It was called, "The Great Pestilence," "Black Death" or the "Black Plague." Thousands of people lost their lives to this deadly disease in middle ages, especially the mid fourteenth century throughout Europe. Today we call it the Bubonic Plague. Many proposed reasons for the disease, it was discovered to be carried by flea-bearing rats.
Although this disease was thought to have entered human history about 1340 AD, one read of today's passage and you get the idea that God introduced it to the Philistines long before that. The Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant from Israel and set it in their temple of Dagon. The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God. On its Mercy Seat God dwelt. So by capturing the Ark, the Philistines thought they'd bring the power of God back with them.
But things didn't work out quite like the Philistines thought. It's almost a humorous story. First of all, their idol, Dagon fell over and was destroyed when they set the Ark of the Covenant next to it. Then, the Philistines started experiencing some physical ailments. Not just any ailments. God struck them with tumors. Now the Septuagint, the greek version of the Old Testament, says they developed "tumors of the groin." The Darby Translation uses the word hemorrhoids. Oh man, and no Preparation H!
But if you read the description of sores and disease and mention of rats both in chapters five and six, you'll realize that something more was going on. The Philistines realized that this was all coming by the hand of God. Furthermore, as an appeasement to God the priests of Dagon had them make golden idols of these tumors (or hemorrhoids) and rats, one for each Philistine king/city, and send them back on an unmanned cart to Israel. The account sounds very similar to what Europe experienced in the fourteenth century.
Why would God punish the Philistines this way? If you study God's pattern of punishment or disciplinary action in the Old Testament, you'll discover that God always shows His power is greater than the power of the gods of the people He is punishing. The plagues of Egypt, for example, all were directed at particular gods or sacred beliefs of the Egyptians. Not only did the Philistines discovered that defying God by stealing the Ark of the Covenant and oppressing His people became a pain in the rear, literally, they experienced great suffering and many perished because of their actions.
Defying God never pays off, even for those who don't claim to be followers of Christ or believe in God. God doesn't have to prove Himself to anyone. He doesn't always have to send punishment our way. All He really has to do is simply remove His hand and leave us to our own devices, or should I say vices. Self destruction, pain and suffering are sure to follow. But when God chooses to send a punishment for defying Him, it will be evident. Be assured, God will not be mocked.
God, you are so awesome. There is none like you. You are so powerful and wise. Thanks for being my protection, my hope, my salvation. Thanks for guiding me and keeping me from destroying myself. Thanks for your Word and the Holy Spirit. Thanks for Jesus and the promise of eternal life.
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