God Rescues His Ark

In these passages, the prophesied punishment on Eli’s family become reality. Because of the sin of Eli’s sons, the Israelites faltered in their battle with their enemies, the Philistines. In an effort to turn the battle in their favor, the Israelites looked to the symbol of God’s presence, but they didn’t look to the God the symbol represented. This led to a crushing defeat and the departure of God’s glory. When God brought His glory back home, the people responded with joy and worship, but they also forgot God’s holiness and suffered the consequences. God’s holiness must be respected as it drives us to repentance.

Session Outline

1. The people confused the symbol of God’s presence with His actual presence (1 Sam. 4:2-7,10-11).

2. The people received the symbol of God’s presence with joy and worship (1 Sam. 6:13-16).

3. The people failed to honor the holiness of God’s presence (1 Sam. 6:19-21).

Session in a Sentence

God’s people are to trust and live in His constant presence rather than that which only represents Him.

Christ Connection

The people of Israel mistook the ark (the symbol of God’s presence) as His actual presence. It is important for us to avoid getting so caught up in the symbols of Christianity that we forget the person and presence of God that is with us continually.

Years later, God gave His people something greater than a symbol of His presence when He gave them His Son, Jesus. Many people didn’t recognize Jesus for who He is—God in the flesh who came to unite people with God.

Missional Application

Because God lives in us, we display God’s presence to the world around us by properly honoring, worshiping, and serving God.

Even the world themselves, when considering God, make the mistake of looking to the symbol of God’s character and presence (us) with the reality of who He truly is, as revealed in the Bible.

People wrongfully assess and investigate in detail, the people of religion rather than the God of creation.

Ask the question:

What are some ways people explore the idea of God and/or salvation by assessing the symbols of God rather than the actual God of creation/the Bible?

Judging relationship with God based on that which represents God rather than based on God Himself is practiced by and a trap for both believers and non-believers. The practice is a roadblock to the path of salvation and the path to spiritual vitality.

Summarize: In 1 Sam. 4-6, the prophesied punishment on Eli’s family became reality. Because of the sin of Eli’s sons, the Israelites faltered in their battle with their enemies, the Philistines. In an effort to turn the battle in their favor, the Israelites looked to the symbol of God presence, but they didn’t look to the God behind the symbol. This led to a crushing defeat and the departure of God’s glory. When God brought His glory back home, the people responded with joy and worship, but they also forgot God’s holiness and suffered the consequences. God’s holiness must be respected as it drives us to repentance.

Point 1: The people confuse the symbol of God’s presence with His actual presence (1 Sam. 4:2-7,10-11).

The Philistines, a five-city league working together as one, were the major enemy of Israel during the time of Samson, Samuel, Saul, and David. In 1 Samuel 4:1, we are told that the Israelites went out to battle against the Philistines. But their first day of fighting did not go well, and they began to panic.

Read 1 Samuel 4:2-7 (DDG p. 21).

2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 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.

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.

DDG (p. 21) Sin was the reason God did not fight for the Israelites that day, so that they lost to the Philistines.

The elders rightly looked to God as the cause of their defeat (see Job 1:21-22). God’s sovereign hand delivered the Israelites to the Philistines for one singular reason—sin. But instead of looking for the sin amongst the people, the elders believed the ark of the covenant itself, the symbol of God’s presence, would turn the battle in their favor.

· The “sin in the camp” belonged to Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who dishonored God and took advantage of their position as priests, and Eli allowed their behavior to go on unchecked (1 Sam. 2:12-34).

The ark of the covenant served as a holy memory box (Heb. 9:4) and a throne of God (1 Sam. 4:4)—a representation of the presence of God among the people. The ark had led the way through the Jordan River into the promised land (Josh. 3–4). The ark was part of the procession around the walls of Jericho before they fell (Josh. 6). Here the Israelites wanted the ark to lead them to victory over the Philistines. They looked to a symbol of God’s presence, the memory of God’s presence, rather than God Himself, who expected holiness among His people.

Say: When Hophni and Phinehas brought the ark, the Israelites cheered and shook the ground. The Philistines, however, shook in fear, recalling the tales of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and their victories in the wilderness (1 Sam. 4:6-9). But in spite of the ark’s presence, God was not present, and Israel suffered a worse defeat.

Read 1 Samuel 4:10-11 (DDG p. 21).

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.

· The Israelites valued a symbol of God’s presence above the real thing, God Himself. This was a form of idolatry that came with severe consequences.

It is possible for us to do the same with the gift of God’s Son, Jesus. When we treat Jesus like a symbol and not the God-man, when we pray in Jesus’ name to try to secure our own selfish desires and wants while knowing they are not God’s will, we are just as guilty as the Israelites of trying to use God’s presence for our own purposes. Let us repent and give glory to God alone.

