1 - 2 What Should Happen to the Ark?
1 Now the ark of the LORD had been in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall send it to its place.”
After seven months, a complete time, the Philistines seek advice from their brightest minds. Earlier the lords of the Philistines acted. Now their priests and diviners are called. Under no circumstances the religious, natural man will turn to the true God, the only source of light there is. After the political level, now comes the religious level. This combination is also seen in Pilate and the chief priests in the condemnation of the Lord Jesus, of whom the ark is a striking picture.
In any case, they want to get rid of the ark, which means as much as they want to get rid of God. This is what man always wants if he does not want to bow before the Lord Jesus, although he must acknowledge His majesty, for he cannot deny it. Someone can succeed in excluding God for some time, but not forever. The final meeting will take place and then he will be removed and sent to hell.
3 - 6 The Ark Must Return With a Guilt Offering
3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but you shall surely return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.” 4 Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed?
Although they know nothing of the service to God in Israel, they suggest to return a guilt-offering to Him. This indicates that something in their conscience has been touched. In their folly they believe that an image is sufficient. Their guilt offering is not a bloody sacrifice either but consists of statuettes of their plagues. We recognize the use of statues today in roman-catholicism, where these things play a major role. The tangible is always preferred to what is not tangible, but spiritual. The illustrations also concern impurities.
In all respects their offering is an insult and horror to God. The suggestion is in keeping with their idolatry, but not with God. They have no awareness of the true guilt offering. The Philistines are more concerned about their suffering bodies than about their sickened souls. They only act with a view to improving their living conditions. Their ‘offering’ goes no further than a memory of their torments.
They determine the offering on one tumor and one mouse per lord. The tumors have affected their bodies and the mice have affected their land. The mice have probably been the plague that has devastated their harvest, for it is harvest time (verse 13). They understand that both the tumors and the mice are sent by God. By making a likeness of each of them and sending it along as a guilt offering, they acknowledge that.
What happens to them reminds them of the events of the past in Egypt. However, it does not work their conversion, as it did not in the case of Pharaoh at the time. So is the nature of man. Without repentance they want to get rid of the plagues. The Egyptians also wanted to get rid of the Israelites as soon as possible and gave them gifts.
The part of the world in which we live is also ravaged by plagues. New diseases appear again and again. However, it does not make people realize that these plagues are a scourge from God. It is conceivable that the plagues that come over the Christian countries are, among other things, the result of the tainting by the theologians of the Lord Jesus and the Word of God.
7 - 12 A New Cart and Milch Cows
7 Now therefore, take and prepare 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. 8 Take the ark of the LORD 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. 9 Watch, 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 struck us; it happened to us by chance.” 10 Then the men did so, and took two milch cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 They put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the box with the golden mice and the likenesses of their tumors. 12 And the cows took the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
The Philistines now want absolute certainty that they are dealing with God. They do not want to bring back the ark themselves. They do not think they can either, because every move has brought them disaster. Their solution suits the natural man who does not possess the light of God.
It seems indecent and inappropriate for them to use something for the worship of God that has previously served a general purpose. Everything in the obeisance to God must be holy, separated from general use and entirely dedicated to the service of God. That is why they use a new cart. They will not be punished for this, as is David later in the death of Uzzah, when Uzzah touches the ark (2Sam 6:3,6-7). As Israelites, they should have known better.
The Philistines still reckon with the possibility that everything has happened by chance. Such a thing will not be the case with a true Christian. The Philistines want certainties. And God does according to their thinking and makes it clear that He is at work. Yet it has no effect on their relationship with Him.
By using milch cows to pull the cart, it is humanly unthinkable that the ark will safely leave the country. This is evident from the facts described. It concerns cows that
1. are not used to the yoke,
2. do not know the way to Beth-shemesh,
3. have none to guide them,
4. have the strong instinct of animals to return to their calves – hence their ‘lowing’ when they go – and
5. also have the instinct to go to their own stable.
Yet they go “the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh”. This proves that an invisible, strong hand leads them, the irresistible hand of their Creator. The natural motives are overcome by spiritual power.
“The cattle on a thousand hills” belong to God (Psa 50:10b). The animals do what He wants. A fish provides a coin when the Lord Jesus needs it (Mt 17:27). Similarly, a colt is ready to carry Him (Mk 11:2). He commands a fish to harbor Jonah for three days and three nights, and a worm to teach him a lesson (Jona 1:17; 2:10; 4:7). He uses a lion to kill a disobedient prophet and forbids this lion from devouring the prophet (1Kgs 13:24,28). He also shuts the lions’ mouths in the pit where Daniel is (Dan 6:22).
