Audio Download

1 Samuel 5:1–12 The Philistines and the Ark 

[Study Aired February 2, 2026]

Introduction

Today’s study is about the spiritual significance of having the ark of God in the possession of the Philistines. Before we can understand the study for today, let’s take a look at what the ark represents spiritually. 

The first time the word “ark” appeared in the Bible was when the Lord commanded Noah to build an ark. 

Gen 6:13  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 
Gen 6:14  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

This ark was a prototype of the ark Moses was required by the Lord to build. There are many similarities between these two arks. The following verses of scriptures bring out what the ark stands for spiritually:

Num 10:33  And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 

Num 10:35  And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

2Sa 6:2  And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. 

Jdg 20:27  And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days), 

From these verses, it becomes obvious that the ark of the covenant represents our Lord Jesus Christ, just like the ark the Lord commanded Noah to build is also Christ. When we are in Him, we are delivered from the flood waters of false doctrines, carnality, traditions, human wisdom, etc. 

Gen 6:17  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die. 
Gen 6:18  But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 

Noah, his wife and sons, and his son’s wives represent the elect who have fled to take refuge in our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to note that it is through the Lord’s judgment of the flood that Noah and all those saved took refuge in the ark. Our Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh is what facilitates our being found in Christ. Noah’s ark resting on the seventh month is another way of saying that the Lord rested on the seventh day from all His work. All of these are to confirm to us that the ark represents the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Gen 8:4  And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Now let’s take a look inside the ark of the covenant. There are three items – the golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and the tables of the covenant. 

Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 

On a positive note, the golden pot containing the manna represents the Lord’s words. It is through the word that we know that we are in Him as He is in us. The Lord commanding Noah to bring food into the ark emphasizes the point that it is through the word of the Lord that we find ourselves in Him. 

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 

The next item in the ark was Aaron’s rod. As we are aware, a rod signifies discipline or judgement. Thus, Aaron’s rod refers to the judgment we must go through in order to be found in Christ. As we know, the flood was the catalyst that resulted in Noah and his family being found in the ark or in Christ. It is therefore through the Lord’s judgment that we are found in Him. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

The third item in the ark is the tables of stones on which were written the commandments of the Lord. The tables of stones remind us of our spiritual poverty state as we were not able to obey the Lord’s commandments as our hearts were hardened like the tables of stones. To be in Christ therefore, we must first acknowledge that we are spiritually bankrupt as our hearts are hardened like stones. However, through the grace of God, we now have a heart of flesh.

2Co 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

With this as the basis of our study for today, the lesson will be more understandable in its application to our lives. It is important to note that when Jesus revealed Himself to John at the island of Patmos, John turned to see the voice of the Lord. This means that part of the scriptures deal with what has happened to us in the past. 

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 

Rev 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  

Today’s study is about looking behind us to see how the Lord had dealt with us in the past when we passed through the valley of the shadow of death.    

The Ark is Brought to Ashdod

1Sa 5:1  When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 

The Philistines capturing the ark of God signifies our old man or flesh opposing and exalting himself above God as he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

Ebenezer means ‘stone of help’ which is Christ. Ashdod denotes a ravager, who is a person that causes extensive destruction, devastation or ruin. The devil is the ravager. Therefore, the ark of God being moved from Ebenezer to Ashdod implies that when our flesh is sitting in the throne of our hearts and minds, then it means that we have left our first love of Christ and are under the sway of our flesh, powered by the devil. In other words, the devil becomes our father. As a result, we become worse off. This situation is what Paul described as follows:

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 

When we are ruled by our flesh, we are no longer in Christ. This happened to us during our time in the churches of this world due to the great swelling words of vanity we imbibed which were propagated by the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon. 

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

As indicated in Romans 1:25, in our worse state we end up serving the creature instead of the creator. That means that our attention is turned to the things of this world instead of Christ. 

We must understand that the ark being captured by the Philistines is therefore the occasion the Lord is seeking to come to us with His judgment when we are full of the flesh so that we will learn righteousness.

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 

Isa 26:8  In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. 
Isa 26:9 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 

1Sa 5:2  When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 

As indicated, the Philistines taking the ark of God means that our flesh is the one ruling our hearts and minds, thinking that he is God in the sense that we think that we make our own decisions. 

Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

2Th 2:3  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

The name Dagon means ‘a fish’ and was a Philistine deity of fertility represented with the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish. Dagon therefore represents the devil who empowers our flesh. The ark being brought into the house of Dagon and being set beside Dagon therefore means that we are controlled by the god of this world, the devil, as our minds are blinded by him.  

2Co 4:3  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
2Co 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 

1Sa 5:3  And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 
1Sa 5:4  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. 

