God Rescues His Ark
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· 32 viewsGod's people are to trust in him alone and not to fall into the trap of spiritual superstitions
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Introduction
Good Morning...
Let’s begin this morning by doing a brainwashing test to see how brainwashed we all really are. We are going to throw up a grid of 30 different pictures and you check and see how many you don’t recognize. Ready set go...
I bet you recognize many of them don’t you. If you saw them on a sign, screen or front door you would think that you had a pretty good idea of what you would find there. And not because the pictures accurately depict what it there, but because your mind has been trained i.e. brainwashed to think that this picture equals their product.
For example if you opened a present next Christmas and on the box there was this a picture of an apple with a bite out of it, you would not think that Santa brought you a box of half eaten fruit. You would expect an intuitive and confusing to me piece of technology from the Apple company.
A symbol is designed to point you to something else. It doesn’t even have to be a picture of that something, but whatever the picture, a symbol draws your mind to that thing. Or at least you expect it to.
Have you ever been driving a long distance and you started to get really hungry for food from a particular place. For me it would be a burrito from chipotle. Not long ago I would have to check the signs at every exit along our route to see if that restaurant was there, but like everything else these days there is an app for that. So I can talk to my little box with a half eaten fruit on it and “siri” can tell me where the closest one is and find it is close enough and you begin to taste the burrito in your mouth as you make your way closer and closer. Then you see the sign, there it is and you get really excited until you pull into the empty parking lot to read on the door “coming soon”.
The sign said your delicious burrito is here, but in the end the sign was pointing to a place that was empty.
Tension
This is what happened to the Children of Israel in 1 Samuel chapter 4, only they were looking for something much more important that expensive guacamole. They were looking for victory in a battle against an enemy that seemed bent on their destruction.
They thought back to the great victories that they had in the past:
When God delivered them from the Egyptian army when they crossed the Dead sea and
When God handed them the victory over the stronghold of Jericho when the walls came a tumbling down.
They remembered that God had instructed them to bring the sign of His presence into each of these battles. It was this particular piece of furniture from Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and God had instructed them to carry it out into these battles. So when they lost the first round of a battle with a different pagan nation, they decided that they would just go get that same symbol of God’s presence and bring it into the battle, believing that it would once again assure them the victory. But they never got to taste that victory, in fact they tasted an even more bitter defeat.
Sometimes we can get so focused on the symbol or sign that we loose track of the substance. We start believing that as long as we secure the symbol in our life, then that is good enough, until we find out that the symbol by itself does nothing when it is pointing to something empty. It is one thing when this works to not satisfy your craving for a good burrito, but quite another when your life in on line.
something points to something else so strongly that we can lose the substance in the symbol. We might start believing that securing the symbol in our life is good enough and we miss what the symbol is pointing us toward. This was true in our text today for the Children of Israel, and more than that
That is the story we are going to unpack this morning from the book of 1 Samuel, so open up with me if you will to , p. 228 in the Bibles in the chairs. I’ll pray and we will search together for the substance behind the many symbols in this text.
Truth
So last week we met Samuel, the long awaited son of Hannah and the prophet for the entire people of Israel. He was only about 11 years old when the Word of the Lord first came to him, and the first message was not happy news. Young Samuel confirmed for Eli the priest that God was no longer going to tolerate the evil behavior of his sons. God would judge Eli’s family by removing their line from the priesthood by death with a sword. These next 3 chapters give us the story of that judgement, but there is even more for us to learn from it.
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This is a carrying out of the judgement of God on the house of Eli
The Ark description
10 “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. 17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
God relates in the same way today to people who would abuse their position and His name for their own selfish gain. He will tolerate this for a season, but then He will judge it.
That is one of the reasons that the New Testament says:
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
So Eli’s family was rejected as the messengers of God, even as Samuel was elevated into that role for all the nation of Isreal. These chapters really leave Samuel off in the first verse and then they don’t mention him again, but we will talk later of how his lack of screen time for Samuel is an important part of this story.
exodus 25:10-2
These chapters really leave Samuel off in the first verse and then they don’t mention him again, but we will talk later of how his lack of play time in the story actually tells us quite a bit. So in Chapter 4:1 we read
So in Chapter 4:1 we read
These chapters really leave Samuel off in the first verse and then they don’t mention him again, but we will talk later of how his lack of play time in the story actually tells us quite a bit. So in Chapter 4:1 we read
The story begins , so in Chapter 4:1 we read
1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.