The lords of the cities, who wanted to rule the ark, can only follow the ark as subservient slaves. In that in which they have acted proudly, God has shown Himself as far beyond them. We can learn from the animals that are used by the lords of the city but are controlled by God.
Do we have so much spiritual insight that we are guided by God’s Spirit against our natural motives? It is God’s purpose to bring the ark back to His people. He still does this spiritually today by letting preach about the Lord Jesus, and for this He uses people who are guided by Him.
There may be little insight, but if there is dedication to Him, He will bring back the Lord Jesus to His people. Thus, God has always found people to make His Son the center of the church again. A revival means that His Son will once again be central to the hearts of His own. When the Lord Jesus is no longer central, dedication disappears.
13 - 15 The Ark Arrives in the Land
13 Now [the people of] Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see [it]. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stood there where there [was] a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the LORD.
The ark arrives in Beth-shemesh, a Levite city where the Kohathites live. It is precisely those Levites who are appointed by God to carry the ark (Num 3:29-31; Jos 21:10,16). There God brings the ark and not to Shiloh. God knows whom He can entrust the glory of His Son. When the ark arrives in Beth-shemesh, the inhabitants of the city, the Levites, are busy harvesting the wheat.
The Levites work here on the land. They are busy with the wheat. Wheat speaks of the result of the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Jn 12:24). This result consists of the believers, who are all who by faith in the Lord Jesus have received Him as their life. The Lord Jesus is the grain of wheat that fell into the earth and died. That is why a lot of fruit has come.
The ark comes where people are reaping the wheat harvest, where they are busy with the blessings God has given in the land. Something similar we see with Gideon (Jdg 6:11), with the shepherds who keep watch over the flock in the night of the Savior’s birth and to whom the good news is proclaimed (Lk 2:8-10), and with the disciples who are also busy in their daily work when the Lord calls them (Mt 4:18-22). The inhabitants of Beth-shemesh are happy to see the ark (cf. Jn 20:20). But did they really miss the ark and seek it, like David later (Psa 132:3-5)?
It is therefore undeserved grace when the presence of the LORD returns. Without having sought for it, without having fought for it, without having paid a ransom, the ark, the symbol of God’s presence, returned to them. They have never seen the ark, but from the description they know and its brilliance they must have known: this is the ark. So it will always be with faith.
The cows are sacrificed as burnt offering. They have been used to give the ark back into the hands of the people and are now sacrificed to God. The Levites have, in picture, offered the Lord Jesus to God as a burnt offering. They have also sacrificed sacrifices, which are peace offerings and speak of fellowship. This fellowship may be particularly experienced at the Lord’s Table as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
The wood of the car is split (cf. 1Kgs 19:21). The means that have been used to bring back the ark are also used to honor God. Now the wood serves to burn the sacrifices, so that they ascend to God as a sweet odor (Lev 1:7-9).
16 - 18 The Lords Return Home
16 When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day. 17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for 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 of fortified cities and of country villages. The large stone on which they set the ark of the LORD [is a witness] to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
The expressions of joy and the offering of the animals take place under the watchful eye of the Philistines. We can see in this the image that being together at the Lord’s Table and proclaiming His death is also watched by unbelievers. They have no part in it and turn away from it. They do not want to be part of it either. Their hearts have not changed, even though they have seen the clearest evidence of God’s work.
Once again, the guilt offering is mentioned and what it consists of and on whose behalf it is given. The compensation in the form of this guilt offering is the result of their human wisdom. It will also be a constant testimony of their recognition that God is there, and of their refusal to bow before Him despite such clear evidences.
19 The Holiness of the Ark
19 He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
There is an unexpected turn of events. Joy turns into mourning, for God’s judgment affects them. His people have looked into the ark, something that is strictly forbidden. Here we have the important principle that the more light someone or a community has about the things of God, the greater the judgment of God will be in case of a transgression. They know they are not allowed to look into the ark.
It may well be that the priests, the Levites, and the people in their enthusiasm have forgotten the holiness of God and have not thought of His precepts. But an understandable enthusiasm should never tempt us to consider the sacred as profane. God maintains His honor toward the Philistines in a way that suits them. Here He does so in the way that suits His people. He sanctifies Himself in those who approach Him (Lev 10:1,3,9).
20 - 21 The Ark Is Unwanted
20 The men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up to you.”
The people react in the same way as the Philistines. They also want to get rid of the ark now that they have come into contact with its holiness. Is it sometimes the case with us also? Does it also make us feel oppressive when we remember that we are in God’s presence continually and that He knows every thought, every word, and sees every action in our lives?