As the Lord’s elect, we were overwhelmed by the flesh during our time in the churches of this world, but the Lord did not forget us.

Rom 11:2  God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? (ESV) 

In the fullness of time, He will come to us to start the process of delivering us from ourselves (our flesh). The early morning in verse 3 signifies the rising of the morning star in our hearts as the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. In other words, as we are judged by the Lord through His coming, the flesh is being destroyed. It implies that the influence of the devil over our flesh is reduced. This is what it means for the idol Dagon to fall with its face on the earth before the ark. 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

The fact that the people set up Dagon in his place again is to make us aware that the Lord’s judgment is a process as our flesh is gradually incapacitated by the Lord’s judgment of our flesh. The cutting off of the head and palms of Dagon’s hands means that the devil’s influence over our flesh is subdued over time as we learn righteousness. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

The Inhabitants of Ashdod Smitten with Emerods

1Sa 5:5  Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. 

Verse 5 shows us another area which had kept us in the dark before Christ came to deliver us, that is, the traditions of men. The mention of the priests of Dagon together with the people of Ashdod not treading on the threshold of Dagon to date is to remind us of the idols of the heart which relate to our belief in the false doctrines of traditions. Our flesh is steep in traditions which robbed us of our ability to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord when we were in Babylon. Our Lord Jesus pointed this out during His ministry here on earth.

Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 
Mar 7:8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 
Mar 7:9  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 
Mar 7:10  For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 
Mar 7:11  But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 
Mar 7:12  And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 
Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  

1Sa 5:6  But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. 
1Sa 5:7  And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

When we are ruled by our flesh, we become like the people of Ashdod. However, as the Lord’s elect, the Lord comes to judge us. The hand of the Lord being heavy upon the people of Ashdod in verse 6 refers to the judgment of the Lord overwhelming our flesh. The Lord destroying the people of Ashdod with emerods signifies the Lord destroying our old man or flesh through His judgment.

Deu 28:27  The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 

As shown here in Deuteronomy 28:27, the flesh cannot be healed. It has to be destroyed. It is insightful to note that when the men of Ashdod saw that the Lord was judging them, they refused to have the ark of the Lord abiding with them. This implies that our flesh will always try to avoid judgment. The hand of the Lord being sore upon the people of Ashdod and upon Dagon their god means the Lord will continue to judge our old man and, in the fullness of time, will judge the devil who empowers the flesh represented by Dagon, the god of Ashdod. 

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

1Sa 5:8  They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. 

In 1 Samuel 6:4, the number of the Lords of the Philistines is given as five. 

1Sa 6:4  Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 

The negative application of the number five means famine of the word of the Lord which brings us to spiritual poverty. These five lords represent the various stages of our domination by our flesh which brings us to spiritual poverty through the famine of the word of the Lord. 

Gen 45:11  And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

Gath means ‘winepress.’ Therefore, the ark being taken to Gath implies that we face intense, multi-directional pressures as the Lord’s hand of judgment becomes heavy on us. However, through the grace of the Lord, we are sustained by His power to endure without being completely destroyed. The Lord will not relent in dealing with our flesh until He has destroyed it. All of these pressures are to bring us to learn righteousness so that we will be in Him.

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;  

1Sa 5:9  And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. 

The Lord continues judging us until our flesh is destroyed. It is important to note that here in verse 9, both small and great were judged with emerods in their secret parts. That is another way of saying that we never graduate from the Lord’s judgment. The small and the great being judged implies that at every stage of our walk with Christ, we are being judged.

Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 

The Ark of God Brought to Ekron

1Sa 5:10  Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. 
1Sa 5:11  So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 
1Sa 5:12  And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 

The name Ekron, according to Brown-Drivers-Briggs, means to be torn up by the roots. The people of Ekron crying out because the ark of God of Israel has been brought in their midst to slay them is to let us know that the presence of the Lord (the ark) and judgment go together with the purpose of destroying our flesh by the roots. The fact that there were three cities of the Philistines that were judged by the Lord because of the ark – Ashdod, Gath and Ekron, means that our spiritual maturity is through the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh (significance of the number three). 

The great destruction that took place in the city of Ekron is to remind us that the Lord as the lion of the tribe of Judah will not relent until He has destroyed our flesh through His judgment. The men of Ekron’s cry going up to heaven means that the Lord was going to take action in Ekron. The same thing happened to the Israelites in Egypt when they cried to the Lord because of their oppression. The Lord took action and came to their aid.

Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 
Exo 2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

In a similar vein, when we cry to the Lord during our fiery trials, the Lord comes to our aid as He provides a way of escape for us to be able to bear the suffering.  

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

We give thanks to the Lord for His unwavering love towards us. Amen!