NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN - 1 Samuel 6
I. INTRODUCTION: We have all heard the old cliché, “The more things change the more they stay the same.” The preacher of Ecclesiastes says it this way: “There is nothing new under the sun.” These two statements apply to this chapter that we are going to study today, only they apply in reverse. The events of this chapter took place some where around 1050 B.C. or nearly 3100 years ago. But the truth is, the things that take place in this chapter have continued to take place throughout the centuries and they are taking place today in some of our families, and we have really seen them taking place in our nation in recent years. Let me explain.
II. THE STORY:
A. Background.
1. In chapter 4 the Philistines capture the ark of God which was a symbol of the presence of God.
2. In chapter 5 they take it to Ashdod and set it next to their pagan god Dagon, apparently as a trophy or tribute to Dagon.
3. Early the next morning the Philistines find Dagon lying face down before the ark of God.
4. They don’t recognize the obvious message and they set Dagon back in its place.
5. The next morning they find that Dagon has fallen again but this time his head and the palms of his hands have been cut off on the threshold.
6. Instead of recognizing the obvious and bowing down to God, the Philistines continue to show how steeped in paganism they are by making the threshold a sacred object on which they can’t step.
7. Because of their stubbornness, paganism, and refusal to acknowledge God, God’s hand is heavy on the Ashdodites and He ravages them with tumors.
8. The Ashdodites conclude that they have to get rid of the ark of God and after consulting with the lords they send the ark of God to Gath.
9. After the ark arrives in Gath the hand of the Lord was heavy against that city and their men, young and old, are stricken with tumors.
10. They send the ark to Ekron.
11. The people of Ekron are afraid and they tell the lords of the Philistines to “Send the ark away. Let it go back to its place so that it might not kill us.”
B. Chapter 6:
1. In verse 1 we are told that the ark of the Lord had been in the country of the Philistines for 7 months.
2. The Philistines all for the priests and diviners and ask, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? How do we send it to its place?”
3. The pagan priests tell them to send the ark away with a guilt offering so that the plague will be stopped.
4. The people send a guilt offering that consists of 5 golden tumors and 5 golden mice, hoping that perhaps God would ease His hand against them, their gods, and their land.
5. In vs. 7 the people are instructed to build a new cart and to get two milch cows, on which there has never been a yoke, send their calves home, and have the milch cows pull the cart.
6. In vs. 8 they are instructed to place the ark of the Lord on the cart and to put the articles of gold in a box by the ark’s side.
7. They were to then send the cart away, drawn by the milch cows, and watch.
8. If the cart went by the way of Beth-shemesh, then it was God who had struck them.
9. If not, then they would know that all that happened to them was simply a matter of chance.
10. Vs. 10-12: Then the men did so, and took two milch cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 And 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.
11. When the people of Beth-shemesh see the ark they are glad.
12. The people split the cart for wood and the take the cows and offering up a burnt offering sacrifice to the Lord.
13. The 5 lords of the Philistines saw what was happening and they return home.
14. Vs. 19-21: And 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. 20 And 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."
III. HOW DOES, “THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN” AND THIS STORY APPLY TO US TODAY?
A. The Philistines want to get rid of God!
6:2 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."
1. The ark was the symbol of the presence of God.
a. They knew that they were dealing with God because they recognized that His hand was heavy on them.
b. If you don’t want to change your sinful ways; if you don’t want to repent and obey God, what do you do?
c. If you don’t want to be reminded of he consequences and condemnation of your sin, what do you do?
d. You get rid of God.
2. That is the same thing we see happening today.
a. No prayer in schools; can’t say the pledge of allegiance
b. Can’t display the 10 Commandments on public grounds.
c. Attempts to remove “In God We Trust” from currency.
d. Can’t put Bibles or any forms of religious materials in county hospitals.
3. This same thing is happening in families.
a. Dad wants to indulge in some wrongful activities.
b. Mom and dad want to drink and go to the clubs.
c. They would rather play golf or go fishing on Sundays; or buy lottery tickets.
d. If you don’t want to give those things up, if you don’t want to condemn yourself, the thing to do is remove the One who convicts you of your sin; just get rid of God.
e. We do that by staying away from the assemblies on church, refusing to attend Bible class, and by making sure God is not a part of what we do at home.
B. God will not stay where He is not wanted.
1. They wanted Him out and He left by way of the cart and milch cows.
2. We need to remember: When He leaves everything He promises and offers leaves too; salvation, forgiveness of sin; heaven.
3. Morality, a sense of right and wrong, and ethics are usually not far behind.
4. Is that what we want for our children?
C. God means what He says; vs. 19.
1. Fifty thousand and seventy men are struck down when they “look into the ark.”
a. They knew better.
b. The inhabitants of Beth-shemesh were Levites; they knew how the ark was to be cared for.
c. In Exodus 19 the people were told that God would not be reduced to a common object or a matter of curiosity to be gazed upon.
d. But because of their lack of respect, reverence, and because of their disobedience they were struck down.
2. The same is true for us today.
a. God is Sovereign; He is Lord, not man.
b. He will not be reduced to a common object; He will be treated with the reverence He deserves.
c. If we rebel and refuse to do that, then we too will be struck down.
CONCLUSION: Today’s “Philistines” are trying to get rid of God. Our task is to make sure that doesn’t happen because when He leaves so does all He promises and offers. We must show the society around us that God is Sovereign Lord and we must teach them that it is a dangerous thing to refuse to obey Him.