The Ark at Beth-Shemesh
First Samuel 6: 10-21
The Ark at Beit-Shemesh DIG: Why did Ha’Shem bring judgment against the people of Beth Shemesh? What does this reveal to us about whom He requires to be obedient to His Word? How can the loss of the Ark and the judgment against the people of Beth-Shemesh be traced back to ‘Eli’s failure as high priest? What does this teach us about the wide-ranging effects of sin?
REFLECT: When have you treated God with too much familiarity? How do you maintain proper respect for His holiness? Do you use “signs” to determine if ADONAI is for or against a plan of yours? What signs? How do you know if they are from God? What effect is your life having on people around you? Are you leading others toward godliness or toward sinfulness? Who can you help?
The presence of the holy Ark was very dangerous, for the Philistines and for Isra’el as well.
The Philistines had made all the preparations for sending the Ark back to the Israelites (to see link click Bj – The Ark Leaving Philistia). They took two milk-cows, harnessed them to the cart and confined their calves to the shed. Then they put the Ark on the cart, along with the box containing the gold rats and the models of their tumors. And sure enough, without veering to the right or to the left, the cows went straight down the road to Beth-Shemesh, their nursing calves left behind, mooing as they went. YHVH was on the way home! It was an Exodus! The LORD returned in glory, having yet again defeated an oppressive enemy of Isra’el. This was the coming glory that Dagon could not defeat. During the whole ordeal God said nothing, decreed nothing, asserted nothing, and required nothing. He operated in total silence. There is no doubt, however, either for Isra’el or for the Philistines, that the sovereign will of ADONAI dominates the story.157 The leaders of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh (6:10-12). We can scarcely imagine the relief of the Philistines as Ha’Shem’s holy Ark finally departed from their hands.
The LORD’s accommodation to the way that the Philistines’ handled the situation (5:8-9) should not encourage us to rely on superstitious approaches to discerning God’s will. Subjective signs that we think up are no way to understand God’s will (see the commentary on Judges Ba – The Sign of the Fleece). Instead, they invite us to act upon our own hunches and sometimes provide an opportunity for Satan to deceive us. Rather, we should remember the testimony of Peter, who witnessed several clear divine revelations, including the audible speaking of God’s voice. Yet, Peter tells us that we have something more sure, the prophetic Word, that is the Bible, to which you will do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place (Second Peter 1:19a). If we want ADONAI’s revelation, the place to find it is in the holy Scriptures, which YHVH has given to us as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).
Apparently, God’s purposes with the Philistines were finished, at least for the time being. We should not suppose that the five models of golden tumors and the five golden mice atoned for their sins; nevertheless, the LORD had sufficiently humbled them and made His point. The Philistines returned home, only too glad to get rid of the dangerous Object of their destruction. How easy it is for us to do likewise when God disciplines us (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children) and we are glad to avoid the pain, thinking little of what He wanted to teach us. The Philistines were like the wicked men that Job observed, who complained: God, depart from us! We don’t desire the knowledge of your ways (Job 21:14). How much better to treasure God’s Word and to humble ourselves in trusting obedience to all that He has revealed!158
So, God’s holy Ark returned to Isra’el after seven months in Philistine hands. The Philistines had wanted only to escape Ha’Shem’s wrath and discern enough of God’s will to think that they could escape His judgment. Now, as the Ark returns to Isra’el, we ask ourselves: How can we stand in the presence of such a holy God? As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, the first answer is that God’s people are to receive God’s presence with joy. We see such joy modeled by the people of Beth-Shemesh who were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the Ark, they rejoiced to see it (6:13)! The Philistines only may have wanted to get rid of so holy a God, but the LORD’s people knew of His mighty grace. Nehemiah said that the joy of ADONAI is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Believers are strongest when we are rejoicing in the Lord, and God is never more fully praised by us than when we most rejoice in Him.
Secondly, God’s people are to dwell in reverence. It turned out that Beth-Shemesh was a Levitical city (see the commentary on Numbers Gj – Levitical Cities), in which the clan of Kohath lived (see Numbers At – The Clan of Kohath), the clan assigned to care for the Ark of the covenant when the children of Isra’el were on the move in the wilderness (Numbers 4:4-12). The cart entered the field of Joshua and stood there by a large stone. It was not surprising, then, for them to immediately arrange a sacrifice. Then the Levites removed the Ark of ADONAI and the box that was beside it, which contained the gold objects, and put them on the large stone. They cut up the wood of the cart and offered up the cows as a Burnt Offering to the LORD (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God). What was surprising, however, was their failure to observe the mitzvah that only bulls were to be offered (Leviticus 1:3 and 5). Upon seeing this, the five leaders of the Philistines returned that day to Ekron (6:14-16).
