PRIMARY
AGE: 6 - 7
YEARS
STANDARD
(GRADE): I & II
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LESSON – 14
DAGON FALLS BEFORE THE ARK OF GOD
In the preceding lesson about Jerubbaal, we learnt about the leaders of the Israelites called the Judges. Once, when Eli was the judge of Israel, the Israelites were in trouble again. The Israelites were in a fierce battle with the Philistines. The Israelites couldn’t overcome the Philistines and they quickly thought of a plan. They had heard about the power of the Ark of God which was in the Tabernacle. The Israelite leaders decided to bring the Ark of God to the battle ground to defeat the Philistines.
When
the Israelites were living in the Sinai desert, God commanded Moses to make the Ark
of God and keep it in a special place called the ‘Most Holy Place’ inside the
Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was a sacred tent where the Israelites went to worship
God. The word ark means chest or box. The Ark of God was a sacred box made
of Shittim wood and covered with pure gold. Inside the Ark of God, Moses
was commanded to place the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were
engraved. No one was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place and go near the Ark
of God except the High priest.
But in
the battleground the Israelite leaders were desperate to get God’s help to
fight the Philistines, so they sent some men to the priests in the Tabernacle. Eli
was very old and his sons Hophni and Phinehas were the priests in the
Tabernacle. When the Israelite leaders told them to take the Ark of God to the
battle ground, they immediately obeyed the Israelite leaders’ orders. Eli’s
sons, Hophni and Phinehas, did not fear God and did not lead a righteous life. Therefore,
they did not care to ask of God to find out whether it was acceptable to take
the Ark of God to the battle ground.
The Israelite
leaders made their own decisions and wanted God to help them carry out their
plan. It was never God’s idea to bring the Ark of God to the battle ground. So,
bringing the Ark of God to the battle ground did not help the Israelites. The Philistines
won the battle and captured the Ark of God. The Philistines were overjoyed,
since they had captured Israel’s most prized and valuable possession. Most of
the neighbouring tribes around Israel, had heard about the power of the Ark of
God by then, of how it had helped the Israelites on their journey towards
Canaan. The Philistines thought they could subdue the Israelites forever, since
they had captured the Ark of God without any trouble or judgement from God.
After the battle, the Philistines took the Ark of God to their city of Ashdod. They did not know that the Ark of God carried the holy presence of God and it was to stay inside the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. In Ashdod, they placed the Ark of God beside their idol, in the temple of Dagon. Dagon was the chief god of the Philistines and he was a fish-god. He was considered to be the father of another god called Baal, about whom we saw in the previous lesson.
Early the
next morning, when the people of Ashdod went in to see the Ark of God, they
found that the statue of Dagon had fallen forward face down on the ground right
in front of the Ark of God! The people set Dagon up again and went back.
When
the Philistines got up early the next morning, they found Dagon had again
fallen on his face in front of the Ark of God. This time, Dagon's head and both
palms of his hands were broken and they lay upon the threshold of the door.
Only the stump of Dagon was not broken. The Philistines were frightened. Even
the priests of Dagon were so shaken that, from then on, they always stepped
over the threshold of the door when they entered the temple of Dagon.
God
punished the people of Ashdod and their neighboring nations with sores all over
their bodies for taking the Ark of God. The men of Ashdod quickly realized
their mistake, they knew that the reason for the bad things happening to them
was because they had captured the Ark of God. They decided to return the Ark of
God to the Israelites. Accordingly, they paid obeisance to the Ark of God and
loaded the Ark of God on a cart hitched with two cows and returned it to the
Israelites along with guilt offerings.
Bible
reference: I Samuel 4, 5, 6
Memory verse: See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me (Deuteronomy 32:39 a)
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITIES
Answer
the following questions:
1. What did the Philistines capture from the Israelites after they won the battle? ......................................................................................
2. Where should the Ark of God stay? ......................................................................................
3. To which city did the Philistines take the Ark of God ? .......................................................................................
4. What is the name of the Philistines’ idol? ......................................................................................
5. Where was Dagon’s head and the palms of his hands found when it fell for the second time? .......................................................................................
Choose
the best answer:
1. The
Philistines captured (Noah’s ark / Ark of God) after they won the battle.
2. The
Philistines kept the Ark of God beside (idol / tree)
3. Only
the (hand / head) of Dagon was not broken.
4. The
priests of Dagon (step on / step over) the threshold of the door when they
enter the temple.
5. The Philistines (returned / destroyed) the Ark of God.
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