This week we are shown some more of the heart of God.

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1 Reading #556 The return This week we are shown some more of the heart of God. As we read we should keep in mind that many today are being led to think that they are on the road to heaven because they profess to believe in Christ, while they reject the law of God which was in the ark. But they will find at last that they were on the way to perdition instead of heaven. Spiritual poison is sugar-coated with the false doctrine of instant sanctification, and administered to the people. Thousands eagerly swallow the story that they were saved at the cross and need do no more, feeling that if they are only honest in their belief they will be safe. But sincerity will not convert error to truth. A man may swallow poison, thinking it is food; but his sincerity will not save him from the effects of the dose. We all need to find the truth for ourselves, and not rely on the words of another. Now back to our story of God s earthly throne: 1 And 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, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? Tell us wherewith [how] we shall send it to His place. 3 And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return Him a trespass offering: then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you. 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. 5 Wherefore you shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: peradventure He will lighten His hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. In the law of ceremonies of the Hebrews, there were three offerings which could be made for a TRESPASS sin, depending on the ability of the trespasser to pay, financially (or spiritually). They were; [1] a female goat (which was also the normal sin offering), or a female lamb, plus the burnt offering which always accompanied a sin offering. (Leviticus 5:6.) 1

2 [2] If he could not afford such animals then he could bring two turtledoves (or pigeons), one of which would be for the trespass sin and the other for the burnt offering of renewed consecration. (Verse 7.) Finally, [3] if he was so poor (or spiritually ignorant of the death of the Son of God) that he could not supply either of those two, then he could present a small amount of plain flour, from which the officiating priest would burn a handful on the altar, and keep the rest which he would cook and eat later, thus transferring the guilt to himself. (Verses ) One who understood the deeper things of the law, wrote in the New Testament, And ALMOST all things [sins] are by the law purged with [animal] blood [there was one exception]; and [yet] without shedding of [the Son of God s] blood [there] is no remission. Hebrews 9:22. There are those who do not know about the sacrifice of God s Son, but any attempt to make amends for a sin will be accepted by Him and classed as a flour sin offering. This offer by the Philistines was one of those. It still requires the REAL sacrifice of course, to be effective, and that was supplied in the background by His death, for ALL rituals are only types of the reality. It was His death in the Garden of Eden (Revelation 13:8) which supplied the power to make animal blood effective, and this same death made the flour effective also. Note: God cannot die as we do, but He uses the experience He had in humanity to show us what it is like for Him to be separated from Life. This was explained to the Jews who became Christians. For the law [of ceremonies] having [only] a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year [on the Day of Atonement]. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats [or any other animals] should take away sins. Hebrews 10:1-4. However, if the TRESPASS sin was one of ignorance in the holy things of the LORD (which the sinner should have known about) then a ram, plus a monetary fine assessed by the priest, and 20% penalty of the value of the trespass were required for forgiveness. (Verse ) These various offerings were asked for to show that God sees different degrees in sin, and requires differences in repentance from different levels of society, i.e. the 2

3 priest, the whole congregation, the ruler, and the common folk. (See Leviticus 4:1-35.) These differences, although expressed in earthly terms, show us that the Son of God suffers different levels of pain to atone for them! These are the degrees: (1) sins of ignorance, Leviticus 4:1-2; (2) sins he/she SHOULD have known about, Leviticus 5:1-10; (3) sins he/she COULD have known about, Leviticus 5:15-19; and finally, (4) wilful and deliberate sins, Leviticus 6:1-7. (We must always remember that there is NO sin which cannot be forgiven. Matthew 12:31.) For instance, if the trespass was against a fellowman, restitution of the principal to him was required with a 20% added value for the inconvenience, then a ram and a fine for God. (Leviticus 6:4-7.) Jesus knew the law too; He told us, Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has ought against you; leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5: It seems that the wise men and priests of the Philistines knew all about those kinds of offerings (for they are also written in some men s hearts, Romans 2:14), and now they suggested that the God of the Hebrews would accept such from them. (All false religions are based on the true, for Satan cannot create or think of anything new.) However, under the guidance of the Spirit they even suggested a few additions to the ritual to impress their Pagan followers! However, making the offerings of gold was really one of Satan s spins, in that he wants to persuade men that God (and His ministers) are greedy for money, when all He wants is our hearts! Earthly wise men are a mixture of good and bad advice! These wise men acknowledged a mysterious power accompanying the ark a power which they had no wisdom to meet. Yet they did not counsel the people to turn from their idolatry to serve the LORD. They still hated the God of Israel, though compelled by overwhelming judgments to submit to His authority. Thus sinners may be convinced by the judgments of God that it is in vain to contend against Him. They may be compelled to submit to His power, while at heart they rebel against His control. Such submission cannot save the sinner. The heart must be yielded to God must be subdued by divine grace before man's repentance can be accepted. We are told, The 3

4 LORD is near to them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18. Fearing to retain the ark among their homes, the people had placed it in an open field. Satan then sent a plague of mice, which infested the land, destroying the products of the soil, both in the storehouse and in the field. Utter destruction, by disease or famine, now threatened the nation. Altogether the ark remained for seven months in the land of the Philistines, and during all this time the Israelites made no effort for its recovery. Because some Philistines hesitated, they were asked: 6 Wherefore then do you 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? Frightened to keep it, frightened to return it, they didn t know what to do. When urged to return it with an offering, some were not in favour. It was too humiliating to do this, and they argued that no one of the Philistines would dare venture his life to carry the ark of the God of Israel which had brought such death upon them. Now the wisdom of God was needed for its return. So the Spirit s instructions through their wise men were: 7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine [calf-feeding cows], on which there has come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 8 and take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you return Him for a trespass offering, in a coffer [box] by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 9 And see, if it goes up by the way of His own coast to Bethshemesh, then He has 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. 10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 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. 12 And the kine [cows] took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went [calling for their calves], and 4

