Dagon v The LORD - No contest!

We’ve been studying 1 Chronicles in homegroup, and I was struck again by the contrast between the Philistines’ “god”, Dagon – and the LORD, Sovereign of all things. You may be familiar with the account in 1 Samuel 5 v 1-5 where the Philistines have captured the ark of the covenant and plonked it in their temple, next to Dagon. In the morning, Dagon has fallen over. So they prop him back up. But the next morning, he’s not only toppled over but his head and hands have fallen off. It’s a great story that points to the supremacy of the LORD God – and children love it!

But I wasn’t familiar with the glorious contrast we see in 1 Chronicles – and probably wouldn’t have spotted it if we didn’t read seven chapters last night. In 1 Chronicles 14 v 9-16 David is fighting the Philistines. He’s gone about it the right way, first asking God whether to go and attack them. The LORD say yes, and David and his men win the battle. The Philistines then decide to try their luck again, so back they come. This time, God gives David very specific battle instructions, right down to the kind of trees David should fight in front of! And the LORD goes before them to again give David the victory.

That bit I knew – but I’ve never put it together with chapter 10 before. In 1 Chronicles 10 v 1-14 it’s the Philistines who win the battle (though it’s still the LORD who’s in charge, giving Saul and his men over to the enemy because of Saul’s unfaithfulness, v 13). But it’s what the Philistines do next that caught my attention. They “sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people” (v 9). That means the Philistine gods don’t actually know they’ve won the battle until they’re told.

The LORD directs David in battle and proclaims the victory before the fighting even starts. The Philistine idols don’t know a thing until someone gets round to telling them. Brilliant!