Fill in the blanks: DDG (p. 21)

Jesus’ Deity: Within the person of Jesus Christ, there are two natures—the divine nature and the human nature. Scripture teaches He is fully divine and has full humanity added to Him. His divinity is on display in passages that describe Him as being equal with God (John 1:1-18; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-3).

Hebrews 1:1–3 NASB

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The New Testament also points to the deity of Christ by showing how He possesses attributes that God alone possesses (Mic. 5:2; John 1:4), how He performs works that only God performs (Mark 2:5-12; John 10:28; 17:2), and how He Himself claims to be the Son of God (Matt. 26:63-64; John 8:58; 10:30; 17:5).

Point 2: The people receive the symbol of God’s presence with joy and worship (1 Sam. 6:13-16).

DDG (p. 22)

The Philistines captured the ark and put it in the temple of their god Dagon; they believed they had bested the God of Israel in defeating the Israelites.

They misunderstood the the Ark to be Israel’s God, since that is the impression they got from the Israelites; however, God let them win to execute judgment on Eli’s sons and to teach His people and the Philistines a lesson.

While the Israelites believed the glory of God was lost (1 Sam. 4:19-22), the Lord defended His glory among the enemies of His people.

· For two mornings in a row after putting the ark in the temple of Dagon, his statue was found prostrate on his face before the ark. On the second morning, his head and hands had broken off as well (5:1-5).

Read 1 Sam. 5)

· The Philistines of Ashdod, Gath, and then Ekron were all afflicted with tumors and the fear of death when the ark came to their cities (5:6-12).

· After seven months of turmoil, the Philistines decided to send the ark back with a guilt offering of gold objects symbolizing their affliction to appease the God of the Israelites. They put the ark on a cart to be drawn by two milk cows that had never been yoked and whose calves were penned up. If the cows went for their calves, then the Philistines’ suffering would be recognized as nothing but a coincidence. But if the cows headed for Israel on their own, then the Philistines would know God had afflicted them.

· The cows made straight for Israel, following the road to Beth-shemesh and never deviating from it. The Lord brought His ark of the covenant home to Israel.

Ask:

What did God want the Philistines to know about His Ark and Himself?

Read 1 Samuel 6:13-16 (DDG p. 22).

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.

DDG (p. 22)

Voices from Church History

“God restored the ark of Israel by sending illustrious miracles, so that he might show that his church is gathered and protected not by human decisions or strength but by divine power.” 1 –Viktorin Strigel (1524-1569)

The Lord Himself brought His ark of the covenant home to Israel. The Israelites didn’t go after it or bargain for it; they moved on with life. But all the while, the Lord was working and displaying His glory among the Philistines. When the ark returned to the promised land, the people of Beth-shemesh immediately responded with joy and worship in the form of sacrifices for the symbol of God’s presence had returned, the glory of the Lord was among them once more.

Beth-shemesh was one of the cities set aside for the livelihood of the Levites, the priestly tribe of Israel. This city, among others, specifically was given for the descendants of Aaron, who were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and the sacrifices (Josh. 21:9-10,13-16). How fitting that the ark should return to this city filled with those who were responsible for its care (Num. 4:1-20). But there may be an indication that the faithfulness of the priests at large was faltering in that they offered the female milk cows as a burnt offering, which required an unblemished male animal (Lev. 1:3), and they displayed the ark on a large rock for everyone’s eyes to behold (Num. 4:15,20).

Romans 12:1–2 NASB

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Ask:

What should our worship look like as living sacrifices for the glory of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:1-2)?

(Christians should live following Jesus’ example of communion with and obedience to the Father; Christians should view everything they have and their entire lives as opportunities to serve their Creator and Savior; being living sacrifices means living in ways contrary to the prevailing sinful thoughts and beliefs of the culture; seeking God’s will above our own)

Point 3: The people fail to honor the holiness of God’s presence (1 Sam. 6:19-21).

Read: Ask a volunteer to read 1 Samuel 6:19-21 (DDG p. 23).

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.”

DDG (p. 23) The people’s offense in Beth-shemesh was that the Lord would kill seventy people because they looked upon and into the ark of the covenant.

The Israelites at Beth-shemesh received the ark with joy, worship, and sacrifices. But then the Lord punished seventy inhabitants of the city with death. What was their offense? They looked upon and into the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s presence.

Once again...

God’s people treated casually what should have been regarded as holy.

· The Lord gave strict instructions to Aaron and his descendants that they were to cover the ark before it was moved from the tabernacle so the people would not look at the representation of God’s holy presence and die; nor were the people to touch the ark, lest they die (Num. 4:15,17-20). The people of Beth-shemesh violated both of these commands as they curiously looked at and looked into the ark of the Lord.

The Hebrew regarding the people’s offense has been translated “looked upon” or “looked into” by various Bible translations. Either translation represents a violation of God’s commands not to touch or look upon the holy objects of the tabernacle (Num. 4:15,17-20).

