1 Samuel 6 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: 1 Sam 6:1-12

1 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory for seven months, 2 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.’

3 They answered, ‘If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; 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.’

4 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. 5 Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. 6 Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so that they could go on their way?

7 ‘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. 8 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, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, towards Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we shall know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.’

10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 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. 12 Then the cows went straight up towards 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.

A. Find Out:

1. Who did the Philistines turn to for help? v.2a
2. What had they decided to do? v.2b
3. What did they counsel? v.3
4. To what did they liken the situation? v.6
5. How would the cart be a sign? v.9
6. What happened to it? v.12

B. Think:

1. What understanding did this pagan priest of the Philistines have?
2. What question was still in the back of their minds?
3. How did they receive an answer to this?

C. Comment:

     The Philistines have come to the conclusion that the source of their misfortunes is the presence of the Ark of God in their land. They have obviously got to get rid of it, but how to do it in such a way that this ‘god’ who is afflicting them will be appeased? The priests come up with the idea of an offering to be sent back with it that might appease “him”. They are reminded of the tough times the Egyptians had when they refused to let Israel go. Well, they are not going to go through the same sort of thing, they will return the Ark speedily, but how?

     The way they choose is interesting. If the cows, never used before to pull a cart, ignore their own calves and go in a straight path, not stopping to eat in the fields, then they will know that these animals are being directed supernaturally. And so it happens! We see in this passage the truth that is stated in Ecclesiastes 3:11, that God has put something in the hearts of men so that they know there is an additional dimension to life. These Philistines have the sneaky feeling that they are encountering something or some one bigger than them. They are right! God, the Lord of all creation, will quietly act into the affairs of men to draw their attention to Him. Watch out unbelieving world!

D. Application?

1. God doesn’t need defending!
2. God can clearly be seen to guide.

Passage: 1 Sam 6:13-7:2

13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

17 These are the gold tumours the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord – one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 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 the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

19 But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. 20 And the people 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?’

21 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 town.’

1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. 2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time – twenty years in all.

A. Find Out:

1. What was the Israelites’ response when they saw the Ark? v.13
2. What did they do? v.14
3. Who took the Ark down? v.15
4. Why were some Israelites destroyed? v.19
5. How did the next group deal with it? v.1
6. How long did it stay there? v.2

B. Think:

1. How did the people of Beth Shemesh first of all respond giving respect to the Ark?
2. In what two ways did they subsequently fail?
3. How did the people of Kirieth Jearim act correctly?

C. Comment:

     Recently we have seen how the Philistines had been acting in respect of the Ark. Now we see how the “people of God” act on its return. First of all, they rejoice and sacrifice and they appoint the priestly tribe of Levi to handle it. In all this they were very correct, but having done that they became casual and allowed the Ark to become a sightseeing object. As they looked on the gold offerings, probably put into the Ark, they too partook of the judgement of God that had fallen on the Philistines and died.

     God was yet to show again (see 2 Samuel 6:6,7) that the Ark was holy and as such was not to be treated casually. At this point instead of repenting and seeking God’s favour they quickly get rid of the Ark to their nearest neighbours. Note that there is obviously some fragmentation in Israel at this time, in that there is no thought of national rejoicing or taking it back to Shiloh from where it came. Even Christians are not immune from treating God casually (see 1 Corinthians 11:29,30) and need reminding He is still a holy God!

D. Application?

1. We show the sort of people we are by our attitude towards God.
2. God will not excuse blatant disregard of the holy. He will discipline with judgement.