Remember everyone! The reason that we are reading 1 Samuel is it will lead us straight to Revival: Winter Edition. At Revival we are going look at the life of David as a young man in chapters 16, 17, 18. These chapters are laying down the foundation for what God is going to do through David so keep reading with us and encourage your friends to read 1 Samuel with us in preparation for Revival. Invite a friend to Revival today so they won’t miss what God is going to do!
The Ark Returned to Israel
6:1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. 6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7 Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows 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 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. 14 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 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
17 These are the golden tumors 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, 18 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 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?” 21 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.” (ESV)
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
Wow! These Philistines are not God’s people but they sure are getting the point about who he is. This story is downright scary. God is giving people tumors. And the Philistines learn what it means to fear him. I pray that the fear of God is not something that we will lose today. I pray that all of us at True North will fear God. I pray this will be a powerful motivation of why we would live for him today because we fear the consequences when we disobey him.
Luke Melrose just wrote a good blog about fearing God. Check it here: http://lukemelrose.weebly.com/my-recent-blog.html
amen Bobby, amen! May IIII fear the Lord today in everything I do. :)
Let’s make sure that our fear of God produces the right response – the Philistines still rejected Him even though they feared His punishment. Ninevah turned in fear to God when Jonah finally preached to them. Now that’s the right response to God’s postponed wrath for all of us! Repentance and trust in Him alone!
Hey Pastor Bobby thanks for the Taco Bell. Good to see you today.
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
This is such an awesome verse because it reminds us of who we are compared to the Lord. We are nothing and dontt even deserve to stand before Him! We truly deserve to be separated from the Lord for our sinful acts! But lets all rejoice in the gift of salvation we have received from Him allowing our sin to be placed on His perfect Son so we don’t have to die – He did it for us!
Does this still excite you like it used to? We have talked about losing our excitement in True North, but really – we need to be at that day we were saved and beyond that by now! The Lord’s faithfulness will never cease and neither should or gratitude, love and fear of Him!!! This fear of God should define us as who we are! Lets boost up our love for our Savior for everything He has done, is doing and will do!!! Our God is an Awesome God who reigns!!!
Another thing, we can’t stand before the Lord! In the Bible, everyone who is in the presence of Him falls facedown! Some like they are dead! No hands to brace you when your dead, right! This is a type of facedown reverence that we aren’t even close to experiencing! But when that Day comes we will worship Him forever and ever with multitudes! Imagine that worship going on! Although we don’t have that yet, that shouldnt stop us from worshipping out of the overflow of our hearts for His love! Bring on the Revival Worship!
great post!!!
Dude, this is a MIGHTY insight. WOW, Derek, I am truly blessed to have started my morning with your comments included in my quiet time. What a great perspective, and thank you for posting it…
ELLO… I read
I like verse 12,”And the cows 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.”
I like this verse because it talks about the ark doing exactly as the philistines predicting it would if it was GOD’s ark. They said if if was GOD’s ark then it would go to Beth-shemesh and if it wasn’t the cows would just wander. The cart went straight to Beth-shemesh. This is not merely a coincidence but GOD made them go there. I need to remember that GOD reveals HIMself in many ways and to keep my eyes open and be ready for HIM to come back.
CYA
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed
i like this verse because it reminds us to be aware of the past mistakes of othes and learn from them. As humans we all endure the same kind of temptation the same kind of sins although we may not realize it. that is why God’s word is just as revevant to us today as it was back then, yes times have changed but the sins people commit really havent and the Bible gives us evrything we need to know to be able to conquer our sin in the the name of Jesus Christ! so lets stop wallowing in in and get out there and change it He gives us all the tools!
Great comment Shannon!! I was thinking the same thing!
“and they said, ‘What is the guilt offering we shall return to Him?’ They answered, ‘Five gold tumors and five gold mice, according to the number of Lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on you and all of your lords. So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel.’ ”
woah. that’s intense. This passage is suggesting that not only should we be giving God the glory for the good he has provided us, but that we should also praise him for the not-so-good times! That we should revel in the plagues, because we know that the trials should be much worse, but by God’s forgiveness they are not.
Praying for ya bro! Hope you feel better soon!
JDawg, I was gunna say the same thing!! Coolios. :)
Ya, I figured you sick today cuz i saw collin and dominic without you…you guys are inseperatable
ay que pena!! I shall also pray for you J Dawgg!!
