1 Samuel 6
Trying to find a way into this chapter I was reminded of a Bob Newhart sketch called returning a gift, where a customer is trying to return a Christmas present of a toupee given to him by his wife. If you have not heard of this sketch of Bob Newhart - look him up.
Anyway the Philistines are in the position of being rather unhappy that they captured the Ark of the Covenant from Israel - things have not gone at all well, gods are falling over, people are getting tumours and rats are ruining everything.
After 7 months - hardly quick of the mark these Philistines - they decide that they have had enough and ask their priests for advice in giving the Ark back to Israel.
They are advised to not just send back the Ark but to include some kind of offering to appease the God of Israel and hopefully stop the plagues. I'm not a medical person, but I read about tumours and rats and wonder if they are connected in any way?
Perhaps is somebody medically or biblically traines can comment - I'd for one be interested in the theories.
Anyway the Philistines make representative tumours and rats out of gold to symbolise their offering. They put the Ark onto a wagon hitched to 2 cows that have given birth but have never been used to pull a wagon or anything in the past along with a small chest containing the tumours and the rats.
The take the calves away and pen them up and see what the cows do pulling the cart - if it went straight back to Israelite land it was a sign that the difficulties had come from God, but if not then it was just bad luck.
The cows make an immediate bee line for Israel and does not stop until they reach the field of Joshua at Beth Shemesh. The Philistine rulers follow the cart to the border.
The locals are in the fields harvesting grain and see the return of the Ark. They immediately chopped up the cart and sacrificed the cows.
However some locals were too inquisitive and they died for looking inside the Ark, and they asked Kiriath Jearim to come and take responsibility for the Ark.
It seems a bit harsh for God to kill 70 people for looking inside the Ark - but according to Moses law nobody could even see the Ark under normal circumstances and it was only to be carried by Levites, so looking into the Ark of the Covenant was showing a profound disrespect for God.
Trying to find a way into this chapter I was reminded of a Bob Newhart sketch called returning a gift, where a customer is trying to return a Christmas present of a toupee given to him by his wife. If you have not heard of this sketch of Bob Newhart - look him up.
Anyway the Philistines are in the position of being rather unhappy that they captured the Ark of the Covenant from Israel - things have not gone at all well, gods are falling over, people are getting tumours and rats are ruining everything.
After 7 months - hardly quick of the mark these Philistines - they decide that they have had enough and ask their priests for advice in giving the Ark back to Israel.
They are advised to not just send back the Ark but to include some kind of offering to appease the God of Israel and hopefully stop the plagues. I'm not a medical person, but I read about tumours and rats and wonder if they are connected in any way?
Perhaps is somebody medically or biblically traines can comment - I'd for one be interested in the theories.
Anyway the Philistines make representative tumours and rats out of gold to symbolise their offering. They put the Ark onto a wagon hitched to 2 cows that have given birth but have never been used to pull a wagon or anything in the past along with a small chest containing the tumours and the rats.
The take the calves away and pen them up and see what the cows do pulling the cart - if it went straight back to Israelite land it was a sign that the difficulties had come from God, but if not then it was just bad luck.
The cows make an immediate bee line for Israel and does not stop until they reach the field of Joshua at Beth Shemesh. The Philistine rulers follow the cart to the border.
The locals are in the fields harvesting grain and see the return of the Ark. They immediately chopped up the cart and sacrificed the cows.
However some locals were too inquisitive and they died for looking inside the Ark, and they asked Kiriath Jearim to come and take responsibility for the Ark.
It seems a bit harsh for God to kill 70 people for looking inside the Ark - but according to Moses law nobody could even see the Ark under normal circumstances and it was only to be carried by Levites, so looking into the Ark of the Covenant was showing a profound disrespect for God.
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