At this point in history the nation of Philistia was a constant threat to the people of Israel. (map)They were a coastal plains people who were constantly battling with the people of Israel as they attempted to expand from the shores of the Mediterranean sea eastward. If you remember the story of the long haired muscle man Samson, he was constantly battling against the Philistines. His traitor girlfriend kept saying, “Awake Sampson the Philistines are upon you” and then she would ask him again and again for the secret of his strength, and eventually he blindly told her and it went so very poorly for him...
Anyway, We aren’t sure what inspired this particular battle, only that it happened and that Israel was defeated something fierce. They lost 4,000 men on the field of battle, and returned home to seek wisdom from their Elders to see what to do next. It is here that we see how...
The people confuse the symbol of God’s presence with His actual presence ()
The people confuse the symbol of God’s presence with His actual presence ()
This is how it happened:
And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines…
Notice who they recognize to be responsible for their defeat. They don’t blame the Philistines. They don’t blame their military stradegy or the strength of their men. They see their defeat as something that was orchestrated by the Lord. So wouldn’t it make sense then that their next step would be to inquire why the Lord would do such a thing and what they should do now? The had the means.
Remember that all of Israel now recognized Samuel as a prophet of the Lord. Everyone from the northern most tribe to the southern recognized Samuel as a Prophet of the Lord and this story began with the reminder that the word of Samuel came to all Israel… but they did not seek the Word of the Lord, they just went ahead with a practice that worked in the past, assuming that they could get it to work again.
1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.
TThis isn’t saying that sometimes Samuel just spoke his own word instead of Gods, it means that Samuel was accessable to all of Israel, but they did not seek him. They had a better idea than seeking the word of the Lord, they would just use the symbol of the Lord.
The Word of the LORD was accessible through His appointed prophet Samuel, but they did not seek the Word of the Lord, they just went ahead with a practice that worked in the past, assuming that they could get it to work again.
3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”
3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
1 sa
Remember that this section of Scripture is a record of God’s fulfillment of his judgement on these two sons of Eli. As priests themselves, they were exploiting their position to fulfill their appetites and the text says that “they did not know the Lord”. Their presence confirms for us that the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant was not something that they got from God, but something they were simply doing out of their own godless character, still the Lord will then use this wayward decision to accomplish His will in ending their lives. But as I said, I see even more here for us to understand and apply than just the judgement on these two sons.
as a huge part of their evil was in doing things against the law of the Lord.
So lets talk for just a moment on what this piece of furniture knows as the “Ark of the Covenant” was. The way we have referenced it so far this morning might make you think it was a mighty weapon of war. That is how Steven Spielberg anyway ... but in truth it was a box. The Hebrew word that we translate to be “ark” is “a-rone” which used by itself meant box, chest, money chest or even coffin. And this box was about the size of the crate you see here on the stage, but it’s size is all it would have in common with a box like this. because the Ark of the Covenant was crazy fancy! The instructions for building this box were given to Moses by God himself.
He wanted a particular wood.
He wanted a particular size.
He wanted a particular craftsman.
He wanted only particular people to touch it in particular ways.
He wanted every square inch of it meticulously and beautifully overlayed with pure gold.
This was no ordinary box. This was no crate picked up on the side of the road. This was something special…but what made it special? Was it the special wood, designs or gold? No. You could put that stuff on any box. This box was special because it was where God said that he would meet with His people.
22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
Exodus
So this was not just a fancy box, it was a sign of God’s relationship with the Children of Israel. It was more than just an Ark, it was the Ark... of The Covenant. It was where God said He would meet with His people and it contained signs of God’s faithfulness to His people including a bowl of manna, Aaron’s staff that budded and the tablets that the 10 commandments were written on. The law that governed the covenant between Jehovah God and His people. In this relationship God promised that if they were faithful to Him. He would be their God. He would be with them, protect them, bless them and make them a blessing to the entire world if they would obey Him as their God. This beautiful box was made as a symbol of that beautiful covenant . A covenant...that God’s people had been breaking for years.
a sign or symbol to remind God’s people of the importance of their relationship with God. It was more than just an Ark, it was the Ark... of The Covenant. It was the box that contained the law that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. The very law that governed the covenant between Jehovah God and His people where He promised that he would be with them, protect them, bless them and make them a blessing to the entire world if they would obey Him as their God. This beautiful box was made as a symbol of that beautiful covenant . A covenant...that God’s people had been breaking for years.