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed
This brings me back to Revival 09. One of the verses we memorized was 1 Corinthians 10:13, and it says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” Past experiences have happened, and many have been written down in the Bible of what people have done. And one reason that they are written down for us is so that we may learn from their examples! The Philistines are compared here to the Egyptians and Pharaoh. When Moses had gone before Pharaoh to ask for Israel’s departure from Egypt, he had cruelly said no. It took him 10 plagues to finally allow them to leave, and he still later changed his mind and tried chasing after them, which was the death of their army. We would all hope that Pharaoh had learned his lesson. And so can we all learn our lesson from looking at the example of the life of Pharaoh.
I need to seek advice from others around me. I need to look for those who are more grown up in the faith, that when I am struggling I can seek their advice. When I read about or listen to stories of people in the Bible, I need to pay attention to what they did, whether it be good or bad. If it was good, that I need to be aware of when I come into situations like their’s, I need to treat it the same way which they did. And when they made mistakes, I need to be wise and not fall into the same trip in which they have already fallen. I would be so stupid to see the wrong others have committed and then let myself walk straight into it all. I need to keep myself humble, acknowledging there is so much that I don’t know and that I have so many ways to grow up spiritually and in maturity, and learn from the good and bad done by those before me!
20 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?”
I am probably taking it out of context but i figured talking about how mighty God is, is never out of context!
The second part of this verse is so intense and reminded me of when the Lord comes back every knee will bow that is how mighty our God is! This verse also pumped me up to spread the gospel, because of course I want every knee to bow before God….I just want peoples to bow before its to late! Praise God he is so mighty and awesome and He chose us to do His will on earth!!
1 Sam 6:6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?
Just like Islam and other religions today, the Philistines had part of the picture but missed the real point: God is sovereign and commands us to view Him rightly. For those who turn to Him and reject their own ways He has grace through Jesus. For those who insist on serving their own idols and false gods He has destruction. These are written so that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ and have life through repentance and faith in Him alone! Everything in this history and the rest of the book points to who God is and our need for His grace. Now what is our response? Time is short! He’s coming soon! If He has given You a new heart, tell someone else, If you are still not fully committed to Him, seek Him now and turn from your sin to Him and trust!
The Ark Returned To Israel.
What a homecoming for the Israelites, who totally chunked it. What an amazing mercy God shows them by bringing His symbol of reverence and holiness back to them, after they totally messed up. There is destruction we have to reap when we disrespect and disobey the Lord, but His rebuke and discipline and consequences and punishment are worth every iota of His wrath, when we are on the path to being reconciled to Him. I can easily look at the Israelites and say what losers, jerks, idiots, they are. But what, then, would I have to say about MYSELF, for all the stupid choices I have made? All the dumb reasons I’ve given weight to, to choose sin over God’s ways and commands? This chapter is another reminding reason to STRIKE BACK against sin. Praise God for His Word that gives us clear counsel and instruction for how to live this life in a way that pleases Him. And praise God for the Holy Spirit, our Ultimate Counselor, Who gives us the power to chop off the body parts impeding on our faith journey.
Amen Stacy! Just be careful with that body part chopping off thing!
5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel.
Wooooow…I gotta say, this was an intense chapter!!! Even though golden tumors may sound gross to you, God sees it as something beautiful. It’s a soul giving up everything for Him and that’s the only thing that God sees, the heart. How beautiful it is to see someone turn away from their sins and put their faith in God! Now, if I can see that more often! I need to pray more that people will be saved at my school and others, that there will be a revival that breaks out all over SoCal and that people may see the good deeds and come to know Him. Like me and Stephanie were talking about the other day, God makes bad things turn into good. God’s glory was shown through the deaths and tumors that many had and then it’s shown through the repentance of those who turned around to the true Lord. :) Pray with me guys for revival. MARANATHA!
Praying for revival with u! :-D
Good point, Bethany. It’s almost like the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole in Numbers. In both places the “jewelry” items served to remind the people of their sins & to make them repent.
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.
God is absolutely holy and not to be messed with. God had just caused much chaos among the Philistines until they finally brought the Ark of the Covenant back. Well, the Israelites don’t seem to do much better. They disobeyed God and so he struck them down. This is such a great reminder of the holiness and power of God. When God commands me to do something, there is no option. I pray that will be my attitude today. To obey God in everything,
A great question:
“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us” (1 Sam. 5:20)?
Anyone with sin cannot stand before God who is holy, but because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ that comes from faith we can be considered righteous before a holy God. This is such good news! Peace with God? And yet, before we were enemies, but now we are friends of God, not only that, but sons with an inheritance of eternal life. Praise the Lord!
Please pray for the SC True North Christian Club today!
I’ll be praying for you and the hearts of those who are going to hear you preach the Word. Also, I hope you do well on your driver’s license test today! :-)
Praying for you Spence.
