1 SAMUEL LESSON 6


     We will begin this lesson in I Samuel 6:1 "And the ark of the
LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months."

     The number "seven"  means spiritually complete. The country of
the Philistines means in the possession of the Philistines. They moved
it from place to place. Everywhere it was taken, the people were
stricken with emerods.

     I Samuel 6:2 "And the Philistines called for the priests and the
diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us
wherewith we shall send it to his place."

     They have realized that the God of the Israelites, who this ark
represents, is too much for them, and they want to get rid of it. They
must, however, be careful how they dispose of it. Diviners were there
to tell them when would be the luckiest time for them to move it.
"Diviners" were those who sat with the prophet and the elder. They are
forbidden to Christians. The priests would decide just how they would
return the ark. The princes wanted to return it to the Israelites,
before it killed all of the Philistines.

     I Samuel 6:3 "And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God
of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass
offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why
his hand is not removed from you."

     The trespass offering was given, when a sin had been committed
unintentionally. We must realize that, they would not have taken the
ark, had they known the trouble they would have had from taking it.
They have decided to load gifts into the ark to send back. The priests
believe the people will be healed of the emerods the moment they send
the ark back. If they are not healed when the ark leaves, then it was
not God that brought the plague.

     I Samuel 6:4 "Then said they, What [shall be] the trespass
offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden
emerods, and five golden mice, [according to] the number of the lords
of the Philistines: for one plague [was] on you all, and on your
lords."

     This indicates there must have been a plague of mice, as well as
the emerods. It, also, indicates that everyone had the problem,
because it says {on you all}. The five mice made of gold and the five
emerods made of gold were to be sent away with the ark. In a sense, it
was as if they were containing the plague to be sent away. There was
five of each, because there were five princes.

     I Samuel 6:5 "Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and
images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto
the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you,
and from off your gods, and from off your land."
     We see, in this, a recognition that the God of Israel is far too
great for them or their false gods to handle. It is, possible, that
the mice were a symbol of the plague, and not necessarily a literal
overrun of mice.

     I Samuel 6:6 "Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the
Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought
wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they
departed?"

     Someone is very familiar with the plagues that came on Egypt,
when the Pharaoh would not let the people go. They are even aware that
the hardness of the Pharaoh's heart is what brought worse and worse
plagues on Egypt, until in the end he did let the people go. This is
saying, let's not harden our hearts, and have more plagues worse than
the one we have.

     I Samuel 6:7 "Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch
kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart,
and bring their calves home from them:"

     This is just saying, this must be a new cart that had never had a
load on it before. The milk cows were to be untrained to the yoke.
They will take their calves off them, so they will not follow the milk
cow.

     I Samuel 6:8 "And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the
cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him [for] a trespass
offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it
may go."

     They do not open the ark. They put the trespass offering of gold
in a separate container beside the ark on the cart. They were
actually afraid of the ark. "Send it away" means there would be no one
leading the cart on which the ark sat.

     I Samuel 6:9 "And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast
to Beth-shemesh, [then] he hath done us this great evil: but if not,
then we shall know that [it is] not his hand [that] smote us: it [was]
a chance [that] happened to us."

     This will be one more sign to these people, that the God of
Israel brought the plague upon them for taking the ark. If it goes
home, it is God. If it does not go home, but stays with them, it will
be a sign that this plague was just something that would have happened
anyway, even without the ark. The Philistines did not understand about
the God of Israel, and they began to regard the ark itself as God.
Beth-shemesh was now in the hands of Judah. It was a city of the
priests.

     I Samuel 6:10  "And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and
tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:"  I Samuel
6:11 "And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer
with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods."

     This just means they took the advice of their priests and did as
they suggested.

     I Samuel 6:12 "And the kine took the straight way to the way of
Beth-shemesh, [and] went along the highway, lowing as they went, and
turned not aside [to] the right hand or [to] the left; and the lords
of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh."

     There was no one leading these milk cows. They went directly to
Beth-shemesh, leaving no doubt that this was, indeed, the LORD who had
sent this plague to them. The lords of the Philistines did not want to
take someone else's word, that they went here without someone leading
them. They followed to see for themselves, what would happen.

     I Samuel 6:13 "And [they of] Beth-shemesh [were] reaping their
wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw
the ark, and rejoiced to see [it]."

     This was at the time of the wheat harvest. Everyone was in the
field harvesting the wheat. The had been without the ark for seven
months and are thrilled that it is back. The ark symbolized the
presence of God to the Israelites. They felt, when the ark was there,
God was residing with them.

     I Samuel 6:14 "And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a
Beth-shemite, and stood there, where [there was] a great stone: and
they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering
unto the LORD."