The people of God were not obeying the law of God. The priest of God were not obeying the Law of God. So God’s covenant that he made with the Children of Israel was being horribly violated. Without a repentance and turning away from their rejection of God’s law, this symbol of their relationship with God will not carry with it God’s presence as it did at the Dead sea and at the wall of Jericho.
And the children of Israel will learn the hard way that going into a battle with a symbol of God’s presence is not the same thing as going into battle with God’s presence.
did not understand that they carried a sign that pointed to something that was not there for them.
5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
1 Samuel 4:5-
The pagan Philistines were used to relating to god’s through man-made representations of them, but the people and priests of Jehovah should have known better.
5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” 10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Our God has never offered His people the option of a system where we are allowed to bend Him to our will for our glory. That is the religious system of pagan idolatry. Cry out to your gods, sacrifice more and more of your stuff to them and eventually they might do whatever you ask of them. It was a prominent religious practice in the ancient world, and in new forms is just as prominent today.
Our God isn’t interested in fulfilling our sin-soaked agenda, he is interested in fulfilling His perfect where he created every aspect of this world, including us, to radiate His glory. Any other way of relating to God is idolatry, just like the ancient Philistines. But since they were only going up against a symbol that pointed to something that was not now there, they had more than a fighting chance.
8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” 10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
And that is exactly what happened. They brought the Ark of the Covenant into the camp and all the people got excited. Even t who heard about the Ark let out such a huge shout that even the Philistines
So the will of the LORD was accomplished in the destruction of Eli’s wicked sons, but the symbol of the relationship between the Children of Israel and Jehovah God was lost. When the elderly priest Eli heard the news of the capture of the Ark, he fell over in his chair and died. The people of Israel were all devastated. Not only did they lose the battle, they lost the symbol of the covenant with the LORD and they rightly saw themselves as powerless to get it back.
They brought the Ark of the Covenant into the camp and all the people got excited. Even t who heard about the Ark let out such a huge shout that even the Philistines
The presence of the LORd is His to give and His to remove...
They wrongly thought that the presence of the symbol of God assured them of the presence of God, but the sons of Eli did not know God and so all of this was to fulfill what God had commanded about these worthless sons. They came to the battlefield that day without the LORD, with only a symbol of Him and priests who did not know Him.
17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
This is one of the places where we see a beautiful foreshadowing of the the Gospel in this story. When the people of God had no way of restoring their relationship with God, God himself made a way. That is the only hope that God’s people have ever had. In our sin, we have always worked to ruin our relationship with God, but God has always been working to renew it. Not because we deserve it, but because the perfection of His glory requires it
Col
And this is such a great story! I’ll give you an overview, but I would encourage you to read it for yourself this week.
In line with their pagan idolatry, the Philistines believed that their defeat of the Israelites meant that their god had defeated the God of the Israelites. They believed that the Israelites would now become their slaves, and Yahway would become the slave of their demon god Dagon. How do you think that will work out?
of the Philistines and their assumption was that Yahway would now opperate as a slave to Dagon. How do you think that will work out?
, they brought the Ark of God, as it is called here, into the temple of their god Dagon to become his servant. How do you think that will work out?
So they set up the Ark of the LORD next to this huge Idol of their demon god Dagon that was half fish and half man and shut the place up for the night. The next morning they opened the doors of the temple to find their demon god Dagon laying face down before the Ark of the LORD. Isn’t that Awesome! So they quickly work hard to get Dagon set back up in his high place above the Ark of the LORD. The next morning, they came in to not only find their god again on the floor, but this time his head and hands were cut off. I just think that is awesome.