Nice comment Spencer. I was thinking the same thing! Praying for you right now!
Thanks Beth, Alicia, and Dan! I really appreciate your prayers. The SC True North Christian Club went great today! Also, though I’m not sure how you knew Beth, yes, I did get my license today! Thanks everyone again for the prayer and the encouragement!
9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
As I was reading this passage it seemed ridiculous to me that the Philistines had to test and see if their afflictions were caused by the LORD. Of course they were! The Philistines did not know God and so they had to perform an experiment to see whether their troubles were a natural event or a supernatural one. Untrained milk cows would not be able to pull a cart together well, and if they actually were able to pull the cart they would have headed straight home to their calves. God, in His infinite power, defies nature and has the cows pull the cart uphill toward Israel. He demands to be feared and treated with respect and He refuses to dwell among sinners. This was a good reminder to me that if things are not going right in my life I must first check my heart for any unconfessed sin. Sometimes the most obvious reason is the right one. I pray that I would not be like the Philistines and not get it when it is so obvious that the LORD was smiting them for their sinful ways and lack of respect and belief toward Him!
Great comment (:
By the way…small group tonight was AMAZING(:
i agree!!!!! I loved it <3
20 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?”
What a great verse! This verse stood out to me so much because it is really showing how perfect, amazing, holy, ect. God is! It pretty much says to me that no one is like Him which is so true! Since we a sinful humans we constantly have to be followers of God. And since Hes so perfect and we are not alot of people will think its a waist of time to be more like him. Although they are all very mistaken. We as humans will never be able to measure up to God, but that still doesnt mean we cant strive to be more like him. And just remember the more of the bible we read; the more we learn about God. Which will help us strive to be more like Him! Besides we should not compare ourselves to others, only God. :)
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
God is Holy and is SO Great and POWERFUL. I mean, if I were able to bold letters and underline them, those words would be and that still isn’t clarifying how great God is! :] In Exodus Moses wanted to see God’s glory and God said that He would die if you saw all of God’s glory, for man is sinnful and God is perfect. Moses did get to see God’s back, which must have been really cool!
The way we see our perfect God is through His Word, and His Son, and His creations. He says that He will make himself known. And we see Him do that in this chapter! Glory be to God in the highest!!! :]
11 Days till WINTER REVIVAL!!!
Good luck Campus Lunches this week! May you see a REVIVAL at your schools! :]
***Maranatha!!!***
20 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?”
This chapter shows Gods complete perfection and awesome power, and this verse shows how even the Philistines who were a completely pagan nation acknowledge the holiness of God because they saw his power and might and understood that they were being punished for having the ark. Our God is the one true God and his glory is displayed through out all the earth. He is all powerful, all mighty, abounding with strength, and holy. There is no one like Him. The Phillistines were able to recognize this however, they did not repent and turn from there wicked ways as we will see in future chapters, and God took them down. This is can be a warning to those who acknowledge who God is but there life is not transformed by him. There is no good in acknowledging him with our lips and yet denying him in our hearts. That is a double-minded person and there is nothing good promised to a double minded person.
We need to allow the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to transform us because GRACE changes us. I pray that I would not be a women of lip service to God, but that I would be a women who clearly is transformed by Gods holiness and his amazing grace through Jesus Christ.
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 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?”
These were philistines that said this! They worshiped their other idols and gods and not the God of Israel. This didn’t stop them from recognizing the power of the Living God! I love how they say, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?” It goes to show that they recognize who God is…..thats awesome
It reminds me of the campus lunch we are doing this week. i did it today so it is fresh in my mind. How God shows himself through creation, and our conscience. How we are made in his image and how we all know that he exists. It is awesome to read about how these unsaved people acknowledged God!!
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?
This chapter shows just how seriously God should be taken. The Philistines are remembering what they heard happened in Egypt. They are also making an offering to God in hopes that He will lighten His hand upon them. Even the Israelites are learning that they can’t just play around with the Ark of the Lord. It should be treated with fear and awe. Today I want to come to God in prayer with fear and awe.
20 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?”
Definitely agree with Pastor Bobby on this one! No one is able to stand before the Lord, and He should be greatly feared because of that! Throughout the book of 1 Samuel we have seen that our God is powerful and will not accept being 2nd place! He wants to be glorified as the only God and the most powerful being EVER! Somehow its so easy to forget how much I am supposed to fear the Lord! I know that He loves me and that he forgives my sin, but I also need to remember that He is a jealous God who deserves all of the glory I could possibly give Him (which still wouldn’t be enough!).
