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Sunday, May 15, 2022

Dagon falls before the Ark of God, Primary - I, Lesson - 14

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.  

Model of The Ark of God

Model of the Tabernacle of God

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. 

Dagon, the fish-god of the Philistines

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) 

For Sunday School activities and stories in English https://jacobsladderactivity.blogspot.com/

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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