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they do not mix
1 Samuel 5:1-5 (JDV)
1 Samuel 5:1 After the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,
1 Samuel 5:2 took it into the temple of Dagon and placed it next to his statue.
1 Samuel 5:3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, they noticed Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the ark of Yahveh. So, they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
1 Samuel 5:4 But when they got up early the next morning, they noticed Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground in front of the ark of Yahveh. This time, Dagon’s head and both of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso remained.
1 Samuel 5:5 That is why, still today, the priests of Dagon and everyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on Dagon’s threshold.
they do not mix
The Philistines were learning that it was not wise to toy with the symbol of the LORD’s presence. They were animistic people, and such displays of power spoke a language they understood. The symbolism was clear. Yahveh’s presence would never be subservient to someone else’s god.
Modern cultures are trying to mix religions and do so under the guise of tolerance. We will have the same amount of luck doing that as the Philistines had combining the ark with the statue of Dagon.