After the return of the Ark, the narrative moves quickly to its conclusion. A summary statement is made to indicate that all the Philistines had submitted to YHVH. The gold tumors which the Philistines sent back as a guilt offering for ADONAI were one each for Ashdod, Gath, Ashkelon, Gat and Ekron; and the gold mice also corresponded to the number of all the cities of the Philistines that belonged to the five leaders – fortified cities and country villages. [The large stone] is a witness to this day of the great mourning [which resulted from] putting the ark of ADONAI on it in the field of Joshua the Beit-Shemesh (6:17-18).
But that was followed by an even more fatal offense. Trouble, instead of blessing, came to them because the Ark of God was not given due reverence. Remarkably, the Levites had allowed ADONAI’s holy Ark to become a tourist attraction. What a sight it must have been to the eyes of country-folk: a large shining golden box, adorned with such finely crafted cherubim that YHVH had employed craftsmen specifically anointed by the Ruach (Exodus 30-35). How natural it would have been for crowds to gather to see the Ark of the covenant, now in Beth-Shemesh for the first time! But what seems natural to us is sometimes irreverence to God.159
Indeed, when the Ark was ready to be transported, Aaron went in with his sons, took down the inner veil of the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus Fq – The Inner Veil of the Sanctuary: That is Christ, His Body), and covered the Ark of the covenant with it. Then they placed a yellow-orange covering of fine leather (Exodus 26:14), and on top of that spread an all-blue cloth. Then they inserted the carrying-poles. This would guard the holy Ark from the gaze of human eyes. No one was to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die (Numbers 4:20). Therefore, ADONAI killed 70 people of Beth-Shemesh for looking at the Ark. Then the people mourned because ADONAI had struck them with such a terrible slaughter (6:19). Those people somehow lacked the proper attitude toward YHVH, not honoring and reverencing the Holy One. As it was one of the darkest times of the history of ancient Isra’el, it was no surprise to find the spiritual condition of the Israelites at such a low ebb. Now the time was ripe for Samuel’s new ministry (see Bm – The Last Judge). ADONAI had not forgotten His people even in the darkest time.160
The example of Beth-Shemesh reminds us that we do now show reverence for YHVH by treating Him according to our own wisdom or sentiments, but only by obeying the mitzvot of His Word. How much blatantly carnal worship is offered up to God today, designed to appeal to the flesh with no reference to biblical principles (and often in direct violation of Scripture), and how greatly such irreverence must account for the lack of true spiritual blessing experienced by the flock! Just as the Kohathite priests’ incredible ignorance in handling the Ark revealed the spiritual decline of that generation, so does the lack of reverence for ADONAI in worship signal a spiritual decline among us today.
The people of Beth-Shemesh further showed their spiritual poverty by responding to God’s wrath not unlike the Philistines when they cried out: Who can stand before ADONAI, this holy God? To whom can we send it, to get it away from us?” Then, just as the Philistines of Ashdod had palmed off the Ark first to Gath (see Bg – The Ark at Gath), and then to Ekron (see Bh – The Ark at Ekron), the people of Beth-Shemesh sent messengers to the people living in Kiriath-Jearim with this message, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of ADONAI. Come down and bring it back up with you” (6:20-221). This shows the ultimate result when God’s people drift from God’s Word. When this happens, the Church then takes on the attitude of the world and ultimately rejects YHVH in unbelief.161
Dear heavenly Father, praise You for being such a fair and righteous God. You so graciously call out to all to come to You. Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). You so kindly reveal the truth about how great You are when people look at the magnificence of Your creation and realize how incredibly designed it is every tiny detail of each animal, plant, human and planet. Thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation (Romans 5:17, Ephesians 2:8-9)! Praise You that all who hear and believe (John 5:24) are sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha-Kodesh. He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise (Ephesians 1:13-14)! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and Power of His Resurrection. Amen
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