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1Samuel 6,7 – When true worship declines, idolatry flourishes. We are in these challenging Chapters where the Philistines have captured the Ark of the Covenant, but they know they must return it to Israel – if only to get rid of it!

And they Philistines know they will have to send an offering – we cannot send it back empty – and we need to be healed.

Chapter 6 verse 4 – What will their gift be? Five golden tumours and five golden rats. What would the jewellers in London do if that order came in?

They wanted to appease the God of Israel – and do so with expensive tokens. This is not the way to do it of course – but they knew they had to do something – or that something had to be done.

Verse 6 - These people are in trouble. We can learn lessons which others learned the hard way. The Philistines found they had painful trouble with God – and so did the Israelites when they were adrift from God and His ways and His Word.

Verse 7 – We will get a new cart – and we will send the Ark on its way – and we will watch carefully. Read the story – this is Bible – this is the Word of God. The cows went to Beth Shemesh. The Philistine rulers followed the cart and the cows returned to Israel.

Verse 13 – The people of God rejoiced more than when seeing the harvest when they saw the Ark. They revealed greater joy over the things of God.

Ah – here comes God! It is just like old times. No – it was not like old times.

Verses 17 to 21 – There must be a reverence for God and the things of God. The Ark should have been covered – because only the High Priest should have seen it – and only once a year. They would have been taught and told that it lodged within a veil – within a covering. Should these people not have had more sense than to be so curious? They were spiritually careless.

It is only in Chapter 7 that their reverence for the Ark returns.

The Philistines sinned in ignorance – but the men of Beth Shemesh should have known better. We must never become too chummy with Almighty God.

The cost for error is high – people were slain – in Old and New Testaments – we remember Ananias and Sapphira.

Oh – let anyone do it – let anyone look – let all lead – let anyone come and behave as they choose to – and we are reaping a harvest just now that we should not be reaping.

Curiosity – let’s look into it – like when people are attracted to spiritualism. “Be not deceived God is not mocked.”

Verse 20 – Where can we send the Ark? To whom can we send the Ark? There is no word of how can we make our peace with God and be forgiven?

Acts 16 verse 36 - Paul and Silas in prison – there is an earthquake – people come to real faith in Christ Jesus - but the magistrates want Paul and Silas to depart. Away you go! They had no taste or desire for Christ and salvation.

Israel soon recovered a deep reverence and sense of the holiness of God. They remembered how different God is – and how superior God is to all the false gods of the surrounding nations.

What is the lesson? It is not about sacred arks or growths and golden rats and spiritually inspired cows, but people! The Philistines came to respect the Ark. God can control all sorts of situations. The Philistines did the right thing – the Israelites did the wrong thing – seventy of them! Verse 19. How do we react when God comes to us and says – what on earth do you think you are doing?

What is this Word saying to us? Be right with God!

“Gracious Father – we have seen people move further and further away from You – and it has not always been their fault – sometimes it has been the result of compromise within the Church – we have watered down what You have said – and diluted truth – and those who were looking for light and love and truth and forgiveness have wandered away. By Your Spirit, help us – Lord You can do it. We know what You have done in our lives – You can do it – and to You we look – through Jesus Christ. Amen”

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

A World of One