Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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1 Samuel
Book: 1 Samuel
Chapter: 5
Overview:
Dagon is broken before the
Ark.
(1-5) The Philistine smitten.
(6-12)
1-5 See the
Ark's triumph over
Dagon. Thus the kingdom of
Satan
will certainly fall before the kingdom of
Christ, error before
Truth, profaneness before
Godliness, and corruption before
Grace
in the hearts of the
Faithful. When the interests of religion
seem to be ready to sink, even then we may be confident that the
Day of their triumph will come. When
Christ, the true
Ark of the
Covenant, really enters the
Heart of fallen
Man, which is indeed
Satan's
Temple, all idols will fall, every endeavour to set them
up again will be vain,
Sin will be forsaken, and unrighteous
gain restored; the
Lord will claim and possess the
Throne. But
pride, self-
Love, and worldly lusts, though dethroned and
crucified, still remain within us, like the stump of
Dagon. Let
us watch and pray that they may not prevail. Let us seek to have
them more entirely destroyed.
6-12 The
Hand of the
Lord was heavy upon the
Philistines; he
not only convinced them of their folly, but severely chastised
their insolence. Yet they would not renounce
Dagon; and instead
of seeking
God's
Mercy, they desired to get clear of his
Ark.
Carnal hearts, when they smart under the
Judgments of God, would
rather, if it were possible,
Put him far from them, than enter
into
Covenant or
Communion with him, and seek him for their
friend. But their devices to escape the Divine judgments only
increase them. Those that fight against
God will soon have
enough of it.