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1 Samuel Chapter 6
The Ark Returned to Israel
Why they waited so long, we don't know.
Looks like that should have been returned
the first time their Dagon god fell face first at the presence of
the ark of God.
- 1Samuel 6:2 And the
Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying,
What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we
shall send it to his place.
- 3 And they said, If
ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty;
but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be
healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed
from you.
They were use to giving offerings of
some kind to their own gods and figured this was the thing to do.
Notice they went to their priests for advice so they still were
trusting in their idols and religious customs. By this time they
were aware that the God of Israel was a real God but have not yet
found out that He was the only real God.
- 1Samuel 6:4 Then
said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall
return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five
golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the
Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
- 5 Wherefore ye shall
make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar
the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel:
peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off
your gods, and from off your land.
They were to make images of the mice
and emerods. The plague of hemorroids and swarms of mice were part
of the judgment God sent to them for taking the ark. They did not
know the God of Israel required a heart change, repentance and
obedience rather than outword religious rituals and gifts, so they
did what they only knew how to do.
-
1Samuel 6:6 Wherefore then
do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened
their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did
they not let the people go, and they departed?
Their wise men knew about what happened
years earlier in Egypt and how Pharoah kept hardening his heart and
refusing to let the people leave Egypt. Some how God made a way for
surrounding nations to hear that news. In His mercy He desires to
save not destroy, so word was sent to them even back in the days of
no modern technology like we have today. They realized that if
Pharoah had not have hardened his heart, they would not have been
destroyed.
- 1Samuel 6:7 Now
therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which
there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring
their calves home from them:
- 8 And take the ark
of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of
gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer
by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.
This was not done according to the law
of Moses described in the book of Numbers. God in His mercy though
knew that they would not have known how to do this properly and did
not bring judgment like what happened to the men of Bethshemesh that
looked in the ark. They should have known the law. Also later in the
days of King David when Uzzah touched the Ark, judgment fell. Only
the appointed priests were to bare the Ark upon their shoulders. It
was a sign of respect and awe at the presence of God.
- 1Samuel 6:9 And see,
if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then
he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know
that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that
happened to us.
- 10 And the men did
so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut
up their calves at home:
- 11 And they laid the
ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of
gold and the images of their emerods.
Cows would not willingly leave their
calves at home so this was a test to see if Israel's God was real
and was the one who was bringing judgment to them for having the ark
or if this was just one of those things that happen by chance. If
the cows would leave behind their calves, they would know this was
supernatural, God was real and it really was His judgment that came
upon them.
- 1Samuel 6:12 And the
kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went
along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to
the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines
went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.
- 13 And they of
Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and
they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see
it.
- 14 And the cart came
into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where
there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart,
and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.
- 15 And the Levites
took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it,
wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great
stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and
sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
- 16 And when the five
lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the
same day.
- 17 And these are the
golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass
offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for
Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
- 18 And the golden
mice, according to the number of all the cities of the
Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities,
and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel,
whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth
unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.
So the lords of the Philistines were
convinced this was a supernatural occurance and left and went back
home. The cows willingly brought the Ark to the Bethshemesh. Those
working in the fields rejoiced to see the Ark. The Levites took down
the Ark of the Lord and offered sacrifices then and there. The
Phillistines were convinced it was a miracle and the real God of
Israel was the one bring the plagues upon them to taking the Ark.
They then went back home.
- 1Samuel 6:19 And he
smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the
ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and
threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the
LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.
- 20 And the men of
Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD
God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
- 21 And they sent
messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The
Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye
down, and fetch it up to you.
Those that looked into the Ark contrary to
the law of Moses were slain as well as others. They had forgotten
the holiness and power that accompanied the ark and what it
represented. Unlike the Phillistines, they knew better and were
under the law given to Moses so judgment came upon them for that.
This shows that God is holy and His word is never to be taken
lightly. There is a reason for all that God says and does and we
need to seek Him to discover who God is and not neglect to seek Him
daily. He will guide us into all truth if we desire to know truth.
May we say in our hearts always, "We want to know God." "We want to
see Jesus." We want His word in our hearts." We want to walk in His
ways." "We want to seek His salvation." We do not want to take these
holy things lightly or in passing."
These people feared though and sent
messengers to Kirjathjearim to come and get the Ark. It stayed in
that place for 20 years. -DC
1 Samuel Chapter 7
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