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1 Samuel 5 · Grade 4

The Lord Wins Alone

Name Date

Read and Think

Israel had lost the battle, and the ark was captured. To the Philistines, it looked as if Dagon had beaten the God of Israel. They placed the ark in Dagon's house in Ashdod, like a trophy beside their god.

But God needed no army to defend His honor. Dagon fell face down before the ark, as if bowing in worship. When the priests propped him up, he fell again, and his head and palms lay broken on the threshold. A lifeless idol could not even stand before the living God.

Then the Lord's hand was heavy on Ashdod, striking the people with tumors. The ark was moved to Gath and then to Ekron, and each city suffered panic and sickness. The Philistines finally admitted the hand of the God of Israel was against them, and they asked to send the ark home.

Show What You Know

  1. Why did the Philistines put the ark in Dagon's house?

  2. How did Dagon look when he fell the first time?

  3. What happened to the cities that held the ark?

  4. What did the Philistines finally admit?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

arkcityDagonGodhand
  1. Israel had lost the battle, and the was captured.
  2. To the Philistines, it looked as if had beaten the God of Israel.
  3. But needed no army to defend His honor.
  4. The ark was moved to Gath and then to Ekron, and each suffered panic and sickness.
  5. The Philistines finally admitted the of the God of Israel was against them, and they asked to send the ark home.

Think About It

  1. Israel lost, but God still showed His power. How does this help when it seems like God is losing?

  2. What idols, or things people put first, can never stand before God?

Memory Verse

“When they arose early on the following morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before Yahweh’s ark; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso was intact.”

1 Samuel 5:4 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being the only true God. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why do you think the writer repeats the hand of God?
  • What false gods do people trust today?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.