     The "they" that broke up the cart for firewood would, possibly,
have been the priests, because no one was to touch the ark but those
appointed of God for that job. This great stone was a natural altar.
The milk cows were the offering, here. This would have been an unusual
offering. Usually the male was offered, and it must be a young animal.

     I Samuel 6:15 "And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and
the coffer that [was] with it, wherein the jewels of gold [were], and
put [them] on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered
burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD."

     This was a Levitical city, so the people, as well as the priest
should be well acquainted with the law. The offerings must, also, be
done by the priest. Some of the things they were doing, even with the
offering, were not in full keeping of the law. They were, however,
overjoyed at the return of the ark. This offering was acceptable to
the LORD, because of their attitude.

     I Samuel 6:16 "And when the five lords of the Philistines had
seen [it], they returned to Ekron the same day."

     We remember, these five lords of the Philistines had come to see
with their own eyes that the ark had gone to Beth-shemesh. They have
stayed a little way off, so as not to be captured. They went back to
Ekron to tell the news.

     I Samuel 6:17 "And these [are] the golden emerods which the
Philistines returned [for] a trespass offering unto the LORD; for
Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron
one;"

     These five cities had five princes who headed them. They
represented the entire Philistine people. It is interesting, to me,
that the number "five" means grace. It is the grace of God that saves
any of us.

     I Samuel 6:18 "And the golden mice, [according to] the number of
all the cities of the Philistines [belonging] to the five lords,
[both] of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great
[stone of] Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: [which
stone remaineth] unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-
shemite."

     In the trespass offering, they were saying that they unknowingly
sinned against God. It seemed that, the mice of gold were more than
five, because each little village sent a golden mouse. They tried to
all participate in the trespass offering. The stone, that the
Israelites offered on here, was memorialized and kept as a reminder of
this happening.

     I Samuel 6:19  "And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because
they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people
fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented,
because the LORD had smitten [many] of the people with a great
slaughter."

     It seemed that, after they sacrificed to God, they got curious
and opened the ark and looked in. Even the Philistines were smarter
than that, and they did not know the law. Everyone who looked into the
ark was killed. God killed 50,070 men that day. This was forbidden,
and they knew that it was forbidden. The punishment for a sin in full
knowledge is greater than a sin of ignorance. They were sorrowful
after it happened. They were lamenting for the dead, not repenting of
the sin.

     I Samuel 6:20 "And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to
stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?"

     The answer is, no one. This was a city of priests, who should
have known better than to look into the ark. This is, possibly, why
the punishment is so severe. This group of priests are trying to get
someone to take the ark. This is so sad, since this is where God had
it sent from the Philistines. It is as if they are blaming God for
what happened. It was their sin of looking into the ark, that caused
the deaths. They do not want to take the blame for their own sins.

     I Samuel 6:21  "And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of
Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of
the LORD; come ye down, [and] fetch it up to you."

     This city was, possibly, chosen, because it was the nearest city
of any size. "Kirjath-jearim" means city of forests. This was not a
true statement. The Philistines had not brought it. They had loosed
it, and it had come home. This is a Gibeonite town, first assigned to
Judah. Afterward, it went to Benjamin.















































                        1 Samuel 6 Questions


1.  The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines _______
    months.
2.  What does the number "seven" mean.
3.  Everywhere the people took the ark, the people were stricken with
    ___________.
4.  Who did the Philistines call together, to decide what to do about
    the ark.
5.  What is a "diviner"?
6.  Why did the princes want to return the ark to the Israelites.
7.  What did they decide should be sent back with the ark?
8.  The __________ offering was given, when a sin had been committed
    unintentionally.
9.  What was the trespass offering they were to send back?
10. What were the mice made of?
11. How do we know the plague was on everyone?
12. How many emerods made of gold did they send?
13. What did the sending of the emerods away to Israel symbolize?
14. What are the Philistines admitting about God, when they send the
    offering with the ark to Israel?
15. What did the Philistines know about the plagues in Egypt?
16. What would they carry the ark on?
17. What would pull the cart?
18. What would be absolute proof to these people, if this plague was
    from God, or not?
19. Where does the cart go?
20. What were the people doing, when they looked up, and saw the ark
    coming?
21. What did the ark symbolize?
22. This great stone was a natural _________.
23. Why was this a good choice of cities for the ark to come to?
24. Who had followed the ark,  to see where the milk cows took it?
25. What were the Philistines saying with the trespass offering?
26. What did the Israelites do with the milk cows, that pulled the
    cart?
27. How many people died, when they looked into the ark?
28. Who is able to stand before the holy LORD God?
29. Where was the ark sent next?
30. What does the name of the city mean?