Mighty Mice and Fearful Men

Around 430 B.C., not long after a war between Athens and Sparta began, an epidemic ravaged the people of Athens and lasted for five years. Some estimates put the death toll as high as 100,000 people. The Greek historian Thucydides (460-400 B.C.) wrote that "people in good health were all of a sudden attacked by violent heats in the head, and redness and inflammation in the eyes, the inward parts, such as the throat or tongue, becoming bloody and emitting an unnatural and fetid breath" (translation by Richard Crawley from the book "The History of the Peloponnesian War," London Dent, 1914). EBOLA?

In the modern industrial age, new transport links made it easier for influenza viruses to wreak havoc. In just a few months, the disease spanned the globe, killing 1 million people. It took just five weeks for the epidemic to reach peak mortality.

The earliest cases were reported in Russia. The virus spread rapidly throughout St. Petersburg before it quickly made its way throughout Europe and the rest of the world, despite the fact that air travel didn't exist yet. FLU.

God sends an army of mice that bring the bubonic plague into the cities of the Philistines - because they stole the Ark of the Covenant.

God is Bigger than the “Drama” of the Moment.

5 Cities of the Philistines are attacked by an army of Mice.

Every time they moved the city out of their city to another city - that city was also overran. The mice brought the bubonic plague and the men of each city had sores and boils.

“Get rid of the Ark!” was their new goal.

1 Samuel 5:1–8 KJV 1900

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.

Emerods is a form of boils, a fleshly sore.

“Plague is an infectious disease caused by a specific type of bacterium called Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis can affect humans and animals and is spread mainly by fleas. Bubonic plague is one type of plague. It gets its name from the swollen lymph nodes (buboes) caused by the disease. The nodes in the armpit, groin and neck can become as large as eggs and can ooze pus.” -Cleveland Clinic

“Bubonic plague deaths exceeded 25 million people during the fourteenth century. This was about two-thirds of the population in Europe at the time. Rats traveled on ships and brought fleas and plague with them. Because most people who got the plague died, and many often had blackened tissue due to gangrene, bubonic plague was called the Black Death.”

About seven cases of plague happen in the U.S. every year on average. Half of the U.S. cases involve people aged 12 to 45 years.”

This was happening to the Philistines for 7 months! Their Pandemic was 7 months.

God heard their cries of pain. 5:12

The judgment affected the 3 cities the Ark was kept and the rest of the cities of this set of Philistines.

They want to offer a “Trespass Offering” and send the Ark back.

The Offering includes gold images of the sores and gold mice.

1 Samuel 6:1–5 KJV 1900

And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

They put the Ark on a cart and send two Milk Cows to pull it. The milk cows pull the Ark to Bethshemesh.

Bethshemesh is a Levitical City. These men should have known how to handle the Ark. They are excited and offer the 2 milk cows and a thanksgiving offering. They even use the wood from the cart for the fire.

1 Samuel 6:15–17 KJV 1900

And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord. And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the Lord; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

The men of Bethshemesh presume, and they gaze into the Open Ark. God executes them for their presumptuous sin. The Ark was to be treated reverently. This was upsetting to the survivor, because many die. 6:19-21. They send the Ark to Kirjathjearim where it remains for the next 20 years. 7:1-2.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 7:2

After the ark was at Kiriath Jearim for 20 years Samuel addressed the Israelites (v. 3). In other words, the ark was in Kiriath Jearim for 20 years before Samuel undertook his first recorded public ministry. In actual fact the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim for about 100 years. It was taken there just after the battle of Aphek (1104 B.C.) and remained until David brought it from there to Jerusalem in his first year as king over all Israel (1003 B.C.; see 2 Sam. 5:5; 6:1–11).

Holman Concise Bible Commentary Ark and God’s Holiness (6:1–7:1)

Ark and God’s Holiness (6:1–7:1). The Philistines feared the Lord and honored Him by returning the ark on a new cart bearing a guilt offering. The Israelites at Beth Shemesh welcomed the ark, but they too suffered death because some men looked unlawfully into the ark (see Num. 4:20). They learned like the Philistines that the Lord was a holy God. They sent the ark to the house of Abinadab at Kiriath Jearim, where it resided until the days of David.

The Hebrews were joyous the Ark was home and then sad and fearful because of the deaths- all in the same day. Some days are an emotional roller coaster to us too...

God is Bigger than the “Drama” of the Moment.

3 Observations to take home:

God Knows All About Plagues.

They can be part of judgment.

Thy can be used to bring about change.

The World Economic Forum are pushing to have a global tax, global leaders, no national borders, a single currency, ad digital currency, and health ID/passports.Oh, and with a lot less living people...

They can be part of God’s “Bigger Plans.”

They Can be allowed by the Lord and Used by Satan for Evil.

God is To be Feared.

His Presence is Not a Light Thing.

His Decisions are Not to be Laughed At.

The Philistines did not have a proper fear.

The Jews in Bethshemesh Did Not Have a Proper Fear.

Numbers 4:20 KJV 1900

But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 6

he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark—In the ecstasy of delight at seeing the return of the ark, the Beth-shemesh reapers pried into it beneath the wagon cover; and instead of covering it up again, as a sacred utensil, they let it remain exposed to common inspection, wishing it to be seen, in order that all might enjoy the triumph of seeing the votive offerings presented to it, and gratify curiosity with the sight of the sacred shrine. This was the offense of those Israelites (Levites, as well as common people), who had treated the ark with less reverence than the Philistines themselves.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 6:13–7:1

This violated the Mosaic statute that only Levites could handle the ark and not even they could touch it directly, to say nothing of looking within it (Num. 4:5, 15, 20). Disobedience in this respect would bring death. The sin of the people of Beth Shemesh was a deliberate, “high-handed” violation of the clear will of God (1 Sam. 6:19; cf. 2 Sam. 6:6–7).

FEAR = awe, respect, reverence, knowing His power and authority.

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. —Oswald Chambers

Elesha Hodge, ed., Today’s Best Illustrations, vol. 1–4, Today’s Best Illustrations (Christianity Today International, 1997).

“This Too Will Pass.....”

God’s Clear Will Should Be Followed.

Why was the Ark gone for 7 months? because the people were not following God the way they were supposed to. Corruption was all around and the evil was leading their land.

Samuel judge Isreal for the rest of his life. He found God’s calling and did it. Find it and be settled in God’s will.

God has a plan for each Christian.

Find God’s Will and Follow It!

God has good plans for you!

He wants to do wonderful things in and though your life.

God is Bigger than the “Drama” of the Moment.

10,000 Sermon Illustrations How Big Is Our God?

When Henry Norris Russell, the Princeton astronomer, had concluded a lecture on the Milky Way, a woman came to him and asked, “If our world is so little, and the universe is so great, can we believe God really pays any attention to us?” Dr. Russell replied, “That depends, madam, entirely on how big a God you believe in.”

God Knows About Plagues.

God is To Be Feared.

God is Bigger Than the “Drama” of This Moment.

D and A:

How Does God Knowing All About Plagues and Health Impact Us?

Share Some Fears We Struggle With Today.

In what ways can we “fear” God today?

Why did the Israelites lament for 20 years, doing nothing with the Ark?

Name some examples of God’s clear will.