My God has Hands

One of the dark periods of pre-monarch Israel was the spiritual leadership of Hophni and Phinehas. After suffering a miserable defeat at the hands of the Philistines, the elders of Israel came to the conclusion that they had lost because they had not carried the ark into battle with them. They quickly disbursed to Shiloh and carried the ark to their next battle; with the accompaniment of Hophni and Phinehas (1 Samuel 4). The Hebrews foolishly believed that YHWH would have to fight for them if they carried the ark. God let them suffer a terrible defeat. Not only were many Israelites killed (Hophni and Phinehas), but the ark was taken captive. The news of the disaster led to the death of Eli and the premature labor of Phinehas’ wife. She gave birth to a son and in her dying words she named him “Ichabod” (without glory).

Perhaps the most intriguing part of this narrative lies in the events following the capture of the ark. In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines take the ark to the Temple of Dagon and set it before the statue of Dagon (a position of submission). The Philistines believed their god had defeated Israel’s God. The next morning the statue of Dagon was found lying on its face. So they set Dagon back up. The next morning the temple priests were alarmed to find the torso of Dagon lying across the threshold. His hands and head had been “cut off.” With a touch of humor, the author of 1 Samuel tells us that the “hand of the Lord” was heavy upon the residents of Ashdod; opposed to Dagon who has no hands.

There are two lessons worth noting. First, rather than performing an internal check, Israel thought holy war ritual would encourage God to deliver them. Second, it is stunning that the Philistines continue to believe in a god that does not exist. Even when their god is proven to be powerless, they continue to put him on a pedestal and act as if nothing happened. Unbelievably, the Philistines seek to be controlled by a god that doesn’t exist, while Israel tries to control the God that does. The Philistines had the right attitude but the wrong god. The Israelites have the right God but the wrong attitude!