First Samuel 4-7

God’s message to me: God is not mocked. The Philistines took the ark and put it in the temple of the false god Dagon. The next morning they found their Idol face down on the floor pointed toward the Ark as in Worship. The set up the Idol and the next day it was in the same position again with it’s hands and head broken off and just the torso lying there. They decided it might be a good idea to send the Ark elsewhere after that. Despite that, their offense against God was repaid with a plague of tumors and rats. Some think it might refer to the bubonic plague. Those who didn’t die were plagued by the tumors.

They sent it to Ekron where everyone panicked and said the people of Ashdod (where it had first been sent) were trying to kill them. They too, had the same plague and demanded the lords of the Philistines send the ark away.

The Philistines held the ark for 7 months during which time the plague did not let up. These leaders didn’t forget where the Ark came from or what God had done for His people. While the Israelites routinely turned from God and failed to give Him credit for all His miracles, the Philistines remembered the stories of every curse, plague, lost battle and miraculous destruction God had brought against Israel's enemies from the captivity in Egypt to that day. They had no intention of being as stupid as Egypt and continuing to keep the ark after it was clear God was punishing them for doing so.

Finally back in Israel at the Ark rested in Beth Shemesh. The locals had immediately broken the cart for firewood and used it to make a burnt offering to God out of the cows pulling the cart. Unfortunately for them, they decided to inspect the contents of the Ark. none but the High priest was supposed to do this and then only under certain rare circumstances. 50,000 people of Beth Shemesh died as a result of the offense and they demanded the ark be taken from them. It was there for 20 years.

It was taken to a neighboring city called Kirjath Jearim where they placed it in the house of Abinadab and consecrated his son Eleazar to take care of it.

Promises: Just as sin will bring destruction, Obedience will bring salvation. By putting away their false gods and turning back to the one true God, the Israelites were taken out from the oppression of the Philistines and their cities and land they had lost to them was returned.

Commands: Implied rather than explained. Our faith should be in God not in objects, even if they are of God. False worship and false gods including false versions of Jehovah are a surefire way to find destruction for yourself. Remember the first commandment.

Timeless principles: Once again there is a test of God. The false priests and diviners of the Philistines were no doubt inspired by God to give the answer they did when asked what to do about the ark. Two milk cows who had never been yoked would mean two milk cows(not the usual choice for pulling a wagon)who had never been hitched to anything(and wouldn’t easily accept the yoke let alone go somewhere on their own) and had their young locked in the barn(where instinct alone would make them want to go to the barn as well) and left to make their own path. Every rule of nature says these cows would head for the barn and probably overturn the cart in the process because they weren’t trained to pull one. Instead, as predicted, they headed strait for Israel and returned the Ark of the Covenant to God’s chosen people.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Trust in God alone for my needs for only He can provide. Separate myself from anything that works towards false religion so that I do not offend God.

more to learn for in-depth study: one of the roles played by the Ark of the Covenant was weapon. More precisely it was a bit of a super-weapon. God had ordered it to be taken into battle on occasion and in each case it had been the direct cause of a great many enemy deaths. This particular occasion was something like the battle of the Alamo. The Israelites lost the battle in a way that was a lot more damaging to the Philistines than to Israel.

Not ordered to do so, the Israelites decided they needed the Ark in battle because they knew what had happened in the past. They were placing their faith in a thing rather than in God directly. they had already lost 4,000 in battle and with the Ark on the battlefield they lost another battle along with the lives of 30,000 Israeli soldiers and the two sons of Eli who had taken the Ark to the battlefield. When word was brought to Eli about what had happened he didn’t have much reaction to the loss of his sons but “fell over” when he heard the ark had been taken. When he fell his neck broke and he died at 98 years old.

News of the defeat drove the wife of Eli’s son Phinehas into early labor. She gave birth to a son she named Ichabod because the ark had been captured, Eli and her husband and brother in law were all dead and she said, “the glory has departed from Israel for the ark of God has been captured.”

tomorrow: First Samuel 8-11