The Ark travels back to Israel

1 Samuel Chapter 6

The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory for seven months. Then the Philistines called their priests and diviners and asked them what to do about the Ark and how to return it to its own land. They were told to send the Ark back to Israel along with a gift - a guilt offering so the plague would stop. Then if the plague did not stop, the people would know that God didn't send the plague.

The people asked what kind of guilt offering to send and were told: since the plague struck both you and your five rulers, make five gold tumors and five gold rats, like those that have ravaged your land. Make them to show honor to the God of Israel and perhaps he will stop afflicting your gods and your land. They were told not to be rebellious like the Pharaoh and Egyptians were long ago, but instead to build a new cart and hitch it to two cows who had just born calves, but shut their calves away in a pen. Put the Ark on the cart beside a chest containing the gold rats and tumors and let the cart go wherever it wants. If the cows cross the border and go to Beth-shemesh, the Palestines would know it was the Lord who brought the great disaster. If they cows don't, they would know the plague was a coincidence and not sent by the Lord.

So the instructions were carried out and the cows went straight down the road toward Beth-shemesh. The Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border. The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley and when they saw the Ark they were overjoyed. The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the Lord as a burnt offering.

Several men of the tribe of Levi lifted the Ark of the Lord and chest containing the gold rats and tumors from the cart and placed them on the large rock. Many burnt offerings and sacrifices were offered to the Lord that day by the people of Beth-shemesh. The five Philistine rulers watched all this and then returned to Ekron.

The five gold tumors that were sent by the Philistines as a guilt offering were gifts from the rulers of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The five gold rats were from the five cities and villages which were controlled by the five rulers. The large rock at Beth-shemesh stands in the field of Joshua as a reminder of what happened there.

But the Lord killed seventy men from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Lord. And the people of the town mourned greatly at what the Lord had done and cried out that nobody there could stand in the presence of the Lord, so they sent messages to the people in Kiriath-jearim and told them to come and get the Ark.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: The Philistines recognized their guilt in taking the Ark, but now they were trying to placate Israel's God by making gold idols.These kinds of offerings were not the kind of guilt offerings that God described in his laws. This was all cooked up by the rulers and Philistine priests who also devised the test of the cart and cows. The cows who had just given birth would be reluctant to leave their nursing calves and would go against her instincts to leave them. Only God who has the power over the natural order could cause this to happen and he sent the cows to Israel, not to pass the Philistines test, but to show them his mighty power.

Why were the Israelite killed for looking into the Ark. (see Numbers 4:20) God did not allow the people to try to harness his power for their own purposes. He cannot be controlled by humans and he warned them not to look at the sacred objects or thy would die. He did not kill the men of Beth-shemesh to be cruel, but because overlooking their presumptuous sin would encourage a while nation to ignore the Lord.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Do we not mirror the Philistines who think we can choose the gifts we think will please God. Are we not often like the Philistines, acknowledging the existence of the Hebrew God, but only as one of many deities? Do we not see God sometimes as but one ingredient in our successful lives? But God is much more than one ingredient or one deity- he is the source of life itself. He is the source of our success. He is the most almighty and he needs us to GET REAL! Be on your knees praising his glory! Don't be swayed by your own independence or ambition. Recognize his power in your life today and always!

Yours in Christ,
Mary

SUCESSFUL HEALING REPORT: Thanks to your prayers, Al’s cancer is gone! His tumor, however remains inoperable and he is home living as normal a life as can be expected. Continue to pray for him. Gene’s biopsy proved his tumor was benign and he has been removed from our prayer list. Barb has been moved to a rehab facility to work on her speech etc., keep praying for her.

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, Arlene’s nephew David, Lori (who suffered a terrible accident)and her family and my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. And Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke. Also for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: She is 13 weeks old and has her own room at the hospital. She has been taken off the ventilator and is breathing on her own. They still need your prayers so badly. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.