Scripture: 1 Samuel 5
I. The LORD is greater than idols.
A. In vs. 1-2 we see what the Philistines did after they had defeated the Israelites in battle and had captured the ark of the LORD. The Philistines were making a statement by putting the ark of the LORD beside their god Dagon. They were taunting the LORD. The LORD had clearly been defeated by Dagon, and now the LORD was being brought in before Dagon to become Dagon’s servant. The Philistines had thought that Dagon was so strong in battle. But in the presence of the LORD Dagon did not even have the strength to lift his face out of the dust (vs. 3).
B. And after Dagon worshiped the LORD, the Philistines had to stand Dagon back up. What kind of a god is that? He is so weak that he can’t even stand on his own two feet. And then things get worse for poor Dagon (vs. 4). Dagon has been decapitated. Dagon’s hands were cut off. This was a grisly military execution. The LORD, the so-called defeated god, had been victorious over Dagon on Dagon’s home field! There is a difference between the LORD and idols. The LORD is always greater than any idol.
C. The human heart is an idol factory. Our hearts love the wrong things. We are constantly making new idols to worship. And what is an idol? Tim Keller says an idol “is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” God is stronger than all other gods. The LORD is greater. Keep worshiping Him. Don’t let your heart be captivated by an idol. Any idol that you might worship is just as powerless and just as useless as Dagon.
II. The LORD does not need you.
A. The Israelites learned this lesson. The LORD does not need you to sustain Him. In fact, the LORD does not need you at all to accomplish His purposes. Isaiah 46:3-4: “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb;even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” If you worship an idol, you have to carry your idol. But if you worship the LORD, the LORD carries you.
B. The fact that God does not need you shows you how powerful He is. God did not need Israel’s help to get the ark back to Israel and at the same time to inflict some damage on Israel’s enemies the Philistines. In vs. 6 we read that “the hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.” God’s hand was heavy on the Philistines of Ashdod. God showed His glory by judging Israel’s enemies. So, God’s glory was crushing the Philistines under His weight. But even though God does not need us, He loves us. If God is against the Philistines and the Philistines’ god Dagon (vs. 7), then who is He for? He is for the glory of His own name as God. And God is also for His people, Israel. Romans 8:31-32: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
Application:
Worship your great God instead of any idol.
Sources:
The book of 1 Samuel
Commentaries on 1 Samuel by Dale Ralph Davis, Robert Bergen and Tim Chester
Sermon Discussion Questions
- How does this episode in Dagon’s temple encourage you to keep following and worshipping the God of the Bible?
- The Philistines had heard about what God had done to the Egyptians at the Exodus, and they were afraid. What is the place in our witness for talking about a judgment of God to fear as well as talking about the grace of God that is willing to forgive?
- How can we strike a balance on two biblical truths? 1) God is totally self-sufficient. 2) God graciously uses His people in His service?