Ark out of your life, or your Dagon is going to fall before the Ark.
6. God won’t share you; One or the other has to go!
B. SETTING DAGON BACK UP
1. Sometimes after we’re saved, we go back to our idols. The Philistines took ropes and pulleys and pry bars and with great exertions, put the huge lump of marble back on its stand. But God had no trouble toppling it again that night.
2. The second time, the fall of Dagon was worse than the first time. [Head & hands broken off; mastery & activity] God will break sin’s influence over you.
3. Sin may trouble you, but it won’t prevail over you. "Sin shall not have dominion over you." Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world!
IV. DAGON MAY BE BROKEN, BUT THERE’S STILL A STUMP LEFT
A. ILLUS.: DON’T THINK THE SIN NATURE IS GONE
1. A native in a 3rd world country was given a job of trust at a mission station. He violated that trust and stole. The missionaries asked, “Why did you take what didn’t belong to you?” He said, “It wasn’t I who stole; it was grandfather in the bones!” (his old sin-nature).
2. In time he became an overcoming Christian. From time to time they’d ask him, “How is grandfather in the bones?” He’d answer, “He’s not dead yet, but he doesn’t get around like he used to!” [Knight’s Treasury, p. 359]
3. Beware: The Old Nature can Regrow! Job said of a tree cut down, "At the scent of water it will bud.” Do you have victory? Your warfare is not ended. Even Paul said he had to constantly keep his old nature in check (1 Cor. 9:27). Us too.
B. ILLUS.: THE DANGER OF SIN
1. A Memphis Tennessee newspaper carried the story of a man in Arkansas who had a pet rattlesnake. He found it as a tiny baby, very cute, and made a pet out of it. It would come when he whistled and eat out of his hand. He kept it day and night coiled around his arm.
2. One day he took it to town to show his friends. They marveled at its gentleness and how it loved him. He had it do many tricks for them and they applauded.
3. He took it back home, and a few hours later, with no provocation, it buried its fangs in his arm. In a few hours he was dead. Let no one think their sin is a harmless thing. It’s deadly and it’s only a matter of time until it destroys them! [Walter Knight’s Master Book of New Illus., p. 624]
B. DON’T ALLOW THE STUMP TO REMAIN
1. What person would take their family into a Bar or a strip club? You’re mad I would insinuate it! Or who would take their kids to a vulgar or profane play, or to view ungodly lifestyles or gang killings?
2. Yet, if we have an unguarded TV in our house, then we’ve invited all those things in for our family to see! How is it our kids are desensitized to sin? The answer’s in the living room and on the phone!
3. Human nature is full of the gunpowder of sin and only need a spark from the devil to explode. Don’t let ‘grandpa’s bones’ stay around you! Get them out!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION:
1. A young woman who’d led a wild life started going to church but couldn’t seem to forgiveness herself for her past. One Sunday she showed up at church carrying a Tupperware container and took it down to the altar.
2. The Pastor asked her about the container. She said, “I went to the beach and filled this container with wet sand.” The Pastor said, “What does this wet sand mean to you?” She said, “It represents the multitude of my sins that can’t even be numbered.”
3. The Pastor said, “I want you to go back to the beach with a shovel and pile up sand at the water’s edge, as high as you can. Then I want you wait for the tide to come in and watch as the waves God sends wash it all away!”
4. The meaning came to the woman: the blood of Christ washes all your sins away! [Knight’s New, p. 625]
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Someone has said, “If we want God to cover our sins, we must uncover them and confess them to God.” Do you have any sins you need to uncover to God? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.... and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” 1 Jn.1:9,7.
2. Do you have any Dagon idols lurking around your life? Are there any of your grandpa’s bones that need to be thrown out? (his eyes, thoughts, tongue, & habits)
3. EVERYONE STAND. If you need forgiveness or to get rid of something from your old life, come stand up here with me at the front. Let’s be made pure today, whiter than snow!
4. Salvation Call.
