I will tarry a bit within chapters 5 to 7 of 1 Samuel before entering into the Israelites' demand for a king in chapter 8. These chapters describe the revelation of God among the pagans, in this case, among the Philistines, the traditional enemies of the Israelites.
The Philistines nearly lost their battles against the Israelites when the latter brought out the Art of Covenant into the battle field. The Israelites lost the battle because they had amassed too many soldiers instead of relying on the faithfulness of God. On the other hand, the Philistines raised their spirit to the highest pitch, acquitted like men to put up a good fight. This time, God was on their side and forsook the Israelites. The Israelites lost 30000 foot soldiers, the two notorious sons of Eli and the Ark. Yesterday, I suggested that the Philistines had received revelation while the Israelites not. Today, I will explore God's revelation to the Philistines in the 3 chapters of 1 Samuel. We must bear in mind that the whole story was written from the perspective of Israel. Still, we are able to figure the situation out from the perspective of the Philistines.
The Philistines moved the Ark from Ebenezer to Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:1). They put it inside the temple of Dagon, next to the Dagon. The next morning, they found Dagon toppled face down before the Ark. They put it back but the next day, Dagon toppled again but this time, its head and arms were ripped off lying at the threshold of the temple. The people of Ashdod were terrified and inflicted with tumours (1 Samuel 5:6). What did the people learn?
And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." (1 Samuel 5:7)
The people learnt that the God of Israel was too sacred for them.
First of all, this God was more powerful than their Dagon. Dagon was even dismembered. This God was simply awesome.
Secondly, this God did not like them and inspired terrors in their heart. What was worse, He inflicted tumours in their body. It was probably the first time for them to sense an Otherness with which they were not prepared to engage. This overwhelming Otherness was so concrete and yet they did not know how to interact with it.
They sought an immediate solution. They sent the Ark away to Gath (1 Samuel 5:8).
Then, it was Gath's turn to suffer. People of Gath panicked and tumours broke out on them. They sent the Ark to Ekron (1 Samuel 5:10). Consequently, the people of Ekron suffered the same fate: panic and tumours. The Philistines began to reason.
And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us; for his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." (1 Samuel 5:7)
The people learnt that the God of Israel was too sacred for them.
First of all, this God was more powerful than their Dagon. Dagon was even dismembered. This God was simply awesome.
Secondly, this God did not like them and inspired terrors in their heart. What was worse, He inflicted tumours in their body. It was probably the first time for them to sense an Otherness with which they were not prepared to engage. This overwhelming Otherness was so concrete and yet they did not know how to interact with it.
They sought an immediate solution. They sent the Ark away to Gath (1 Samuel 5:8).
Then, it was Gath's turn to suffer. People of Gath panicked and tumours broke out on them. They sent the Ark to Ekron (1 Samuel 5:10). Consequently, the people of Ekron suffered the same fate: panic and tumours. The Philistines began to reason.
The Philistines called up their priests and diviners to find out what the proper way to send the Ark away was.
What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place (1 Samuel 6:2b).
Applying their "superstition", the priests came up with the following solution.
They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you." (1 Samuel 6:3)
The priests proposed a guilt offering. Such an offering presupposed the acknowledgment of sins. Indeed, the Philistines had made a spiritual progress. At first, the Ark of Covenant was a spoil of victory. But the Ark revealed an Otherness that inspired awe. Experiencing bodily pains and psychological panic, the Philistines recognized their own weaknesses and sins. They needed expiation.
Such was their simple blind faith. It would have been a superstition had they not backed it up with rationality. The priests and diviners designed an experiment to verify / falsify their hypothesis. Wasn't it amazing?
Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milch cows upon which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them.
And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart, and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off, and let it go its way.
And watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land, to Bethshemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us, it happened to us by chance (1 Samuel 5:7-9).
Pay attention to the two if's in the last verse. Those diviners were scientists!
Truly, without reason, faith is blind. Without faith, reason is bland. Faith and reason should go hand in hand to seek a unified truth. This was what the late Pope John Paul II said in his 1998 Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio. Christianity is a reasonable religion. Reading Bible stories is really enjoyable.
What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place (1 Samuel 6:2b).
Applying their "superstition", the priests came up with the following solution.
They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you." (1 Samuel 6:3)
The priests proposed a guilt offering. Such an offering presupposed the acknowledgment of sins. Indeed, the Philistines had made a spiritual progress. At first, the Ark of Covenant was a spoil of victory. But the Ark revealed an Otherness that inspired awe. Experiencing bodily pains and psychological panic, the Philistines recognized their own weaknesses and sins. They needed expiation.
Such was their simple blind faith. It would have been a superstition had they not backed it up with rationality. The priests and diviners designed an experiment to verify / falsify their hypothesis. Wasn't it amazing?
Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milch cows upon which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them.
And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart, and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off, and let it go its way.
And watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land, to Bethshemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us, it happened to us by chance (1 Samuel 5:7-9).
Pay attention to the two if's in the last verse. Those diviners were scientists!
Truly, without reason, faith is blind. Without faith, reason is bland. Faith and reason should go hand in hand to seek a unified truth. This was what the late Pope John Paul II said in his 1998 Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio. Christianity is a reasonable religion. Reading Bible stories is really enjoyable.
Dear Lord, I thank You for giving us faith and reason. May we make good use of them to believe in You more. Amen.
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