8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
After everything that happened they were starting to think it was coincidence!!!! The world today rather say that it was luck or bad luck instead of saying that it was God. Everything good and bad comes from God!!!!!!!!! Though at times I don’t want to admit that God allows bad things to happen to me!!!! I realized that God is drawing me closer to him by giving me certian trials in my life. Right now I am going through the book “Trusting God” written by, Jerry Bridges!!! I have been going through it with my mom!!! It has taught me that I need to be trusting God through good and bad things!! No matter the pain I need to be trusting him and glorifiyng him through it all!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
20 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?”
This is some serious reverence and fear of the Lord illustrated here. Like Pastor Bobby and Luke said this statement is coming from the Philistines who don’t even know God. How much more should I have this disposition to God having the benefit of knowing Him through the Bible and the work of Christ?
I continue to repeat myself on the fact that God needs to be feared! But it’s so awesome to come each day and read and continue to be reminded by God’s power!! It’s so interesting to see that we as Christians struggle with the idea that a fear for the Lord should always be present but then these Philistines didn’t even know God and yet they knew something was up, and in v.20 wondering, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? Having a fear for God’s wrath and Him! I pray that I can have a continuous fear for the Lord!
Amen (:
Definitely have been noticing God’s amazing power here too! Amen (: It is so important for us to be fearing the Lord!! (:
20 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?”
I think we should always be reminded of how powerful God is and what He can take away from us. On the brighter side, however, one day we will be able to stand before the Lord because of what He has done for us by grace alone. Not only should we be praising God for what He has given us, but we should be fearing Him because He is so omnipotent.
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 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?”
Verse 19 is a great example of the power that God possesses. These seventy men broke the law and looked upon the ark. God justly punished them for that.
Verse 20 is an example of the fear and recognition that his almighty power should inspire. They responded in the way we should; they worshiped God. The God that is all powerful and will never leave or forsake us.
This chapter reminded me of all the sacrifices and rituals people in that time had to do to make amends for their sin! The priests and the offenders of God would work night and day to sacrifice guilt, burnt, and other offerings/sacrifices just to repent! The weight of their sin was immense on their shoulders and still is on ours! I know if I lived then, I would be working night and day too just for all my sins. But then along came Jesus, and being the ultimate, pure, and holy sacrifice He is, no more sacrifices!! This reminded me to be eternally grateful for Jesus, the Cross, and the promise of being His child forever :D
20 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?”
No one can look upon His glorious face and perfect holiness. Such a thought is unimaginable! I mean, who on earth can claim that they’re so perfect, that mere sinners cannot look at them? Here’s a clue: NONE! God is sooo holy, and sooo perfect!! Nothing I ever do can make up for what He’s done for me or be worthy of His glory!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!
great comment Lizzie!
. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land.
The thing that stood out to me the most is that they wanted the Philistines to give glory to God! Even though they didn’t believe in everything I do, I want it to glorify Him! This chapter is great because it reminds me of God’s power and how I should fear Him!
20 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?”
This verse made me think of how I need to fear God because who is able to stand before him. God is a just God and there is going to be judgement on all so we should fear him and strive to be like him.
Amen! Let’s STRIVE to be like Him!
i love the post!!
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
Wow even the philistines feared the Lord and he was not even there God! I know it is so important to have a fear of the Lord because there is going to be judgment! The Lord shows his strength and power in this verse and it is so amazing!!!
20 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?”
Just thinking about how awesome God is. We can’t even comprehend mostly of who He is! I’m going to go in my room and sit on my chair and meditate on how awesome he is! I shouldn’t say I should because I’m never gonna go do that otherwise.
I read…
In this chapter, God gives the Israelites more fear of Him. God makes it clear that when He says something (that whomever looks upon the ark will die) the consequences of it will always happen. I pray that because of this chapter I would gain more fear of the Lord.
It’s amazing what God can do with two animals!! haha that just reminded me of Noah’s ark, and how the animals came in pairs!! (kinda random…and doesn’t really have anything to do with this passage. XD) The Levites got the the Ark back!! I found it amusing how the Philistines just returned it and left! This passage just shows how much He loves His people!! He led the Ark back to where it belonged, and now He is being glorified!! Praise God!! :D
20 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?”
some people find that the God of the OT (who is the same God as in the NT) is a horrible, mean bully who kills people at random. they ask “why do so many die?” this verse here gives us the reason: God is holy! the question we should be asking is not “why do so many die?” but rather “why do so many people live?” God is a holy God. He is totally set apart from sin, and because of our sin, we deserve death, spiritual and physical. because of our sin, we are separated from God. the men of Beth-shemesh realize God’s holiness and wonder who is able to stand before Him. the awesome thing is that while i am not holy enough to stand before God, His Son Christ is. and 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for me, so that i may have the righteousness of God. Christ lived a perfect life for me, so that i can stand before a holy God. i know that even though i am unable to stand before God on my own, i have Christ’s righteousness that is credited to my account! please Lord help to be living in a fear of You, recognizing how sinful i am before a perfect, holy God! sanctify me Lord, that i may be pleasing You in my life!