And God was not finished with making his presence known to the people of Philistia. He terrified the people with these tumors and ravaged their agricultural world with an infestation of mice to the point that these cities just kept moving the Ark from one city to the next because none of them wanted the consequence of the presence of the one true God in their pagan lives. It was like a big game of hot potato, because no one wanted to hold onto it too long and deal with the consequences
It was like a big game of hot potato, because no one wanted to hold onto it too long and deal with the consequences
So they consult their pagan priests who tell them to get a brand new cart and put the Ark on. Then get a couple of milk cows, who have never been trained to walk together in a straight line, hitch them up to the cart and see what happens. Because in their brainwashed pagan minds, If these cows walk that cart back to the Israelites then it must be their God that is doing all of this, but if not then we will know it is just “coincidence”. (v 6:9) And just to make sure that there were no bad feelings between them and the God of Isrealites, they decided to throw in a box of golden images of their tumors and of the mice. So they put all this stuff on the cart and wait and guess where those milking cows went? Right on up to the levitical city of Beth-shemesh where...
So they did all that crazy stuff and the milk cows walk right on up to the levitical city of Beth-shemesh where...
The people receive the symbol of God’s presence with joy and worship ()
The people receive the symbol of God’s presence with joy and worship ()
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13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
So the symbol of God’s presence returns to the cheers of those who recieved it, but the celebration did not last long, because the relationship issues on the side of God’s people were still there. God did His part. He opened up a way for his people to return to a right relationship with Him, but the heart issues of the people remained.
they were still not right with God. Even though they were glad to get the symbol of God’s presence back, this city full of Levites, did not obey God in how they treated a defeated nation that needed to be freed. God first made his people aware of their heart issue when
The people fail to honor the holiness of God’s presence ()
The people fail to honor the holiness of God’s presence ()
19 And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”
We were so glad to see that God had
The big idea here guys is that God’s presence in our lives does not appear like a blessing when we are living in rebellion against him.
The pagan Philistines learned that lesson, and now God’s own people are getting a taste of it. They too have become fearful of His presence in their lives and are now trying to get rid of the symbol that they just finished celebrating over.
Remember God gave his people very particular rules about how to properly respect and care for the Ark of the Covenant, because it was a sign of their respect and care for their relationship with Him. It was to be set apart as holy. It was not be be treated as any old crate would be. Now we might say, is that really fair? How would they know what to do in this situation. I mean the thing just rolled into town on a cart without a driver!
Now we might say, is that really fair? How would they know what to do in this situation. I mean the thing just rolled into town on a cart without a driver!
And here is the important thing, God sent the Ark to the city of Beth-Shemesh for a reason. It was the Levitical city that was primarily responsible for the care of the Ark of the Covenant. They, of all people, would know how to care for and handle this sign of God’s covenant, but they did not do what they knew to do. Instead they just did what they they thought was right in their own eyes, as we have seen throughout the age of the Judges.
Wrong! It had a driver. God sent the Ark to this particular city for a reason. Beth Shemesh was the Levitical city that was primarily responsible for the care of the Ark of the Covenant. They, of all people, would know how to care for and handle it respectfully. But they did not stop and ask themselves, what does God require of us, instead they just did what was “right in their own eyes”. The very attitude that marked the dark age of the Judges that they were just beginning to look back on.
instead of caring for it as God commanded they treated it as just a . But they didn’t Yet they were not treating the Ark as they were told to treat it.
We are quick to make excuses for why we shouldn’t be held responsible for our actions, but even in the New Testament it says...
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
TheSo the Ark was parked in a particular city until the house of Israel would repent and turn back to the covenant that it pointed to.
Technically, that ends our text for the Gospel Project this week but I just can’t stand to leave it there. It is so depressing and it leaves so many questions unanswered. Do the Israelites ever get back on track, or do they just keep sending the Ark around from City to City too because as the Levites in Beth Shemesh said, “no one is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God”. Lets look at it quickly
Technically, that ends our text for the Gospel Project this week but I just can’t stand to leave it there. It is so depressing and it leaves so many questions unanswered. Do the Israelites ever get back on track, or do they just keep sending the Ark around from City to City too because no one is “able to stand before the LORD, this holy God”.
