Do we tend to want leaders based on superficial qualities? What outward traits did Saul have? What leader serves like Jesus did? Let’s begin in 1 Samuel 9.
What were Saul’s outstanding physical characteristics?
There was a wealthy man from the tribe of Benjamin named Kish. He was the son of Abiel son of Zeror son of Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite. He had a son named Saul, who was a handsome young man. No one in Israel was more handsome than Saul, and he stood head and shoulders above everyone else. (1 Samuel 9:1-2 CEB)
Where did Saul’s companion suggest they get advice about some lost donkeys?
Kish owned some donkeys, but they had run off. So he told Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.” Saul and the servant went through the hill country of Ephraim and the territory of Shalishah, but they could not find the donkeys. Then they went through the territories of Shaalim and Benjamin, but still there was no sign of the donkeys. Finally they came to the territory where the clan of Zuph lived. “Let's go back home,” Saul told his servant. “If we don't go back soon, my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us!” “Wait!” the servant answered. “There's a man of God who lives in a town near here. He's amazing! Everything he says comes true. Let's talk to him. Maybe he can tell us where to look.” (1 Samuel 9:3-6 CEV)
What did they determine to give Samuel as a gift for helping them?
Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today's “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. (1 Samuel 9:7-10 ESV)
Did the two men finally find Samuel? Did people refuse to eat unblessed food?
As they were climbing the hill to the city, they found some young women coming out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?” The women answered, “Yes, he is ahead of you. Hurry, he just now came to the city, because there’s a sacrifice for the people at the high place today. If you go quickly, you can catch up with him before he goes to the high place to eat. The people won’t eat until he comes because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the guests can eat. Go up immediately—you can find him now.” So they went up toward the city. Saul and his attendant were entering the city when they saw Samuel coming toward them on his way to the high place. (1 Samuel 9:11-14 HCSB)
Had God revealed to Samuel the events that were about to take place?
Now one day before Saul’s arrival, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: “About this time tomorrow I’ll send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him as Commander-in-Chief over my people Israel. He’ll deliver my people from the control of the Philistines, because I’ve seen the suffering of my people and because their cry has come up to me.” When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man I told you about. This man will rule over my people.” As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.” Samuel answered Saul: “I’m the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, and eat with me today. In the morning I’ll send you away and tell you everything that is on your mind. Now as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, don’t give any thought to them, because they’ve been found. Meanwhile, to whom is all Israel looking, if not to you and all of your father’s household?” (1 Samuel 9:15-20 ESV)
Did Saul have at least a little humility at the start of his reign?
And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. (1 Samuel 9:21-24 KJV)
Did Samuel prepare Saul to hear the word of God regarding him?
Then they came down from the high place into the city, and Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. And they arose early; and at the breaking of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Say to the young man that he might pass before us and pass onwards, but you remain standing now, that I may cause you to hear the word of God.” (1 Samuel 9:25-27 LSB)
Did Jesus emphasize a different kind of leadership to that common among kings?
And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles domineer over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way for you; rather, the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. (Luke 22:25-27 NASB)
Do we tend to want leaders based on superficial qualities? What outward traits did Saul have? What leader serves like Jesus did? You decide!
Human Governments (1 Samuel 8)
Are all human governments faulty? Why would people think that the solution is a king when God is the real answer? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 8.
Did Samuel’s sons reveal yet another sad reason why succession fails to guarantee faithfulness to God? For this reason, do Protestants have every right to mistrust so-called apostolic succession?
And it happened when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after greedy gain and took bribes and caused justice to turn aside. (1 Samuel 8:1-3 LSB)
Did Israel think that the solution to the leadership crisis was yet another variety of human leadership?
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. (1 Samuel 8:4-6 NASB)
Who was Israel really rejecting by choosing a king to rule them? Should we be careful what we ask God for, because sometimes He will give it to us, to our regret?
And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” (1 Samuel 8:7-9 NIV)
How many times are the words “take” and “his” found in this passage describing a king? Has taking been a characteristic of human governments ever since?
So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:10-18 NKJV)
Did the people ignore the warnings about how a royal human government works?
But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home. (1 Samuel 8:19-22 NLT)
Do world leaders like to ride in limousines and gold coaches? How is Jesus as our king very different from that?
Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Matthew 21:5 WEB)
Are all human governments faulty? Why would people think that the solution is a king when God is the real answer? You decide!
Did Samuel’s sons reveal yet another sad reason why succession fails to guarantee faithfulness to God? For this reason, do Protestants have every right to mistrust so-called apostolic succession?
And it happened when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after greedy gain and took bribes and caused justice to turn aside. (1 Samuel 8:1-3 LSB)
Did Israel think that the solution to the leadership crisis was yet another variety of human leadership?
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. (1 Samuel 8:4-6 NASB)
Who was Israel really rejecting by choosing a king to rule them? Should we be careful what we ask God for, because sometimes He will give it to us, to our regret?
And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” (1 Samuel 8:7-9 NIV)
How many times are the words “take” and “his” found in this passage describing a king? Has taking been a characteristic of human governments ever since?
So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:10-18 NKJV)
Did the people ignore the warnings about how a royal human government works?
But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home. (1 Samuel 8:19-22 NLT)
Do world leaders like to ride in limousines and gold coaches? How is Jesus as our king very different from that?
Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Matthew 21:5 WEB)
Are all human governments faulty? Why would people think that the solution is a king when God is the real answer? You decide!
National Repentance (1 Samuel 7)
Is the party of Baal or the party of Astarte the answer to national woes or is national repentance the real answer? What happened when all Israel confessed their sins and repented? Are we willing to repent of worshipping false gods? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 7.
Did the people repent of worshipping false gods and return to the Lord?
So the people of Kiriath-jearim came and took the Lord’s chest. They brought it to Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Then they dedicated Eleazar, Abinadab’s son, to care for the Lord’s chest. Now a long time passed—a total of twenty years—after the chest came to stay in Kiriath-jearim, and the whole house of Israel yearned for the Lord. Then Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are turning to the Lord with all your heart, then get rid of all the foreign gods and the Astartes you have. Set your heart on the Lord! Worship him only! Then he will deliver you from the Philistines’ power.” So the Israelites got rid of the Baals and the Astartes and worshipped the Lord only. (1 Samuel 7:1-4 CEB)
Did Israel have an assembly, fast and confess their sins to the Lord?
Then Samuel said, “Tell everyone in Israel to meet together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” The Israelites met together at Mizpah with Samuel as their leader. They drew water from the well and poured it out as an offering to the Lord. On that same day they went without eating to show their sorrow, and they confessed they had been unfaithful to the Lord. (1 Samuel 7:5-6 CEV)
Did God then defend Israel against an enemy attack by the Philistines?
Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. (1 Samuel 7:7-11 ESV)
Did Samuel set up a memorial stone and was there a time of national peace?
Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israel’s territory again. The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. (1 Samuel 7:12-14 HCSB)
Did Samuel build an altar and become a circuit riding judge?
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went on a circuit each year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all those places. He would return to Ramah because his house was there, and judged Israel from there. He also built an altar to the Lord there. (1 Samuel 7:15-17 ISV)
What did the devil say to Jesus during His time in the wilderness? Do we worship the devil or God alone?
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:9-10 KJV)
Is the party of Baal or the party of Astarte the answer to national woes or is national repentance the real answer? What happened when all Israel confessed their sins and repented? Are we willing to repent of worshipping false gods? You decide!
Did the people repent of worshipping false gods and return to the Lord?
So the people of Kiriath-jearim came and took the Lord’s chest. They brought it to Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Then they dedicated Eleazar, Abinadab’s son, to care for the Lord’s chest. Now a long time passed—a total of twenty years—after the chest came to stay in Kiriath-jearim, and the whole house of Israel yearned for the Lord. Then Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are turning to the Lord with all your heart, then get rid of all the foreign gods and the Astartes you have. Set your heart on the Lord! Worship him only! Then he will deliver you from the Philistines’ power.” So the Israelites got rid of the Baals and the Astartes and worshipped the Lord only. (1 Samuel 7:1-4 CEB)
Did Israel have an assembly, fast and confess their sins to the Lord?