9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
The philistines wanted to make sure that it truly was the power of God that was causing their suffering. If it wasn’t, then their quest to return the ark was futile and their “superstition” was worthless. But if it was truly God’s punishment, then they wanted to get it as far away from them as possible. Sadly, many Christians today need this kind of attitude but do not have it. When God disciplines His children, it is a warning to get away from sin, or suffer more consequences. But many Christians are all too eager to rush right back into the same sins as before. I may not know exactly what God has planned for my life, but I do know that He wants me to stay as far from sin as possible, and so I need to be resolved to live a blameless life. And if at any point sin is revealed to me, I need to be quick to repent of it and do whatever necessary to live above reproach.
20 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?”
Ah God is just SO good!
He is so powerful, that even people who DEFINITELY don’t believe in God can begin to understand, He’s kind of a big deal.
This evidence is clear, even today, as people of different religions change and become servants of God.
And it must be extremely difficult to change religions.
So for these people to even acknowledge and seriously mean that God is real and powerful, must have been a big deal for them.
God’s word is so powerful and true, it just cannot be ignored.
Praise be to Him who causes men to fear His name!
20 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?”
God is so powerful and we do not deserve him. This chapter and the book of 1 Samuel are really showing us how jelous and how powerful He really is. None of us deserve God, so none of us are able or worthy enough to stand before Him. It just amazes me to see His awsome power. :)
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.
GOD demands complete obedience from us. He doesn’t ask us to try, or to do our best, but to do. Just as the LORD is merciful, he is also just and gives each as is their dues. Therefore let us follow the words of the LORD exactly, and not make excuses. I need to follow the LORD in all of his commands.
20 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?”
God’s holiness and perfection is so awesome! It makes me ponder upon the fact that I am a sinner who deserves separation from the Lord! I am so blessed for my salvation and for what God went through on the cross. I am thankful to be one of his children! Every knee will bow one day and confess that he is Lord! No matter what, God’s glory will be known to all! He needs and deserves to be praised because he is so worthy of it. We will all fall facedown when we come into the presence of god, as though dead! That is an incredible statement, and it really shows how mighty and powerful the Lord is!
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
I pray that i can fear the Lord like these people did… Its something that i really need to be thinking about and telling my friends about… that God is someone to be feared!
20 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?”
God is so great and powerful. It is so true that God is all powerful, and he is also holy.
I made a woops. I missed SOTD this morning but Im back on it now.
Verse 12 “And the cows 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.”
To me this shows that GOD can do anything. Right here HE directs a couple of cows that are carrying THE ARK to an Israelite city where it is supposed to be. HE amazes me how our GOD uses HIS awesome and everlasting power only for good cause. HE never even tries to take HIS power for granted. HE is perfect. AMEN
20 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?”
The answer is nobody. When John, who had been with Jesus for many years, keep standing when he saw the sublime glory of Jesus? Absolutely not! He fell face down. This passage reminds me of the worship song face down. In that song we worship God for His glory; something that isn’t found in many modern worship songs. Lord, you are so glorious that when I see you for the first time I will surely fall face down.
20 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?”
I really like this verse. it truly demonstrates the true power of God. The Philistines where enemies of the Lord, yet they clearly acknowleged his truth and power. This verse also remind me to fear the Lord. I know that I am definately unworthy to go up to the Lord, and the last thing I want to do is anger such a powerful God. I need to try harder to keep fighting temptation
20 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?” 21 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.”
No one absolutely no one can stand before the Lord and be in His prescene is too holy and too perfect for any of us to even compare to and come close to Him. We need to obey the Lord and have trust in Him because truly the Lord has the most amazing powers and can change something in a blink of an eye. Fear the Lord always and never loose faith in Him.
20 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?”
I think we need to ask ourselves this every day. Are we able to stand before the Lord? If so we need to get behind him! We cannot lose faith in Him, no matter what trials and hardships we may face.
10 The men did so. these people did as they were supposed. we need to do what people ask of us. like are parents. we need to obey them all the time. i need to work on obeying my parents with a good attitude.
12 And the cows 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.
Great Scripture!
I like this verse because it really drives the point home that it’s God’s will, and not mine. It also reminds me that its no coincidence that we know God, or anything about Him. It was all planned, from the before the beginning to after the very end.
