‘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’ (1Sam 5:4)

The Ark of God was captured by the Philistines (1Sam 5). The Glory of God is now in the possession of His enemies. God permitted this strange capture of Himself for two main reasons: to chastise His people for their long standing rebellion against Him and secondly, to defeat His enemies from within their own camp.
The Ark represents the visible presence of God. It was made of pure gold. On top there was the mercy seat with the two cherubs worshipping God. This Ark was now placed in the temple of Dagon, the god- fish of the Philistines. The next day the priests of Dagon discovered that their idol was fallen on the ground before the Ark of Jehovah. The word ‘fallen’, in Hebrew, it means to be demoted, to be inferior, to fail, to be a fugitive or to be divided.
‘A house divided shall not stand but fall’- said Jesus (Lk 11:17).
The priests of Dagon gently set back their idol on its platform, pleading with it to stand and not be disgraced publicly before Jehovah’s Ark. That prayer failed too. The next day, Dagon was face down, on the floor again, this time with the head and both hands cut off. The word ‘face’ means the presence or the favor of a person. The word ‘head’ means the leader or the ruler. The word ‘hand’ means the power, the resources, the sense of direction and identity; it also means fellowship or ministry.
Spiritually speaking, the Philistines stand for the people who serve religious idols, in particular the wicked ‘fish- water’ spirit of Jezebel. They infiltrate the churches and actively oppose the true worship of God. But their altars have been destroyed in our midst. Except they truly repent or their spiritual wickedness in high places, they shall be punished with division, divorce, losing leadership, losing their jobs, poverty, confusion, foolishness and madness. They shall lose any favor or influence they have over the true believers. Do not just pity a poor man, a jobless man. Direct him to the Cross of Christ. It may be that he is connected with Dagon worship and he is your enemy, even if ignorantly. His greatest need is not money or a job, but Christ!
The Ark was finally removed from the shrine of Dagon and carried from city to city all over the Philistine territory. The hand of God was on these cities and brought great anxiety over them. The inhabitants got sick with ‘emerods in the secret parts’ (1Sam 5:9, KJ). The word ‘emeords’ means tumors, painful boils in the genital area, venereal diseases, hemorrhoids, breasts lumps, ovarian cysts or uterine fibroids. Medically speaking, these represents painful, hidden, very difficult to treat infirmities. Medication or surgery may not be enough in some cases. Prayer and deliverance, for them that are willing, may be required before healing can come. This was indeed my experience as a medical doctor and a Christian over the years.
The hands of Dagon were cut off but the hand of God was troubling the cities of the enemy. The word ‘hand’ is the same in both scriptures. The religious unbelievers shall lose strength and vision. But none can cut off the mighty hand of God, His power, His resources, His sense of direction and identity. As the idolaters in the church continue to lose power and direction, the people of God will become stronger by faith. God’s power and resources, His confident sense of identity and sense of direction will propel them to greater heights and spiritual promotion. Darkness will become deeper and the light will shine brighter, in the same time. The difference between the true and the fake believers shall become clearer than ever before, to the glory of God! The veil of deception over the minds of the Children of God is now destroyed! You are free!
The capture of the Ark and the defeat of Dagon, in his own domain, is a wonderful picture of the Cross. Christ was crucified in weakness but resurrected by God’s power and glory. Our Lord was ‘captured’ by the forces of darkness and dragged to hell. This was on behalf of our sins that deserved no less than death. But on the third day He came out of hell and grave holding in His hands not only the stars, but the keys of hell and death. Keys mean authority. The devil had the power of death over all of us, the sinners. But now, this authority belongs to Christ. It is the Lord who decides who goes to hell or not. It is not sin or the devil or even death that determines our destiny. It is Jesus!
“I saw satan fall like lightening from heaven! I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions (and ‘fishes’) and to overcome ALL the power of the enemy! Nothing will harm you…Rejoice!” –says the Commander of the Army, our Lord Jesus Christ! (Lk 10: 18-20)
I REJOICE! I REJOICE! I REJOICE!
All the Glory to the Lamb upon the Throne!
Amen!