God’s sense of humor?


In 1 Samuel 5, we see an example of God’s sense of humor.   The people of Israel were using the Ark of the Covenant like a good-luck charm,  taking it to battle with them. Their enemies, the Philistines, ended up slaughtering them and capturing the Ark. The Philistines placed it in their temple before their god, Dagon.  This god was half fish, half man.  (Could it be a transitional life-form?  According to evolutionary theory, we came from the water, as a fish, then just kept transforming ourselves, right? Could we picture Dagon as a mascot for evolution?)

The Philistines came into their temple the next day and found Dagon flat on his face before the ark! They set him back up. The next morning, there he was again, but this time Dagon was not only turned over, but dashed to pieces, losing his head (wisdom?) and hands (power?) -so that nothing but the stump remained.  The people were trying to honor Dagon, but God had other plans: dashing their pride and exposing their foolishness. It really was a rather comical picture. God  positioned Dagon in a position of submission to His ark!

This incident is an example of God laughing at the foolishness of those who would oppose Him.  Psalm 59:7-9 states,

There they are, bellowing with their mouths
with swords in their lips—
for “Who,” they think,
 “will hear us?”

But you, O Lord, laugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.
O my Strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are my fortress.

And indeed, on a serious note, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” (Phil 2:10)

God is on His throne, and although it may seem as if the enemy is winning, God WILL triumph, and ALL will bow in submission to Him!

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