THE BOOK OF 1 SAMUEL
Ignoring the evidence
1 Samuel 6:1-9 SCC
11/2/14
R. C. Sproul makes this insightful observation
from Isaiah 6: The
Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even
holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love,
love, love, or mercy, mercy, mercy, or wrath, wrath, wrath, or justice,
justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy; the whole earth is
full of His glory. Note verse 20. Is there a more
important question than that not just in this life, but in the world to come as
we face God before the judgment seat of Christ. Who
can stand before the holiness of God? It's the gospel question. 3 questions in this chapter reveal its
truth to us…v 2, v 4, and v 20.
THE WRATH OF GOD
MUST BE PROPITIATED 1-3
1. God had struck city after city of the
Philistines with tumors. Some believe that this tumor is a reference to the
bubonic plague. The reference here to mice, or perhaps to rats in v 4-5 may be an indicator of such a
thing. So there is a problem here, and
the Philistines identify it in verse 2.
They need to get rid of the Ark of the Covenant. If the Ark is the cause of
this plague in which thousands of people have died what to do? So the question is put to the priests and
the diviners: What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us, with what
shall we send it to its place?
2. They realize that they can't just send the
ark back v 3. Even in this pagan
religion the Philistines worshiped a multiplicity of gods, and having the Ark
of the Covenant was just one more deity to add to their pantheon. But they realized that if God had been
offended, He needed to be propitiated. They needed to send something back
with the ark to appease His wrath. It's insightful on the part of the
Philistines. God needs to be propitiated. His wrath has been manifested.
NB: Modern man doesn't accept the wrath of
God. They find the
concept of the wrath of God wholly unacceptable and this passage confronts this
head-on. Here is God. Here is the Ark. And these Philistines are very conscious
that in sending it away, preferably back to the Israelites, God needs to be at peace. God's wrath has to
be acknowledged and appeased. What do you think of that? You might be
saying, ‘I really don't want to believe in a God like that, because my God is a
God of love and plagues, and death, and tumors is so intolerant.’ What drives
that thought is the belief in entitlement;
that we are entitled to be dealt with in
a tolerant way. It's typical of modern man. It's how most people think,
that since God is a God of tolerance I expect him to show deference to me. The
basic biblical concept consistent throughout the revelation of God’s nature in
scripture is sin requires payment not tolerance.
ONLY AN ACCEPTABLE PAYMENT WILL PROVIDE FULL FORGIVENESS 4-18
1. Israel’s God must be appeased, but how? v 4. The Philistine priests idolize the
solution. They counsel the Philistine lords to appease God by making a guilt offering of gold. This is not an
attempt to bribe but five golden images of tumors and five of mice or rats v 5. They assure the lords that this
will appease God, resulting in the healing of Philistines from the plague. If
this action succeeds in stopping the plague, then the Philistines can be
assured that they have found the explanation for God’s anger and their
suffering.
2. The Philistines are well aware of the exodus v 6. They know that Pharaoh and the Egyptians hardened their hearts
against God, even though He brought
numerous plagues upon them. They do not wish to make this same mistake.
Thus, they suggest letting the Ark go back to Israel, along with a guilt
offering v 7-8. The Egyptians erred by not letting the Israelites go. They will not err
by refusing to let the Ark go.
3. While the Philistines are eager to be rid of the Ark, they still want
to be cautious. They are willing to admit that the Ark of the God of Israel is
the source of their suffering. They devise a plan, which will only work if the
Ark is the cause of their suffering, and only if God is able to override the
course of nature. The priests advise putting the Ark, along with the guilt
offering, on a new ox cart. The cart is to be drawn by two milk cows, both with
still nursing calves. The calves are to be locked up and the cows are yoked to
the cart and left free to go. If these cows follow the course of nature, they
will turn back to their calves. If the plagues are from God, who wants the Ark
returned, then the cows will leave their calves behind, drawing the Ark
directly to Israel. If that happens it is safe to assume that all of the
Philistines’ troubles are from this God and they have made the right choice letting
the Ark go. If not, they will be able to keep the Ark, assured that all the
plagues are merely a coincidence v 9.
