ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 TOKONAKI MA’ASI 28, 2026

1 SAMIUELA 4-8; ‘AISEA 42:8-12

Always remember that the Lord Almighty reigns in glory, and he will not give his glory to another.

Manatu’i ma’u pe ‘oku hau ‘a e ‘Otua Mafimafi mei Kololia pea ‘e ‘ikai te ne toe ‘ave hono langilangi ki ha taha.

I love good comedy. I love comedic moments that are unsettling and awkward, because in those moments the messiness of the personalities, intentions, and responses of human beings are being unclothed. There are moments in great comedies when I feel the awkwardness and think, "This guy is naked (metaphorically); everyone in the room knows it except him." You laugh as you cringe. You feel sorry for the guy, but you also like that he has been exposed. Comedy can break through our defenses, allowing us to examine and admit things that a lecture about the same things wouldn't allow. God gave us the ability to laugh. Humor is one of his good gifts, but even this gift is meant to point to God's existence and his glory.

There is divine comedy in the Bible. If you don't see it, then you have probably missed the power of the narrative that God has preserved for you. First Samuel 5 contains one of those moments. It is holy hilarity at its best. The Philistines have captured the ark of the covenant and, because they have, they are convinced that their god, Dagon, is more powerful than Jehovah, the Lord Almighty, the Creator and controller of everything that is. Now let yourself step into the cosmic ridiculousness of this. Could this god of stone, which at some point was crafted by human hands, ever be compared to the Lord of lords, let alone be greater than him? Watch what happens next; it should make you chuckle with awe:

And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. (1 Sam. 5:3-4)

How awkward! Great, conquering Dagon now lies face flat before the ark of the Lord, as though in worshipful surrender (5:3). God will not give his glory to another. The scene should make you chuckle at the complete impotency of this idol in the face of the glory of the Lord. But the divine comedy of this moment isn't over. The Philistines, in a vain effort to hold on to the delusion of Dagon's power, prop him up again, only to find him toppled again, this time with his head and hands cut off, his powerlessness now rendered even more powerless.

When I read this, I hear the heavenly host laughing. It's the laughter of praise. God won't give his glory to another. Psalm 2:4 tells us, "He who sits in the heavens laughs." There are moments when it is spiritually good for us to laugh, too, as we consider the ridiculous impotency of anything that would challenge the will and glory of our great and glorious Lord.