Numbers 4:15–20 NASB

“And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they may not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.“And the responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.” Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,“Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.“But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load;but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, lest they die.”

Illustration: We are told all our lives not to stare at the sun because it will burn our retinas. The power of the sun can damage our eyesight when we do not have respect for that power. So we may briefly glance at the sun or cover our eyes, but we shouldn’t look directly at it. No one can look upon God and live (Ex. 33:20).

· The ark was holy because God had set it apart to reflect His holiness. It stayed in the most holy place behind the veil in the tabernacle until it was time to move it, and then it was covered by that same veil so it remained out of sight. Only on one day of the year—the Day of Atonement—was one person, the high priest, allowed to enter the most holy place to make atonement for the sins of the entire community. A sacrifice’s blood was brought in and sprinkled on the mercy seat, or the lid of the ark, the place where the Lord was said to be enthroned.

Fill in the blanks: DDG (p. 23).

God Is Holy: God’s holiness refers to His uniqueness in being separate from all He has created. The Hebrew word for “holy” means “separate” or “set apart.” God’s holiness also refers to His absolute purity. God is unstained by the evil of the world.

His goodness is perfect, and the moral code we find in the Scriptures is a reflection of His holy nature. As people made in God’s image, we are called to holiness.

DDG (p. 23)

The Lord commanded His people Israel to be holy as He is holy (Lev. 19:1-2). As the people of God, they were to be different from the nations around them. But when the Lord punished those who did not respect His ark, the people of Beth-shemesh responded just as the Philistines did—they wanted to send the ark away. The fear of death came upon them, and instead of running to God in faith and repentance, they ran away from His holy presence.

· God expects His people to follow His pattern of holiness in both separation from sin and devotion to His glory. Yet when we embrace sin, we defy His glory and seek our own. Furthermore, our sin drives us to separate ourselves from the holy God. Like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, we want to run and hide (Gen. 3:8-10). Like the people of the world, we try to suppress what we know to be true about God (Rom. 1:18-21).

· But even in the midst of our sin, the Lord calls us back to Himself. That’s part of the gospel—while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). And when we sin again, Christ has still died for us (1 John 2:1-2).

The Beth-shemites sent away God’s presence symbolized in the ark, but God’s presence in Christ will never leave or forsake His people because He dwells not on a box but in our hearts.

In such an irreverent, rebellious, and cynical world, we can forget about God’s holiness. Having everything at our fingertips, from bottled water to the Internet to items delivered to our homes and devices with the click of a button, it can be easy to forget God. But this isn’t just an issue because of our world, culture, or environment. Our propensity to forget about God and His holiness comes from deep within us personally. We are sinners by nature. Our hearts need to be changed, and that work is accomplished through the presence of God. By faith in Christ, we become the sanctuary in which God dwells, we become temples of the Holy Spirit. Then our fear is transformed and it becomes our delight to revere and stand in awe of God, the Holy One, and to proclaim His holiness and salvation to the whole world.

DDG (p. 24)

Because God lives in us, we display God’s presence to the world around us by properly honoring, worshiping, and serving God.

· What step of faith will you take because God is holy and full of grace?

· How can your group encourage fear-free confession of sin and holy living amongst yourselves?

· What are some circumstances in which you need to express repentance in order to share the gospel?

Voices from the Church

“God wants us to bow before his holiness with respect and reverence. There is a danger in being in the presence of the Lord of Hosts, especially when we come into his presence with arrogance or apathy. We must come before his presence with quiet humility and brokenness.” 2 –Stephen J. Andrews and Robert D. Bergen

Close in prayer:

References

1. Viktorin Strigel, Commentary on 1 Samuel, quoted in 1–2 Samuel, 1–2 Kings, 1–2 Chronicles, eds. Derek Cooper and Martin J. Lohrmann, vol. 5 in Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2015) [Wordsearch].

2. Stephen J. Andrews and Robert D. Bergen, I & II Samuel, vol. 6 in Holman Old Testament Commentary(Nashville, TN: B&H, 2009), 54.

3. “1 Samuel,” in Africa Study Bible (Oasis International, 2016), 387.

4. Angukali Rotokha, “1 Samuel,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 345.

5. Stephen J. Andrews and Robert D. Bergen, I & II Samuel, in Holman Old Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2009) [Wordsearch].

6. Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7 in The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2003) [Wordsearch].

7. Bryan E. Beyer, “1, 2 Samuel,” in CSB Study Bible (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2017) 419, n. 6:19.

8. Joy Osgood, “1 & 2 Samuel,” in The IVP Women’s Bible Commentary, eds. Catherine Clark Kroeger, Mary J. Evans, and Elizabeth Kroeger Elliott (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011) [Wordsearch].

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