The Capture And Return Of The Ark

Lesson 074
The Capture And Return Of The Ark
1 Samuel 4:1-7:2
MEMORY VERSE
1 S AMUEL 6:20
“And the men of Beth Shemesh said, ‘Who is able to stand before
this holy LORD God?’”
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Gather and bring to class several items that will illustrate “half;”
half of a plastic cup, one shoe, half a pair of sunglasses, half of a
dollar, half of a theater ticket, half a phone, Walkman with one
battery. You will also need 4 containers, water, a Styrofoam cup
and half of a Styrofoam cup (top half missing).
Black, red, yellow and blue construction paper, scissors, glue sticks,
small glass jars, water, food coloring and as many “Palette”
templates as the number of children in you class.
As many “Stained Glass” templates as the number of children in
your class, crayons, cooking spray, a cardboard box, paper towels
and plastic bags (optional: clear contact paper).
ATTENTION GRABBER!
Half-Hearted Relay
Gather and bring to class several items to hold up and show to the
kids; half of a plastic cup, one shoe, half a pair of sunglasses, half of
a dollar, half of a theater ticket, half a phone, a walkman portable
tape player with one battery. Ask the children if any of these
things will work the right way as they are? (No). What needs to
happen in order for them to work right? (You need the rest of the
item).
Explain that we can’t serve the Lord half way.
Next, have a half-hearted relay. Divide the class into two teams.
Set up four containers. On one side of the room, have two
containers with equal amounts of water. Not far away, have the
two empty containers. Each team member gets 10 seconds to move
water from a full container to an empty one. Give one team a
Styrofoam cup to transfer the water between containers. Give the
other team a Styrofoam cup that has the top half cut off, not
allowing it to carry as much water. Then tell the teams that
whichever team gets the most water into the empty container,
wins. To make things fair, you can switch cups and play a second
time.
Ask the children about the game. (This is a demonstration of what
it is like when we serve the Lord in a half-hearted way.)
Why
couldn’t the team with the half-cup fill up the water as fast? How
does this illustrate how we are when our commitment to the Lord
is “half-hearted?” God wants us to love Him with all of o u r
heart, soul, and strength.
LESSON TIME!
NOTE TO TEACHERS: This section of scripture is very long. You
will want to review the chapters and decide how to best present the
material to your children. You could possibly have the children
act out certain portions. Do not feel like you have to present
everything. As you pray this week, ask the Lord for one or two
areas to emphasize as you work within the general theme of how
God wants us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, a n d
strength. God bless you in your ministry to the children!
A nation, and a people, cannot serve God and worship idols. A halfhearted commitment to serve God will not work. Israel, in such a
state, brought much sorrow and defeat upon themselves. As we
look at our lesson today, let us remember God wants us to l o v e
Him with all of our heart, soul, and strength.
1 S AM U E L 4 : 1 - 1 1
An d t h e w o r d o f S a m u e l c a m e t o a l l I s r a e l . N o w I s r a e l
w e n t o u t t o bat t l e agai n s t t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s , an d
enc am p ed
be s i d e Ebe n e z e r ; an d
the
Ph i l i s t i n e s
e n c a m p e d i n Ap h e k .
T h e n t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s p u t t h e m s e l v e s i n bat t l e ar r ay
a g a i n s t I s r a e l . An d w h e n t h e y j o i n e d b a t t l e , I s r a e l
w as d e f e at e d by t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s , w h o k i l l e d abo u t
f ou r t hou sand m en of t he arm y in t he f ield .
An d w h e n t h e p e o p l e h a d c o m e i n t o t h e c a m p , t h e
el d er s o f Is r ael s ai d , "Wh y h as t h e LOR D d ef eat ed u s
t o d ay be f o r e t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s ? Le t u s br i n g t h e ar k o f
t he c ov enant of t he LOR D f rom S hiloh t o u s, t hat
w hen it c om es am ong u s it m ay sav e u s f rom t he
hand of ou r enem ies."
S o t h e p eo p l e s en t t o S h i l o h , t h at t h ey m i gh t br i n g
f rom t here t he ark of t he c ov enant of t he LOR D of
h o s t s , w h o d w e l l s b e t w e e n t h e c h e r u b i m . An d t h e t w o
s o n s o f El i , Ho p h n i an d Ph i n e h as , w e r e t h e r e w i t h t h e
ark of t he c ov enant of God .
An d w h e n t h e a r k o f t h e c o v e n a n t o f t h e L O R D c a m e
int o t he c am p , all Israel shou t ed so lou d ly t hat t he
eart h shook .
N o w w h e n t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s h e ar d t h e n o i s e o f t h e
s h o u t , t h ey s ai d , "Wh at d o es t h e s o u n d o f t h i s gr eat
s h ou t i n t h e c am p of t h e Hebr ew s m ean ?" T h en t h ey
u nd erst ood t hat t he ark of t he LOR D had c om e int o
t he c am p .
S o t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s w e r e af r ai d , f o r t h e y s ai d , " G o d
h a s c o m e i n t o t h e c a m p !" An d t h e y s a i d , " W o e t o u s !
For s u c h a t h i n g h as n ev er h ap p en ed bef or e.
"Wo e t o u s ! Wh o w i l l d el i v er u s f r o m t h e h an d o f
t h es e m i gh t y go d s ? T h es e ar e t h e go d s w h o s t r u c k
t h e Egy p t i an s w i t h al l t h e p l agu e s i n t h e w i l d e r n e s s .
