Threshold Jumpers
Dagon, the idol, was stripped of authority. The statue’s head and hands were torn off and placed on the threshold of the temple door. This temple was built for and dedicated to the idol. This was Dagon’s domain. Authority had been given to Dagon by the Philistine priests who served at the idol’s pleasure. But now the great Dagon was lying face down on the floor of the temple, head and hands disassembled from the idol’s body and lying by the exit.
Why the head and hands? Because they are the ultimate seat of authority in a kingdom. It is the head of the ruler from which all authority originates. That is why we put a crown on the head. The hands implement action under the ruler’s authority. With the hand, the scepter is raised. With the hand, the declaration is enforced. Dagon lost both its head and its hand. The false god had no authority in its own temple.
How do three separate pieces of a statue, positioned at different spots on the statue, end up in the same doorway on the threshold? Probably, a complex probability equation exists to determine the probability of it happening. I will go with the more likely answer, though - an angel put them there. After Dagon was pushed to the floor a second time, the angel broke off the head and hands of the idol and placed them on the threshold as he walked out.
But why would Dagon be on the ground in the first place? Well, the short story is that the Israelites lost the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines in battle. Subsequently, the Philistine took the Ark and placed it in Dagon’s temple beside the idol. Then the problems began. The Ark contained several artifacts that exemplified the work of the one true God here on earth. These included the budding rod of Aaron, manna, and portions of the tablets on which God inscribed the law. On top of the Ark was the Mercy Seat, where God met with Moses while the Jews wandered in the wilderness. This was a special box constructed according to God’s design. It also contained such power that all the nations around Israel were deathly afraid to see it against them in battle.
Now Dagon, the idol, had the Ark as a roommate, and it was not working out well for old Dagon. Seems that when you put the Ark of the true God in the same room with a statue of a false god, things don’t go well for the false god. So Dagon ended up prostrating before the Ark of the Covenant with head and hands removed. It was not a coincidence that this idol prostration was happening. God was sending the Philistines a message. Idols have no authority and must bow in the presence of the true God.
Unfortunately, the priests who managed Dagon’s temple did not fully get the message. From that day, these ministers to Dagon started leaping over the threshold of the temple to keep from defiling it. The head and hands of their false god were removed and put on the door threshold, and their response was to jump over the threshold so that the sanctity of their idol would not be soiled. That is just like human religion. Miss the point entirely and just add more ceremony.
As for the Ark of the Covenant, it went on tour. They took it out of Dagon’s temple in Ashdod and sent it to Gath. While in that city, the citizens, both young and old, experienced tumors on their groins! Needless to say, the Gathites sent the Ark away to Ekron. The people of Ekron display more intelligence. Seeing what happened in both Ashdod and Gath, when the Ark entered their city they got their rulers together and made sure the Ark was shipped back to Israel. So, via ox and cart with no driver, the Ark of the Covenant was sent on its way! It ended up at home in Israel. Thus ended the Ark of the Covenant’s stay in Philistine hands.