I Samuel 5-6

SCRIPTURE LINK: I Samuel 5-6

BACKGROUND

An idol that mysteriously falls down before the ark of God during the night, not once but twice …

Golden tumors and golden rats …

Milk cows, never yoked before, leaving their calves and unwillingly but unerringly carrying their burden of the ark back to Israel …

When I was a little girl my mom had Bible clubs in our home and this story, the one about the idol Dagon falling in front of the ark of God, is one of the ones I remember best. I’m not sure why – it just struck me. I can still imagine the flannel graph figure of Dagon set up with the one of the ark and how it would go face first onto the floor, not once, but twice! It struck my sense of humor or something. And then I could picture the cows, separated from their calves and lowing all the way, unwillingly sent on their way to Israel pulling the ark on a cart.

A couple of points before I reflect on the passage:

The ark was where the presence of God resided – a HOLY PLACE FOR A HOLY GOD. Where was it supposed to stay?

The Israelites, as Katrina pointed out yesterday, treated it as a kind of lucky charm, by taking it into battle when they had been told to keep the ark behind the veil in the most holy place in the Tabernacle (Exodus 26: 33). Then when the men of Beth Shemesh opened the ark to look inside in curiosity – something even the Philistines didn’t do - they were again treating God’s presence casually. God reminded them swiftly and forcefully that He is not to be treated casually. He is the Holy and Almighty God.

Every commentary I’ve read questions the translation of number of people who died at Beth Shemesh (6:19). There just weren’t that many people who lived in that region, for one thing. There is some disagreement on exactly what the Hebrew means – whether it’s talking about people only or people and livestock, but they all agree the number of people killed for looking into the ark was much less than 50, probably between 70 and 1400, depending on how the Hebrew is translated.

REFLECTION

God went to great extremes here to make sure that the ark wasn’t treated like an idol or another talisman or something. He made sure the Philistines understood that they couldn’t claim God as one of their gods. He’s not just one among many.

And He made it clear to the Israelites that He is holy, something that they had forgotten.

The question the people of Beth Shemesh ask at the end of chapter 6 is a good one, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God?” Not one of us, in and of ourselves, can stand before the holy LORD. And like the Israelites, we forget that.

Jesus split that veil dividing Holy God from us. We can come directly into the presence of God through Him. Not because we deserve it, not because we earn it, but because Jesus gave his life.

APPLICATION

Have you found yourself being casual about God’s holiness?

Do you treat God like a talisman or good luck charm, something to pull out to fulfill your desires or needs?

Does God exist for you or do you exist for Him?

PRAYER

You are holy, LORD, and truly not one of us can stand before you apart from Jesus Christ. Thank-you for coming in the flesh, for dying and splitting the dividing veil, so that we can be intimate with You in Your holiness, so that You can live IN us!