2. (1 Sam 5:6-8) The LORD afflicts the city of Ashdod with tumors
Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories. When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god." So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" And they said, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath." And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around.
The hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites: The Philistines would not listen to God when He cast down their idol. Instead, they simply set it up again. When we close our ears to God, He often finds another way to get our attention...and often the second way we may not like.
Tumors: And now a great debate. Commentators have long been arguing what exactly were these "tumors". The Hebrew word is "apholim" which is derived from the Hebrew root "aphal" which means to elevate or swell. Some believe the Philistines were afflicted with hemorrhoids; others believe it was bubonic plague; and yet others believe it was a disease called bleeding piles which would have been accompanied with dysentery. bloody flux and ulcerated anus. Whatever we want to call what God afflicted the Philistines with, it was a painful, tormenting illness which affected their bottoms. The plague not only plagued the citizens of Ashdod, it also affected the surrounding territories. This emphasizes when the people do not honor God, their sin affects all those around them.
Fun fact: when this passage is read in synagogue, the word "apholim" is never read. Instead, the reader is instructed to say the word "tehorim". The word "tehorim" is mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:27 as one of the loathsome skin diseases of Egypt. Whatever the true meaning of "apholim" is, the rabbis have deemed that the word was unfit for public reading in the synagogue.
Side note: The Septuagint adds the following words to verse six: "And mice sprang up in the midst of their land, and there was a deadly destruction in the city." Some scholars believe this was originally in the Hebrew text, and explains why golden images of rats were included in the return of the Ark (1 Samuel 6:5). In Legends of the Jews, the author Ginzberg is quite graphic in the description of this event: "This new plague consisted in mice crawling forth out of the earth, and jerking the entrails out of the bodies of the Philistines while they eased nature. If the Philistines sought to protect themselves by using brass vessels, the vessels burst at the touch of the mice, and, as before, the Philistines were at their mercy."
The ark of God must not remain with us: Although the Philistines were able to defeat Israel, they were not able to defeat the God of Israel. It is interesting to see their admission that their god Dagon could not protect them from the God of Israel; yet, they still refused to submit to God. They then thought of a brilliant plan to get rid of God. Although we can push God away, we can never get rid of Him. One day, we must all face God and stand before Him.
All the lords of the Philistines: The unique word "seren" is used here to denote the five "lords" who ruled the five cities of the Philistine confederacy. It probably preserves their native title. They all had equal rights. Although Achish is called "king of Gath" in 1 Samuel 21:10 and 1 Samuel 27:2, this is purely from a foreign point of view. Achish could not overrule the decision of his fellow lords. ("Then Achish called David and said to him, 'As the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army are pleasing in my sight; for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords. Now therefore return and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.' David said to Achish, 'But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day when I came before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?' But Achish replied to David, 'I know that you are pleasing in my sight, like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, '"He must not for up with us to the battle." Now then arise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you, and as soon as you have arisen early in the morning and have light, depart.' So David arose early, he and his men, to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel" 1 Samuel 29:6-10.)
Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath: The Philistines seemed to have been possessed with a superstitious idea that there was something offensive to God in Ashdod. They seemed to think if they removed the Ark from Ashdod and delivered it to another Philistine city, they assumed God would not bring the plague to the people in the next city. Or perhaps they thought the plague came upon them by chance or in regards to putting the Ark into Dagon's temple. There is no Dagon temple in Gath. The Philistines seem blind to God's power and continue to refuse to submit to Him.
Gath: It was located about 12 miles east of Ashdod at the foot of the mountains of Judah. It was an important border fortress, sitting on a hill guarding the entrance of the valley of Elah. Gath was the hometown of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4) and a place of refuge for David from the persecutions of King Saul (1 Samuel 21:10, 1 Samuel 27:3).
B. The Ark of God in Gath and Ekron
1. (1 Sam 5:9) The Ark of God in the Philistine city of Gath
After they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city with great confusion; and He smote the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
Men of the city: It is interesting to note that only the men of the city seemed to have been affected by the tumors in Gath. In ancient times, having the men afflicted was a significant threat to the security and well-being of the community. The men worked to support their families; they provided the troops to fight in the army; they provided the leadership to lead the city. Without men, the city would quickly come to ruin. Widows and children would starve, and the city would be susceptible to enemy attack.
Tumors broke out on them: This is the New American Standard Version translation. The King James better translates the verse: "And they had tumors on their secret parts." The Hebrew word translated "secret parts" is "sathar". The word has a double meaning. It can mean to destroy and to be buried deep within. The tumors most likely buried themselves deep within their victims (something akin to a cancer) and being incurable, ended in the death of the sufferers.
2. (1 Sam 5:10-12) The Ark of the Covenant in the Philistine city of Ekron
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us, to kill us and our people." They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistine and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people." For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. And the men who did not die were smitten with tumors and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
Ekron: The most northerly of the five confederate cities, it is about 11 miles north of the city of Gath. The local deity was Baal-zebub (2 Kings 1:2).
The Ekronites cried out: The Ark of the Covenant has now become a hot potato, being tossed from city to city. The Philistines now suddenly realize that the second plague which struck the city of Gath was from the Ark of the Covenant. Yet, despite all the evidence of God's incredible power, the Philistines still refuse to submit to God.
Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place: It took the Philistines a long time and much suffering before they could decide to get rid of this deadly trophy of victory. They had heard stories passed from generation to generation about the awe and majesty of this golden chest, which in the times of Joshua, lead Israel to a triumphal defeat over the city of Jericho. Now, at last, this magical ark was theirs! Oh what victories and blessings it would bestow upon them! However, the Philistines failed to realize, it was not the golden chest which provided Israel their victories and blessings; it was a trust in the God of the Ark. If the Philistines would have repented and turned towards God, they too could have benefited from God's mercy. Instead, the Ark of God became a curse and a judgment to them.
The same is true of the presence of God among us today--He can be a source of great blessings or of great agony and death. "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life" (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). The work of the Messiah, Jesus, on your behalf will either be the greatest blessing you have ever known for all eternity, or it will be the greatest witness of God's judgment against you. If you decide to submit and surrender your life to God, it will be a blessing. If you refuse Him, it will be a curse. What will you decide? Blessing or cursing?
Deadly confusion: It is hard to accurately translate this phrase from Hebrew into English. The Hebrew phrasing implies the mental agony and despair of the people as they saw the Ark of God enter their city. Elsewhere in the Bible, this phrase is translated "terrors of death". ("Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked; for they bring down trouble upon me and in anger they bear a grudge against me. My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me" Psalm 55:3-5. In modern English, it might be best translated "scared to death".
The cry went up to heaven: A Hebrew idiom meaning things are exceeding great, beyond expression. "Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God" (Exodus 2:23). "Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD hear our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression" (Deuteronomy 26:7).
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