God Continues to Teach Us How to Honor Him

Text: 1 Samuel 6:1–7:2

Central Proposition of the Sermon (CPS):

"Because God’s holiness and sovereignty demand reverence, not just ritual, we must approach Him with awe and heartfelt devotion, trusting that His presence will guide and transform our lives."

Introduction (5 minutes)

Good morning, everyone! Today, we’re diving into a wild story from 1 Samuel 6:1,7:2.

Picture this: the Philistines—Israel’s enemies—have stolen the ark of God, a sacred box that represents His holy presence. But for seven months, they’ve been hit with plagues and bad luck. They’re desperate to get rid of it, but they don’t know how. Meanwhile, God’s people, Israel, are about to learn some tough lessons about honoring Him.

This story isn’t just ancient history—it’s about us, too. In our family, we’ve been on a journey lately: kids opening their Bibles, parents reconnecting, all of us seeking God together. But here’s the question: Are we really honoring Him, or are we just doing “church stuff”? Today’s sermon, “God Continues to Teach Us How to Honor Him,” will show us three ways people respond to God—and what we can learn from them.

Here’s the big idea: Because God’s holiness and sovereignty demand reverence, not just ritual, we must approach Him with awe and heartfelt devotion, trusting His presence to guide and transform us.

So, let’s ask ourselves as we start:

Have you ever treated God like a vending machine—putting in a prayer or a good deed, expecting a blessing back?

Let’s see what God teaches us today.

The Ritualistic Response

(1 Samuel 6:1-9) – 10 minutes

The Story

The Philistines are in a mess. They’ve got the ark, but their cities are falling apart—plagues, tumors, chaos. So, they call their priests and diviners—think of them as their “spiritual advisors”—and say, “How do we get rid of this thing?” The priests have a plan: “Don’t send it back empty. Make five golden tumors and five golden mice—one for each of your big cities—as a guilt offering. Then put the ark on a cart with two cows that have never pulled anything. If the cows head straight to Israel, it’s God’s doing. If not, it’s just coincidence.”

What’s Going On?

In their culture, people thought you could “pay off” a god with gifts. The Philistines weren’t worshiping Yahweh—they were scared of Him. They even remembered Egypt’s plagues (verse 6) and thought, “Let’s not make that mistake!” But instead of turning to God, they tried to bribe Him, like a kid slipping a dollar to a parent after breaking a rule.

Digging Deeper

Psalm 115:4–8 “4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; 6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; 7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. 8 Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.”

The Philistines’ golden mice were shiny, but they were empty—just like their hearts.

Philosophers call this “cognitive dissonance”: when reality (God’s power) doesn’t match your beliefs (He’s just another god), so you twist things to fit. We do this too—praying without trusting, or doing good deeds to “earn” God’s favor.

For Us

Kids, imagine you broke your mom’s favorite vase and tried to fix it with candy. Would that work? Probably not! Adults, we’ve all had moments where we treat God like a formula: “If I do this, He’ll do that.”

God isn’t a vending machine—He’s holy, and He wants our hearts, not just our rituals.

So, question one:

Are we trying to “manage” God, or are we honoring Him with real love?

The Casual Response

1 Samuel 6:10–20 NKJV

10 Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. 12 Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. 13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord. 16 So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 18 and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”

The Story

The Philistines’ test works! The cows pull the cart straight to Beth-shemesh, mooing like they’re on a mission. The Israelites see it and throw a party—chopping up the cart, sacrificing the cows, cheering, “The ark’s back!” But then, some guys get too curious. They peek inside the ark—something only priests were allowed to handle—and God strikes down 70 of them. The celebration stops. They cry out, “Who can stand before this holy God?” and send the ark away.

What’s Going On?

The ark wasn’t a toy.

Leviticus 16 and Numbers 4 said only priests could deal with it, and even then, they had to be careful. These men treated God’s presence like a cool exhibit—“Let’s take a look!”—but His holiness isn’t casual.

God Holiness Is like a live wire: touch it wrong, and you’re in trouble.

Digging Deeper

In Isaiah 6:5 “5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”

Isaiah sees God’s holiness and says, “Woe is me! I am ruined!”

That’s what hit Beth-shemesh. Psychologically, we humans like to “domesticate” God—make Him safe, like a pet.

But when His holiness breaks through, it shakes us up. They couldn’t handle it, so they pushed it away.

For Us

Kids, ever gotten too close to a campfire and felt the heat? God’s presence is like that—warm and amazing, but dangerous if you don’t respect it. In our family, we’ve felt Him lately—through Bible time, through talking as a couple.

But are we treating Him with awe, or getting too comfy?

Question two:

Are we taking God’s holiness for granted, or approaching Him with wide-eyed wonder?

The Reverent Response

(1 Samuel 6:21–7:2)

The Story

After the disaster, the ark heads to Kiriath-jearim. They don’t mess around—they pick Eleazar, consecrate him (that means set him apart), and he guards the ark. It stays there 20 years, and the Bible says, “All the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.” They didn’t forget Him; they longed for Him.

What’s Going On?

Unlike the Philistines, who just wanted the ark gone, or Beth-shemesh, who panicked, Kiriath-jearim welcomed it with respect.

They didn’t have it at the center of worship yet, but they honored it quietly, faithfully. That’s reverence: not loud, but deep.

Digging Deeper

Psalm 24:3–4 “3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.”

Asks, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”

Reverence starts inside.

Philosophically, people often avoid truth when it’s hard—the Philistines and Beth-shemesh dodged it. But Kiriath-jearim leaned in, and that’s where growth happens.

For Us

Kids, it’s like when you miss someone you love—you don’t just forget them; you want them closer. Our family’s been seeking God like that—chasing Him, not just doing “church.” Let’s keep that alive.

Question three:

Are we longing for God with reverence, or just coasting? When we honor Him this way, His presence doesn’t just visit—it stays.

Conclusion

(5 minutes)

Recap

We’ve seen three responses to God: the Philistines with empty rituals, Beth-shemesh with casual curiosity, and Kiriath-jearim with quiet reverence. Only one led to real connection.

Big Idea

Because God’s holiness and sovereignty demand reverence, not just ritual, let’s approach Him with awe and heartfelt devotion, trusting His presence to transform us.

Hebrews 12:28–29 “28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” says, “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

Challenge

This week, pick one way to honor God with reverence—maybe a quiet prayer, a worship song, or helping someone without being asked.

Kids, try thanking God for something amazing about Him. Adults, let’s check our hearts: Are we chasing Him, or just going through the motions?

Closing

God continues to teach us how to honor Him—not with golden mice or quick glances, but with hearts that say, “Who can stand before this holy God?” The answer? Those who come with awe, clean hands, and pure hearts. Let’s be that family.