The Ark in a Foreign Land
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Today we are continuing in our study in the book of 1 Samuel. If you were with us last week we saw Israel fighting with their old arch enemy, the Philistines.
We say that they lost 4,000 men in the first round, so they brought the Ark of the Lord God to the battle, treating it like a magical charm.
But they still lost the battle and this time they lost 30,000 men, they also lost the Ark of God, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas were killed.
We learned that a man ran from the battle and reported to the people in Shiloh what had happened, and when Eli heard the news he fell backwards off the chair he was sitting on, broke his neck and died.
When we come to the 5th chapter of 1 Samuel we are told the story of what happened to the Ark of God while the Philistines had it. So if you have your Bibles, turn with me to 1 Samuel chapter 5 and we’ll begin reading with verse 1.
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.
The Ark in Ashdod
The Ark in Ashdod
They take the ark of God to Ashdod which is about 50 miles southwest of Shiloh. They carried it into the temple of their god Dagon.
Dagon was the primary god of the Philistines. It was believed to be 1/2 man and 1/2 fish. He was believed to be the father of Baal.
He was the god of weather, but was known by many as the “fish god.”
Setting the ark of Yahweh in Dagon’s temple symbolized the utter defeat of Israel because they believed the ark was Israel’s god.
Yahweh verses Dagon
Yahweh verses Dagon
God has a plan to show the Philistines His real power!
When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.
They come in the next morning, and Dagon is face down—a posture of worship and subservience—before the ark of Yahweh.
This was disturbing to the people—no doubt they wondered what had happened, and who had done such a thing, but they set Dagon back in his place.
Look at what happened the second night.
But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.
Dagan was again face down, but this time he is broken—His head and hands had been broke off, “and were lying on the threshold. . .”
The threshold could mean in the door way. More likely, the head and hands were sitting on the pedestal or platform that the entire suture normal stood—this seems like the better meaning.
That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.
This is a side note that no one ever steps on the threshold because of this event.
But Yahweh is not finished with the people of Ashdod. Look at verse 6.
The Heavy Hand of Yahweh
The Heavy Hand of Yahweh
The Lord’s hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors.
Not only did Yahweh attack the idol of Dagon.
But God als brought devastation on the people in the city and in the surrounding area.
God afflicted them with “tumors.” Now the word translated tumors could be translated as tumors, hemorrhoids, or open sores in that area.
The people understood that Israel’s God was causing these problems. Look at their response.
When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god.” So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?” They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.
The people say the ark cannot stay in Ashdod. The cost of it being in their city was too high.
They call the Philistine leaders (from every town) to find out what they could do.
Take the Ark of Yahweh to Gath.
So they moved the Ark to Gath.
The Ark in Gath
The Ark in Gath
But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
In Gath, there was a great panic because of the presence of the Ark of Yahweh.
God afflicted the people—all the people from youngest to the oldest—with tumors (the same word as back in verse 6).
So the ark goes back on the road. Look at verse 10.
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.”
The people of Ekron had already heard the horror stories of Ashdod, and Gath, and wanted NOTHING to do with the Ark of Yahweh.
They’re afraid that they will all die because of the ark.
So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy upon it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.
So again they call together all of the rules of the Philistines to plead with them to send the ark of God away.
Notice that death has already filled the city.
The entire town is in a panic.
And everyone who did not die was afflicted with tumors (again the same word used in verse 6).
What To Do?
What To Do?
Now let’s continue to look at verse 1 of chapter 6.
When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
Seven months have passed since the capture of the Ark of Yahweh.
The people call for their priests and all of the diviners—those who dealt in the supernatural.
They want to know what they should do with the ark of Yahweh—how can they send it back!
They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
If you do send it away, don’t send it away empty.
Send a guilt offering with the ark.
Maybe you’ll be healed.
You will understand why Yahweh’s hand has not been lifted from you.
The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?” They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and pay honor to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When he treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?
Send an offering of 5 gold tumors and 5 gold rats.
They came up with this number “according to the number of Philistine rulers.”
The plagues struck the people and rulers alike.
“Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us and that it happened to us by chance.”
Make a new cart to carry the Ark.
Take two cows with calves, and that have NEVER been hitched to a cart.
Hitch them to the cart.
Pen their calves up.
Put the ark of the Lord and the chest with the gold objects inside.
And send it away!
Watch where the cows take the cart.
If it goes toward Beth Shemesh—Israel’s territory—you will know for sure the plagues were from the God of Israel.
If they stay in the land of the Philistines, you’ll know it all happened by chance.
The Rest of the Story
The Rest of the Story
So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.
They did exactly as the priest and diviners said, and the cows went straight toward Beth Shemesh.
In fact the cows stayed on the road—they didn’t turn right or left.
Of course the Philistine rulers followed the cart all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh.
Back in Israel
Back in Israel
A Sacrifice of Thanks
A Sacrifice of Thanks
Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.
The people of Beth Shemesh are out harvesting wheat when they look up and see the ark on a cart.
The cows come and stop at the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped, right beside a big rock.
The people are excited. They chop up the cart, and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh.
The Levites took down the ark of Yahweh and set it on the big rock.
And on that day, the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord.
The 5 Philistine rulers watched all of this, and returned to Ekron the same day.
These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock, on which they set the ark of the Lord, is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
Recap of the contents of the chest:
One gold tumor for each of the five cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron.
There was also one gold rat for ever town, or village ruled by the 5 Philistine rulers.
The large rock the ark was sent on served as a witness of what happened in the field of Joshua there in Beth Shemesh.
The People Mess Up
The People Mess Up
Next in this passage is a tragic story. It’s a story that illustrates the fact that God, Yahweh, disciplines both followers and non-followers for their actions. Look at verse 19.
But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them, and the men of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”
Some of the men look into the ark of the Lord—This was prohibited in Numbers 4:20.
But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.”
God killed 70 (NIV, NLT, etc) men. The Hebrew actually appears to say the number was more like 50,070 men. Literal wording gives us some problems. Lit. people 70 men five thousand military unit man. However, this often sounds like an outrageous number. From the text it is unclear which one is more accurate. Strictly translated the number is 50,070 is probably a better translation.
The people mourned because of the heavy hand of God, and because of the death of the men.
They too wanted the ark out of their town.
This is a great reminder that God deals justly with people—those who known Him, and those who don’t know Him. The truth is God is supreme!
Off to Kiriath Jearim
Off to Kiriath Jearim
Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your place.” So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They took it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.
Beth Shemesh sends word to Kiriath Jearim saying, “The Ark of the Lord is back! Come and get it!
So they send men to get the ark and take it to Abinadab’s house.
And they set apart Abinadab’s son, Eleazar, to guard the ark of Yahweh.
So What?
So What?