The Philistine lords follow from a distance, until they observe the cart and
its cargo coming to a halt in Israelite territory v 10-12.
NB: This guilt
offering is the product of the Philistines’ pagan religion and not the practice
of the Jewish faith, as prescribed in the Law of Moses. A guilt offering was a
blood sacrifice but no blood is involved in the Philistines’ guilt offering.
The reason for a guilt offering is the sin of the one offering the sacrifice to
God. There is no acknowledgment of sin by the Philistines but rather an
idolization of the instruments of divine judgment: rats and tumors. The
Philistines do not realize that their offering is an offense to the God of
Israel and not an offering, which will appease His anger. There is a certain
human wisdom about the guilt offering--the rats; the tumors are instruments of
God’s wrath. There are five lords and five cities, so why not five golden
tumors and five golden rodents to appease him. The cessation of the plagues and
the healing of the Philistines are not results of their guilt offering but gifts of God’s grace.
4. The Israelites of Beth Shemesh who witness
the return of the Ark are ecstatic when they realize that the Ark has returned
to Israel v 13. Those reaping in the
fields are the first to see it, and the Israelites quickly and joyfully offer
up a sacrifice to God, using the wood of the cart to fuel the fire and the cows,
which drew the cart as the offering v
14-15.
THE HOLINESS OF
GOD LEADS YOU TO AN AWARENESS OF YOUR SINFULNESS 19-21
1. It is a great and festive occasion, but the spirits of the Israelite
worshippers are quickly subdued when a plague breaks out on the people of Beth Shemesh v 19.
Some of the people have carelessly and disobediently looked into or upon the
Ark of the Lord, so that a significant number of the inhabitants of that place
are struck dead.
2. The survivors of this slaughter are horrified and shocked v 20. They do not know what to do. Why
did God strike so many worshipping Israelites dead? If people die for such
reasons as this, how can the Ark remain among them? Who is able to stand in the presence of the Holy God? (3rd
Question) And to whom will they send the Ark? The Israelites find themselves in a situation quite similar to the one
facing the Philistines, except that the Ark belongs in Israel, not among the
Philistines. Like the Philistines, the Israelites of Beth Shemesh seek to send the Ark to some other place, so that
the heavy hand of God may be turned away from them v 21. So how will Israel respond? Stay tuned.
So What?
1. The holiness of God reveals to you and me our sin and sinfulness in
comparison. Nothing like shining a light on something and seeing the defects
you had an idea were there. So too with the holiness of God.
You may not have the awareness of those sinful defects since you refuse to see
God as a holy God. He sees them whether you do or not. Calling God tolerant
does not change what has been revealed about your sin. Now you have fashioned
God into the idol you wish for Him to be.
2. You can never afford to be soft on sin as a believer. Every time we
are soft on sin we change the standard upon which the holiness of God is based
to accommodate it. There is a day or reckoning for that. God’s standard is
bound to His character so the standard never vacillates. Softening it will only
place you in jeopardy with God.
3. The essence of a maturing faith, and one God will reward, is a deep
sense of the holiness of God and a corresponding deep sense of confession and
repentance. So what is holiness?
(1) To be holy is to be distinct, separate, in a class by oneself. This
means that the one who is holy is uniquely holy, with no rivals or competition.
(2) To be holy is to be morally pure. (3) For God to be holy is for Him to be
holy in relation to every aspect of His nature and character. (4) The holiness
of God is the basis and the compelling necessity for our sanctification. The
holiness of God is the reason we too are commanded to live holy lives:
As
obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts [which were yours]
in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves
also in all [your] behavior; because it is written, YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM
HOLY. And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to
each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay [upon
earth]; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver
or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with
precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, [the blood] of Christ 1 PT
1:14-19.