5 turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Bethshemesh. The Philistines knew that the cows would not be induced to leave their young calves at home, unless they should be urged so to do by some unseen power. Amazingly to them, the cows went direct to Beth-shemesh, calling for their calves, yet going away from them without stopping. The leaders of the Philistines followed after the ark, to the border of Beth-shemesh, for they dared not trust that sacred chest wholly to the cows. They feared if any evil happened to it that greater calamities would come upon them. They didn t know that angels of God were accompanying the ark, and guiding the cows in their course to where it belonged. 13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley [it was spring time]: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave [chopped] the wood of the cart, and offered the kine [as] a burnt offering [of consecration] to the LORD. 15 And the Levites [among them] 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 Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the LORD. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. Some of the people of Beth-shemesh were in the field, and when they saw the ark of God upon the cart, drawn by the cows, they rejoiced, for they knew that it was the work of God. Under the direction of the angels the cows drew the cart containing the ark to a large stone, and then stood still. The local Levites took down the ark of the LORD, for that was their job (Exodus 25:14), and then they offered the cart and the cows which had borne the sacred ark to God as a burnt-sacrifice. 17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18 and the [five] golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both 5

6 of fenced cities, and of country villages, even to the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite. But now came another problem for the LORD: 19 And He smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even He smote of the people fifty thousand and seventy men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. This situation is different because these were His people and knew more. In a parable, Christ told us this. And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12: The ark was normally hidden in the second apartment of the sanctuary, with only the high priest allowed to approach it under the strictest of conditions, and that only on one day of the year. Why? And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to Aaron your brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the Mercy Seat [the lid of the ark], which is upon the ark; THAT HE DIE NOT: for I will appear in the cloud upon the Mercy Seat. Leviticus 16:2. The second room is sometimes called the MOST holy place because holy means dangerous. Not because of a whim of God, but because of an earthly fact: where God is, there is Life in abundance, like high voltage electricity. People needed to be wary of holy things and places because of the danger. We are told that when the ark needed to be moved in their travels the priests took down the curtain which concealed it, and laid it over the box without looking at it. The poles attached to it were left sticking out and by these it was picked up and carried on the shoulders of the Levites. Exodus 25:14. Therefore, for the common people of Israel, who would have known this, to be overcome by curiosity and approach the ark was foolish in the extreme. 6

7 To actually lift the lid and look inside was a death sentence. (It was OK for the Philistines to handle it because they were like little children who did not know any better, and the LORD could protect them in their ignorance. There is no record of the Philistines ever treating the ark with anything but the respect due to a god/idol.) The Israelites were all aware of the restrictions, and deliberately ignored them, therefore they were responsible for the result! But it was their attitude of mind which killed them, not the box. Consider the number of them that died far more than would have been able to actually look in the ark. There was nothing special about the ark it was just a gold-plated box which contained the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone. But it represented the throne of God and needed to be treated with respect. (It is rather like the angels with the flaming sword which appeared at the gate of the Garden of Eden to warn men not to attempt to enter.) Just how this works at Beth-shemesh I don t know for sure, but I tend to believe that the LORD Himself had actually come to the place to rejoice with His angels, and the people were intruding into His presence, uninvited, which was like entering a million volt force field without any protection. We are not told in the story, but the Spirit must have pleaded with them not to do this. How do I know? Because the same thing happened to two squads of Hebrew soldiers who came to take Elijah by force to the king. He pleaded with them not to come near him because he was conversing with the Son of God, but was ignored. The record says that Elijah told the leader of the first group, If I be a man of God [and you believe it], then let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty soldiers [it s dangerous to come near me with that attitude]. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty [when they attempted to mount the hill]. 2 Kings 1:10. Then it happened a second time. The third officer realised what it was all about and stayed at the bottom of the hill pleading with Elijah to protect them and please come with them! Such a request Elijah could honour and after the LORD left he went with them. It could be read that Elijah did this with God s power, except that Jesus told His disciples who wanted to do a similar thing to some Samaritans, that they didn t realise what spirit they were following! And when His disciples James and John saw this [His rejection], they said, LORD, will You that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did? But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, You know not what 7

8 manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. Luke 9: There are two spirits in this world one which destroys and one which saves. We reap the results of whichever one we follow! It is written, And Elijah came to all the people [at Mount Carmel], and said, How long halt [hesitate] you between two opinions? If the LORD be God [the Saviour], follow Him: but if Baal [the destroyer], then follow him. And the people answered him not a word [for they couldn t tell the difference!] 1 Kings 18:21. Question: Why didn t the Son of God simply leave the ark (or Elijah) and in this way save the people? Doing this would not have changed their attitude, and would have simply delayed the inevitable. But He would have done so if this could have been of use, for He is righteous and humble, but it obviously would not have worked in these cases. Indeed, many more died than actually looked, and they didn t die immediately otherwise the people would have stopped looking quickly. But all the folk of Bethshemesh were now too frightened to keep the ark: 20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall He go up from us? [Where can we send Him? Meaning, How can we control our Creator?] 21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come you down, and fetch it up to you. Why Kirjath-jearim? Because living there was a special Levite named Abinadab who was believed to be close to God. They thought that he could handle it, and he did. Bye for now, RonP In this reading the old-fashioned words of the KJV have been modernised, and in some instances, the man-made punctuation has been altered for greater understanding. Some of the comments are adapted from books in my library. No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly. All the ideas expressed in these readings, right or wrong, are my own Some of these readings are available at Past books will be available from time to time. 8