20 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?”
This verse reminded me that God is a Holy and Just God. He is perfect in every way, and without Jesus I would not be able to even stand before him in heaven. How awesome is our God!!!
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
God is so awesome and powerful and holy that no one even compares or can even see his full glory!! God is to be feared and that is to keep me from sinning! Because of God’s power and holiness, I fear him, and the fear of him should keep me from sinning like he said it should. I just want to praise God for who he is and for being so holy and perfect that he can’t even be in the presence of sin!
It is amazing to see how high of a view of God these people held. The Lord was constantly on their minds, even though most of them did not live for him, but idols. Even so, God was so important to them. While the world around us is losing sight of God, we need to be growing closer to him, and live in complete devotion to Him and in love. Let’s show other the importance of know Jesus Christ, our Lord.
8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
I find it it almost humorous that the Philistines say in verse 6 that they don’t want to harden their hearts against God like the Egyptians did, and yet a couple of verses later they’re devising this cow test. God has just wreaked havoc on the Philistines and still they want to test whether or not His authority and power are real. As He always does, God leaves no doubt He is the one true God.
Verse 19 offers an unexpected parallel: “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.” The Lord has just recently allowed the Israelites to be defeated in battle (big time) and the ark to be stolen, and yet here are the men of Beth-shemesh essentially testing God by disobeying–again. The message to the Philistines, the Israelites, and us is clear: God will not be tested. I need to never make the mistake of thinking God does not see my actions and hold me accountable. The consequences for my sin may not be immediate, but there will be consequences. Even though we can rest knowing that we’re saved, our fear of God should in no way be diminished, and it should motivate us to always strive for obedience and holiness.
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed
As Christians, we really need to make sure that we have not let our hearts grow hardened. it happens without us even knowing it sometimes, and over time it can get worse and worse. I need to make sure i have a soft heart and that God is continually breaking me over my sin. I should be making sure that i feel conviction so that my heart doesn’t become this way.
mmmm that was good. i like the breaking me over my sin part. katie baxter you are yummmyyyy
20 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?”
The Lord had just stuk seventy people and the people now realized, who can stand before the Lord, who can even look at him without covering their eyes, noone. That is how holy God is
laguna – mission small groups were really good tonight
c u all later
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.
I totally agree with Derek! We are nothing in compare to God. His holiness and might is beyond all of our understanding, and just the sight of him kills people!! It is incredible to me that just when people took a glimpse at the ark, they fell over dead. This just shows how glorious our Lord is, and how radiant his holiness is. It is too much for us to comprehend or even look at. 20 “Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?” The answer is no one! There is no one like our God, and I will praise him for that!
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
this is legit, God is soooo powerful that even the enemys of God understand it. these passages help me in fearing God. im praying for fear right now and that that fear leads to devoltion!
MARANATHA!!!!
I think it is so interesting how these people feared God so much. God showed his power in a mighty way to the Philistines in these past chapters. They feared God so much as a living, mighty power that is going to preserve his people. They had a view of God as a lot of us forget to think about. A lot of times people have a view of God as all love, but chapters like these show he has a perfect, holy balance of love along with justice. The Philistines were punished severely for what they did, showing God as perfectly just. I need a view of God as they do where they tremble in fear of the Mighty One.
<3
20 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?”
This is a very good question ” who can stand before the Lord, our Holy God” Truly who can stand before our God!!!! This makes me think ofc when the high priests went into the Holy of Holies and they had to tether a rope onto their legs so that if they die just in the presecne of God they can be removed. Who then can truly stand before our Lord, not just be in His presence!!!! We have such a truly awsome and holy God that we should fear and be in awe of!!!
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?—I agree with Pastor Bobby! This verse shows how powerful God really is and how the Philistines were finally realizing what was going down after God had killed some of their men. I definitely need to be showing more fear of the LORD and not just taking his love and grace for granit!! This also makes me realize that the LORD is so holy and I will never be able to be as perfect as He is but I need to strive to be like him everyday! I am nothing compared to God and I am nothing without him!!
MARANATHA!!
0 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?”
I focused a lot on God’s holiness today and I am so thankful for it. When I sit and start thinking about his power, strength, compassion, love, perfectness, and so on, I just want to throw my hands in the air and praise him. I think it’s so important to make sure we always have a high view of who God is and never forget how holy he is. He’s the God of this universe. Maker of everything! I look at my life and feel so unworthy many times, and I just dive into the word and constantly thank God for saving a wretch like me, and loving me, and accepting me into his kingdom. I’m praying I use my time here wisely to share the gospel more and more before Christ’s return.