Then Samuel said, “Tell everyone in Israel to meet together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” The Israelites met together at Mizpah with Samuel as their leader. They drew water from the well and poured it out as an offering to the Lord. On that same day they went without eating to show their sorrow, and they confessed they had been unfaithful to the Lord. (1 Samuel 7:5-6 CEV)
Did God then defend Israel against an enemy attack by the Philistines?
Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. (1 Samuel 7:7-11 ESV)
Did Samuel set up a memorial stone and was there a time of national peace?
Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israel’s territory again. The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. (1 Samuel 7:12-14 HCSB)
Did Samuel build an altar and become a circuit riding judge?
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went on a circuit each year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all those places. He would return to Ramah because his house was there, and judged Israel from there. He also built an altar to the Lord there. (1 Samuel 7:15-17 ISV)
What did the devil say to Jesus during His time in the wilderness? Do we worship the devil or God alone?
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:9-10 KJV)
Is the party of Baal or the party of Astarte the answer to national woes or is national repentance the real answer? What happened when all Israel confessed their sins and repented? Are we willing to repent of worshipping false gods? You decide!
The Ark Returned (1 Samuel 6)
Do we treat the things of God with proper reverence as holy or are we sloppy? Do we quickly turn from the error of our ways or stubbornly persist? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 6.
How long did it take the Philistines to admit they made a mistake? Why are we so stubborn to repent of a bad decision?
The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory for seven months. The Philistines summoned the priests and diviners and asked, “What should we do about the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.” They said, “If you send the Ark of the God of Israel back, don’t send it empty, but rather be sure to send back to him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and will know why his oppression has not been removed from you.” (1 Samuel 6:1-3 ISV)
What strange offering did the pagan priests and diviners suggest? Did they admit that God was superior to their gods? Did they turn to God or persist in useless idols?
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. 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. 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? (1 Samuel 6:4-6 KJV)
Did they want to confirm if their troubles were just coincidence or caused by God?
So now, take and make a new cart and two milch cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. And take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. See, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that smote us; it happened to us by chance.” (1 Samuel 6:7-9 LSB)
What happened to the cart with the ark of the covenant on board?
Then the men did so: they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut in their calves at home. And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the saddlebag with the gold mice and the likenesses of their tumors. Now the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went on the same road, bellowing as they went, and did not turn off to the right or to the left. And the governors of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh. (1 Samuel 6:10-12 NASB)
What did the people of Beth Shemesh do as the ark arrived?
Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron. (1 Samuel 6:13-16 NIV)
How did God impress upon them to treat the ark as holy?
These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. (1 Samuel 6:17-19 NKJV)
Why did the people at Beth Shemesh send messengers to Kiriath-jearim?
“Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?” So they sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jearim and told them, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord. Come here and get it!” (1 Samuel 6:20-21 NLT)
Do we serve God in a careless manner or with reverence and awe?
Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 WEB)
Do we treat the things of God with proper reverence as holy or are we sloppy? Do we quickly turn from the error of our ways or stubbornly persist? You decide!
How long did it take the Philistines to admit they made a mistake? Why are we so stubborn to repent of a bad decision?
The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory for seven months. The Philistines summoned the priests and diviners and asked, “What should we do about the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.” They said, “If you send the Ark of the God of Israel back, don’t send it empty, but rather be sure to send back to him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and will know why his oppression has not been removed from you.” (1 Samuel 6:1-3 ISV)
What strange offering did the pagan priests and diviners suggest? Did they admit that God was superior to their gods? Did they turn to God or persist in useless idols?
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. 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. 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? (1 Samuel 6:4-6 KJV)
Did they want to confirm if their troubles were just coincidence or caused by God?
So now, take and make a new cart and two milch cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. And take the ark of Yahweh and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. See, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that smote us; it happened to us by chance.” (1 Samuel 6:7-9 LSB)
What happened to the cart with the ark of the covenant on board?
Then the men did so: they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut in their calves at home. And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the saddlebag with the gold mice and the likenesses of their tumors. Now the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went on the same road, bellowing as they went, and did not turn off to the right or to the left. And the governors of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh. (1 Samuel 6:10-12 NASB)
What did the people of Beth Shemesh do as the ark arrived?
Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron. (1 Samuel 6:13-16 NIV)
How did God impress upon them to treat the ark as holy?