1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
They had the sign of the presence of the LORD back... but they still did not have the presence of the LORD. They spent twenty years being oppressed by the Philistines until…Samuel, some 31 years old now, re-enters the story. They spent 20 years lamenting their difficult situation, until finally Samuel gives them the answer. Lamenting alone doesn’t do any good, the people needed to be repenting!
passed until finally the person whose name is the title of this book gave them their needed instruction, but they spent 20 years “lamenting”. 20 years of expressed discontentment over their situation until finally they did the only thing that God ever asked of them.
3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.
How long will this lastthe rebellion of God’s people that is being addressed.
This is what God is always after in His people. He knows we will not serve Him perfectly, but He does require that we serve him faithfully! He requires that we trust in Him alone for our salvation. The Israelites repented, they turned away from the other things that they were trusting in for their salvation, and the next time they went into battle against the Philistines, the LORD fought for them. He thundered against the Philistines in such a way that they were routed before Israel.
So the next time they went into battle against the Philistines, the LORD fought for them. He thundered against the Philistines in such a way that they were routed before Israel.
Gospel Application
4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things.
15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
13 And to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands, Libnah with its pasturelands, 14 Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, 15 Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasturelands, 16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands—nine cities out of these two tribes;
- story of Uzzah steadying the ark and losing his life over it.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Gospel Application
I love a happy ending, so I figured I would keep going until we got to that part, but there is more there than just a good ending. There is a rich application found for us in those 20 years. We can lament all we want over the consequences of our sinful and selfish decisions, but lamenting is worthless if it isn’t followed up with repenting.
We are so like this. We get so frustrated in the series of events that
God is always working to bring His people back to Himself, but he cannot violate who He is in that process. We know him as a good, loving and patient God but we should never forget that he is also a righteous and holy judge. The men of Beth-Shemesh were asking the right question”
Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
And there is only one who is able. Only one who is holy. One who is righteous. One who is able to stand before the LORD and He has offered to stand in our place. He is Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Cor 6:
In the New Testament era, under the New Covenant, God no longer meets with His people between the cheribum on the Ark of the Covenant. He meets with us through the Holy Spirit in us. God has always been at work to provide for us a relationship with Him. This is the message of the Gospel. That on the cross Jesus stood in our place and He has given us His perfect righteousness. It was nothing that we could ever do, but God opened this way or us.
. It was nothing that we could ever do, but God did it for us. Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your LORD? Have you Believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? If you have then the Bible says that you have a relationship with God that will continue on into eternity!
Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your LORD? Have you Believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? If you have then the Bible says that you have a relationship with God that will continue on into eternity!
Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your LORD? Have you Believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? If you have then the Bible says that you have a relationship with God that will continue on into eternity!
Have you repented of your Sin and Selfishness. Have you confessed Jesus Christ as your LORD? Have you believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? If you have then the Bible says that you have a restored relationship with God that will continue on into eternity! If you haven’t then please don’t leave here today without talking to someone on it.
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The Bible has much to say about how we should live in light of that relationship. We are to be signs and symbols that point to Christ, but everything that we do for him is nothing but a reflection of what He has done for us.
So what about you? How would you describe your relationship with God. Are you putting your faith in the
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But if you have a restored relationship with God, then the Bible has much to say about how we should live in light of that relationship. Through the Holy Spirit, we have the presence of the living God in us. So we are to live our lives as signs that point to that relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But no matter how well or poorly we are doing in that mission, we must always remember that anything that we do in love for Jesus is nothing but a reflection of what He has done in love for us.
17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Communion warning - don’t take this thing lightly.
We display God’s presence in our life more in how we obey Him then in how we dress in Christian tshirts or rally around Christian events.
Let me invite the worship team forward as I pray.
This is so transferable to our day… as so often we pray earnestly that God would bless something in our lives even though we are are intentionally living in sin. We don’t understand why God’s presence seems so far, and yet we have oriented our lives away from the obedience of the Law. There is forgivenss of sin, I am not talking about not being able to be forgiven, I am talking about not even desiring to be forgiven for your sin because you are willingly living in it. And then you wonder why so many things in your life seem to be so void of spiritual guidance (God’s will though not ours...
The presence of the LORd is His to give and His to remove...
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