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
BAM!! The Philistines NAILED the attitude and pegged the bar for a high view of God. This verse reminds me of when the Bible talks about the angels in heaven not being able to stand the light and having to shield their eyes from God’s light. I need to keep myself accountable for having a high view of God! If I don’t view God as perfect, than I will start to sin and not worship him as much as he deserves. There must be NO compromise!! I want to strive for perfection just like my heavenly Father. I can’t wait until we are taken to heaven and won’t be tempted to sin! It’s going to be AWESOME! Let’s pray for an O.C. Teen REVIVAL and for people to get saved!! Christ’s Return is soon!! MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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M-A-R-A-N-A-T-H-A!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1:16!!!!! Sign up for Winter Revival!!!!!!!!!
20 “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?’”
This just proves that God is all-powerful. I’m glad that I’m his slave, and not the slaves of Satan that just got destroyed. I need to make sure that my fear for the LORD is always present and thats something that I can’t afford to lose. This is something that could’ve happened to me, praise God for saving me!!! Praise God for his everlasting power and love!
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
I love this verse because it shows that we need to have fear for the Lord because there will be judgment. Also, the Philistines werent Gods people but the point still got across to them about who He is, they still got it!!! We need to fear the Lord, for we will be judged on the day He returns.
This verse also reminds me of how great God is and how holy and righteous He is. I love it!!!
P.S. Tonight’s small group(Laguna/Mission) was AMAZING!!!!!!! It was the best one i have ever ben to! So many things were cleared up for me and i got so many things off my chest. i was able to talk to people about things and they helped me so much! :) im so glad im continually growing in the Lord!!!!!!!!!!
MARANATHA!!
Great comment! Fearing the Lord is so important and we must show reverant awe for Him. Lets show that at school(: Tonight was awesome! And i am so glad that we could all open up to each other like that and that i can trust you and jordan so much and i thank you two for ALWAYS being there for me when i need it (: Praise the Lord
Maranatha<3
AGREED about the small groups! And about fearing the Lord. There are so many times when i think that we take the lords abounding love and mercy for granted, and sometimes don’t keep in perspective his judgement and hatred of sin!! And as allie said it is so important to give God the glory he deserves, and live our lives as representations of Jesus Christ here on this earth! (: I love you girl! and am praying for you always (:
Well I don’t have a knowledge of the history of this book, but I am amazed at how the Philistines not followers of our Lord still knew what He is capable of and how
much they feared His power. I am amazed our God is such a powerful God.
God bless, Matt Rex.
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
The answer to this question is no one! God is the epitome of perfection and power. Obviously, since there is not one good person because we are all sinners, we do not measure up to God in any way, shape, or form. But because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice we are saved!! I know that with Jesus’ life shown as my own, I will be able to stand in the presence of my God and Creator. I can’t wait to worship him in all his glory and fall to my knees in awe!
20 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?”
Holiness is in a sense…a scary thing…it is completly unlike anything else we know….because one who his holy is completely different…foreign….pure…God is completely different…he is not of this world and he is pure….How can the pure, righteous, holy, tolerate sin? he can’t….straight up…praise God for his holiness!!! it is an awesome thing
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
I love this verse and it shows me that i am nothing compared to God. Absolutely nothing. He created the world, sent His son to die for me, takes away my sins continuously, and he is Lord of Lords and above everything. God is so mighty and powerful. No one is able to stand before the Lord! (Romans 3:10-18) These couple of verse talk about how nobody is righteous and no one understands of seeks God. It goes on, and the last verse that i love is verse 18, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” God is so holy and perfect, and he has the capability to throw us into the lake of fire, but he saves us from that suffering! That makes me want to fear the Lord. I must show reverant awe for the Lord! Praise the Lord for being so remarkable and breathtaking. Praise Him for doing so much in the lives of this church (:
Great comment Allie! You are so encouraging.
It is amazing too sit back and to think about how we are nothing, and how mighty God is…He is indescribable, and uncontainable. There are no words to describe him. I am just so thankful that i get to praise him each and every day!!
20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
God’s holiness is so mighty that no one can stand before Him. I need to fear God and see how great His holiness is and share that with my friends and the world.
The events of the last few chapters are very similar. God is proving he is in control, but people are not fearing him. In today’s chapter, God proves his power. He leads the ark back to the Israelites, and the plagues of the Philistines stop. However, the men of Beth-Shemesh look into the ark!
I want to make sure that I am acknowledging God’s sovereignty and that I am constantly giving him the fear that is due him!
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?
