Day 972: - With reverence and awe - 1 Samuel 6 vs 13 – 21

12 The cows (towing the cart with the Ark of the Covenant) went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 13-14 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. 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. 16-18 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron. (These are the golden tumours that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages.) The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

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. 20-21 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?” 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.” 1 Samuel 6 13-21 English Standard Bible

The Ark of God's covenant which the Philistines had captured in battle had become more than a 'hot potato'. For in whichever town they had sent it to, people had been struck with tumours and many had died, and so they now sent it back to the land of Israel. We see too that they included with the Ark some golden models of the tumours they had suffered as an attempted peace offering to the God of the Israelites. Verses 13-14 describe the great joy of the Israelites when they saw the Ark being returned. But it turned out to be a mixed blessing.

In vs 15 we read how the Levites - i.e. the people whom God had directed to be responsible for the tabernacle and all it's items – took the Ark, and the citizens of Beth-shemesh offered a sacrifice to the Lord for the Ark's safe return. The Ark itself was a box made of acacia wood about 45 inches long, and 27 inches wide and high. It was overlaid with gold inside and outside, and there were 4 gold rings attached to the four feet of the ark where poles could be inserted for carrying it. The important thing is that “the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to Him, and to bless in His name.” (Deuteronomy 10:8) The Ark was to be treated as most holy, and the people were warned that touching it in a way God had not instructed would lead to death. (Numbers 4:15)

Sadly, this is what happened in Beth-shemesh. What was the reason? (vs 19)

They disobeyed what God had instructed concerning the holy things of the Tabernacle and treated the Ark as if it were something they could touch. Many years earlier, even Moses had been severely disciplined by God for not following His instructions because, as the Lord said to him, “you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 32:51) The writer of the New Testament book Hebrews reminded Christians of these solemn truths when he said: “let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29) God graciously calls those who belong to Him, His friends. But this must never make us forget that He is awesome in holiness. We should always serve the Lord Jesus Christ with humble reverence and awe.