These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. (1 Samuel 6:17-19 NKJV)
Why did the people at Beth Shemesh send messengers to Kiriath-jearim?
“Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?” So they sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jearim and told them, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord. Come here and get it!” (1 Samuel 6:20-21 NLT)
Do we serve God in a careless manner or with reverence and awe?
Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let’s have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29 WEB)
Do we treat the things of God with proper reverence as holy or are we sloppy? Do we quickly turn from the error of our ways or stubbornly persist? You decide!
Philistines Punished (1 Samuel 5)
Does God provide evidence of His existence? Do idols actually do anything for people? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 5.
Where was the stolen ark of the covenant placed by the Philistines? Dagon was a half man half fish idol.
After the Philistines took God’s chest, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took God’s chest and brought it into Dagon’s temple and set it next to Dagon. But when the citizens of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen facedown on the ground before the Lord’s chest! So they took Dagon and set him back up where he belonged. But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon again, fallen facedown on the ground before the Lord’s chest—and this time Dagon’s head along with both his hands were cut off and lying on the doorstep! Only Dagon’s body was left intact. That’s why to this day Dagon’s priests or anyone else who enters his temple in Ashdod doesn’t step on the threshold. (1 Samuel 5:1-5 CEB)
What did the Lord do to the Philistines to punish them for their theft?
The Lord caused a lot of trouble for the people of Ashdod and their neighbors. He made sores break out all over their bodies, and everyone was in a panic. Finally, they said, “The God of Israel did this. He is the one who caused all this trouble for us and our god Dagon. We've got to get rid of this chest.” The people of Ashdod invited all the Philistine rulers to come to Ashdod, and they asked them, “What can we do with the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel?” “Send it to Gath,” the rulers answered. But after they took it there, the Lord made sores break out on everyone in town. The people of Gath were frightened, so they sent the sacred chest to Ekron. But before they could take it through the town gates, the people of Ekron started screaming, “They've brought the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel! It will kill us and our families too!” (1 Samuel 5:6-10 CEV)
What did the Philistines decide to do with the ark of the covenant? Is God capable of defending Himself?
They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (1 Samuel 5:11-12 ESV)
Long before a missionary brings the Gospel, has God already provided ubiquitous evidence of His existence? Do people still suppress the truth?
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. (Romans 1:18-23 HCSB)
Does God provide evidence of His existence? Do idols actually do anything for people? You decide!
Where was the stolen ark of the covenant placed by the Philistines? Dagon was a half man half fish idol.
After the Philistines took God’s chest, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took God’s chest and brought it into Dagon’s temple and set it next to Dagon. But when the citizens of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen facedown on the ground before the Lord’s chest! So they took Dagon and set him back up where he belonged. But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon again, fallen facedown on the ground before the Lord’s chest—and this time Dagon’s head along with both his hands were cut off and lying on the doorstep! Only Dagon’s body was left intact. That’s why to this day Dagon’s priests or anyone else who enters his temple in Ashdod doesn’t step on the threshold. (1 Samuel 5:1-5 CEB)
What did the Lord do to the Philistines to punish them for their theft?
The Lord caused a lot of trouble for the people of Ashdod and their neighbors. He made sores break out all over their bodies, and everyone was in a panic. Finally, they said, “The God of Israel did this. He is the one who caused all this trouble for us and our god Dagon. We've got to get rid of this chest.” The people of Ashdod invited all the Philistine rulers to come to Ashdod, and they asked them, “What can we do with the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel?” “Send it to Gath,” the rulers answered. But after they took it there, the Lord made sores break out on everyone in town. The people of Gath were frightened, so they sent the sacred chest to Ekron. But before they could take it through the town gates, the people of Ekron started screaming, “They've brought the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel! It will kill us and our families too!” (1 Samuel 5:6-10 CEV)
What did the Philistines decide to do with the ark of the covenant? Is God capable of defending Himself?
They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (1 Samuel 5:11-12 ESV)
Long before a missionary brings the Gospel, has God already provided ubiquitous evidence of His existence? Do people still suppress the truth?
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. (Romans 1:18-23 HCSB)
Does God provide evidence of His existence? Do idols actually do anything for people? You decide!
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