All we are is sinners!!!! Especially people like me. I know beforehand when something is wrong, but I still do it and end up getting punished in the end. I still need to know though that even if I don’t get caught by my mom, that God knows everything going on and I will get punished by Him!!! I seem to harden my heart toward this a lot and it’s really great to have brothers and sisters in Christ who hold me accountable to this!!! I can’t get through it without my friends or without God and prayer. We see how the Egyptians got punished by God and yet it doesn’t seem to scare us, but in the end it’s really going to be bad!!! I am going to work on obeying my parents as a young child should!!!!
Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?
No one because God is perfect and without sin and demands that sin is punished. In fact sinners, thieves, idolaters, adulterous people will not be allowed to live in heaven. Jesus Christ is the only one who is able to stand before God. And its only through Jesus Christ that we have access to the Father. Thank Jesus for paying the penaly for my sins. I deserved death you did not. I love you and want to serve you in all do. Give me the strength, discernment and wisdom to do this for your Glory.
So far over this book we have been able to see God’s great power. We have seen him drive people to crazieness and fear from his power. He is great and has all power and glory and we can even see that in his effect to pagans and there beliefs.
This chapter didn’t really have a certain quote that stood out to me but more of a large overall message
what I liked about this chapter first was God displaying his power as the cows carrying the arc went straight to Beth-shemesh towards the city it belonged
The other thing I liked was that the people returning the arc were punished and forced down on the ground. Face down! I really just liked this because it is saying that people who have sin in their hearts can’t simply stand in front of God because they aren’t Holy towards him at all. In order to stand in front of God we need to have the up most respect for his word. We need to co tinue to love him and cherish his creations until one day we cab worship him forever
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.
Again we see God striking people dead and the power of God is displayed. This is the God we serve. We need to make sure that our view of Him is more than our homeboy but realize He is God. More than realizing that, we need to see the implications of that statement. If God has complete control than I will acknowledge my dependence on Him and pursue obeying Him with urgency.
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.
Okay wow. When God says to do something, or not to do something, he MEANS it. It makes me think of how casually I address some of God’s commandments… I definitely need to start looking at ALL of my actions like its life or death, like He wanted the Israelites to see!
20 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?”
The answer to this question is none. No one can stand before the Lord and not fall face down. The bible talks about God’s holiness, saying that the angles have to cover their eyes cause he is so holy. How awesome is that!! I can’t wait until the day that I fall face down before my God. I pray that I would live like every moment is my last and that I would pursue godliness!!
And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord
Wow, God is not the white bearded grandpa who sits in his rocking chair smiling. His glory is so great that even just glancing at an ark with God’s power and perfection within it caused people to die. I pray that next time i think about sinning i remember what happened to these people.
“20 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?”
This reminded me of the fear of the LORD and of how we are called by God to “establish legitimacy within the non-Christians” in our fight to strike back against sin. This verse told me that no one can stand against the Lord in his sovereignty. I need to fear him because he has the ability to end my life or allow it to prosper. I pray that this fear will lead to devotion and that I will always keep in mind the omnipresence of God!
Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!
20 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?”
None, and to think I feel like I’m entitled to something from God. Like I deserve everything, but it’s quite the opposite. God is not just another person, He’s creator of the World. When I was in Death, He gave me Life, when I had nothing, He gave me everything. I am NOTHING compared to God, and humility is something I need to practice.
20 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?”
This verse reminds us of how little we compare to the Almighty God!!!! God is so perfect and holy, we not even measure up even close to what he is!!! We are nothing compared to God, but thank God for having mercy on us to allow us to be apart of his family and saving us from our sins!!!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Lord continues to amaze me unceasingly. Everything goes according to his plan. Our Lord is so amazing and mighty, all knowing and all powerful, i am so thankful that i get to know him more each and everyday!
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.
God takes sin seriously! He punishes the people for disobeying his instructions of not looking at the ark. I need to be like my Father and refuse to tolerate the sin that I have in my own life.
20 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?”
It is so important to have a constant understanding and knowledge of how truly powerful, majestic, and holy God is. The last few chapters have been all about fearing God, something that I SO important for both Christians, and non-christians. Sometimes my mind is just bewildered thinking about how incredible God is.. so perfect. And he is so powerful as well. He is wreaking havoc on the people in this story.. I know that I don’t want to be on the other side when God is demonstrating his wrath, and I don’t want other people to have to be either. I need to share the Gospel and live it out all the time so God can use that to save people!
MARANATHA!!!
20 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?”
I like these verses in the bible that are in the form of a question but are obviously already answered. The Lord is the only one that is holy and I am very glad that He is my God. He is so awesome and righteous, I am in awe that He chose to give salvation to those that accept it. Everyone has sin and we dont deserve Him, but he still blesses us in so many ways