“The chiefs of the P’lishtim assembled
to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon.
As they celebrated they sang,
‘Our god has handed over to us
our enemy Shimshon.’”
-Judges 16:23
The chief god of the Philistines was called Dagon (sometimes spelled “Dagan”).
This deity is normally pictured as a half-man, half-fish type of creature.
This makes sense because the Philistines were known as the Sea Peoples and the land they occupied bordered the Mediterranean Sea.
But having said that, Dagon’s function was not to rule over the sea but to control the grain and harvest.
In other words, he was an agricultural fertility god.
The festival mentioned here in Judges chapter 16 was some sort of agricultural celebration of sorts.
And contrary to popular opinion it was NOT being held to specifically celebrate the capture of Samson.
It would have been held anyway since it was one of the Philistines’ regular festivals…
However, since it just so happened to coincide with the capture of Samson, the Philistine leaders of course also offered up thanks to Dagon for handing over this feared Israelite enemy over to them.
While Samson’s heartbreaking condition was sad, there’s something even more tragic about this situation.
Samson’s God was seen as weak and impotent in the eyes of the Philistines because their god Dagon had defeated him.
Folks, this is why the Lord is concerned about our behavior and our obedience to Him and His commands.
Because our sin can stain His reputation.
None of this has changed today.
Remember there’s nothing Satan loves better than to demonstrate through various means how he is superior to the God of Israel.
Those various means may be belief systems like atheism or the New Age or other religions such as Islam or Hinduism.
And speaking of Islam, isn’t it interesting how whenever any of the Arab nations achieve some small victory over Israel they hold a celebration by giving Allah all the credit?
In fact, I just googled “what is the fastest growing religion in the world today?”
Guess what answer came up…
If you said Islam, you guessed correctly.
Right at this moment, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world.
So here’s the takeaway for today.
Whenever God is seen as weak by the non-believing world, it ain’t because God Himself is weak.
It’s because of our unfaithfulness.
Our unfaithfulness leads to God being cast in a bad light and our enemies appearing stronger than us.
Remember, we are to be a light in the world…not an impotent incandescent light bulb that has been cast into a ditch somewhere.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“You are light for the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Likewise, when people light a lamp,
they don’t cover it with a bowl
but put it on a lampstand,
so that it shines for everyone in the house.
In the same way,
let your light shine before people,
so that they may see the good things you do
and praise your Father in heaven.“
-Matthew 5:14-16
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