Yahweh in Exile

The hope of the gospel is that in Christ, God took on the curse of sin for our sake. This is foreshadowed all throughout the history of redemption, and 1 Samuel 5 is no exception. When the ark is captured it was not that Dagon had defeated Yahweh, but rather God took on the curse of Israel's covenant faithlessness. God went into exile, and there fought for Israel, defeating the false gods and his people's enemy in the process.