"Be st rong and c ond u c t you rselv es lik e m en, you
Ph i l i s t i n e s , t h at y o u d o n o t be c o m e s e r v an t s o f t h e
Hebr ew s , as
they
h av e been
to
you.
Conduct
y o u r s e l v e s l i k e m e n , a n d f i g h t !"
S o t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s f o u gh t , an d I s r ae l w as d e f e at e d ,
and ev ery m an f led t o his t ent . There w as a v ery
gr eat s l au gh t er , an d t h er e f el l o f Is r ael t h i r t y
t hou sand f oot sold iers.
Al s o t h e a r k o f G o d w a s c a p t u r e d ; a n d t h e t w o s o n s
o f El i , Ho p h n i an d Ph i n e h as , d i e d .
God had a plan for Israel. They were to be a light, a representative
of God to other nations, so that they might learn and know His
ways. Yet, Israel had fallen into sin and had become like the
nations around them. Instead of pointing the way to the true God,
they began to worship the false gods of the other nations and
commit the same sins. They had lost their witness of God and
ability to make an impact in the lives of others.
For this, God brought judgment on them through a war with the
Philistines. By Samuel’s time, these warlike people were well
established in the southwest part of Canaan and were constantly
moving inland against the Israelites.
Instead of turning to God out of a heart of humility and
repentance, the leaders of Israel came up with a plan. They knew
how powerful God was, but they did not understand much about
having a relationship with Him. They decided that they would
“use” God for their purposes. They thought that if they just
brought out the Ark of the Covenant, a special box in the Holy of
Holies in the tabernacle in which the presence of God dwelt; they
would defeat the Philistines on the battle field, for God’s power
would be with them.
Though God’s Word said that the High Priest could only enter the
Holy of Holies (a sacred part of the Tabernacle) once a year, Hophni
and Phinehas, Eli’s sons, did not care about God’s Word. Thinking
the ark was some sort of “lucky charm” to be used as their source
of power while at battle, they unlawfully entered into the Holy of
Holies and removed the ark.
The Philistines were frightened by their recollection of stories from
the past of how God intervened for Israel when they left Egypt, and
rightly so. But, Israel had turned away from God and now only
held onto a form of godliness. And as a result, the Philistines
slaughtered Israel in battle. Hophi and Phinehas were also killed as
was prophesied by God to Samuel (1 Samuel 2:34).
It is very easy for us to live on the memories of God’s blessings.
Israel wrongly assumed that since God had given them victory in
the past, He would do it again, even though they had strayed far
from Him.
The Israelites memorized scripture, even the scriptures that talk
about loving God with all of their heart, soul, and strength
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9), yet they walked in disobedience. Spiritual
victories come through continually renewing our relationship with
God. We should never live in the past; God desires that we live
each new day with a renewed passion to serve and obey Him. G o d
wants us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and
strength.
1 S AM U E L 4 : 1 2 - 2 2
T h en a m an of Ben j am i n r an f r om t h e bat t l e l i n e t h e
sam e d ay, and c am e t o S hiloh w it h his c lot hes t orn
and d irt on his head .
N o w w h e n h e c am e , t h e r e w as El i , s i t t i n g o n a s e at by
t h e w ay s i d e w at c h i n g, f o r h i s h ear t t r em bl ed f o r t h e
a r k o f G o d . An d w h e n t h e m a n c a m e i n t o t h e c i t y a n d
t old it , all t he c it y c ried ou t .
Wh e n El i h e ar d t h e n o i s e o f t h e o u t c r y , h e s ai d ,
" W h a t d o e s t h e s o u n d o f t h i s t u m u l t m e a n ? " An d t h e
m an c am e qu i c k l y an d t o l d El i .
El i w as n i n e t y -e i gh t y e ar s o l d , an d h i s e y e s w e r e s o
d im t hat he c ou ld not see.
T h e n t h e m an s ai d t o El i , " I am h e w h o c am e f r o m
t h e b a t t l e . An d I f l e d t o d a y f r o m t h e b a t t l e l i n e . "
An d h e s a i d , " W h a t h a p p e n e d , m y s o n ? "
S o t h e m es s en ger an s w er ed an d s ai d , "Is r ael h as f l ed
be f o r e t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s , an d t h e r e h as be e n a gr e at
s l a u g h t e r a m o n g t h e p e o p l e . Al s o y o u r t w o s o n s ,
Ho p h n i an d Ph i n e h as , ar e d e ad ; an d t h e ar k o f G o d
h as been c ap t u r ed ."
Then it hap p ened , w hen he m ad e m ent ion of t he ark
o f G o d , t h at El i f e l l o f f t h e s e at bac k w ar d by t h e s i d e
o f t h e gat e; an d h i s n ec k w as br o k en an d h e d i ed , f o r
t h e m a n w a s o l d a n d h e a v y . An d h e h a d j u d g e d I s r a e l
f ort y years.
N o w h i s d au gh t e r -i n -l aw , Ph i n e h as ' w i f e , w as w i t h
c h i l d , d u e t o be d el i v er ed ; an d w h en s h e h ear d t h e
new s t hat t he ark of God w as c ap t u red , and t hat her
f at h er -i n -l aw an d h er h u s ban d w er e d ead , s h e bow ed
h er s el f an d gav e bi r t h , f o r h er l abo r p ai n s c am e
upon her.
An d a b o u t t h e t i m e o f h e r d e a t h t h e w o m e n w h o
s t ood by h er s ai d t o h er , "D o n ot f ear , f or you h av e
bor n e a s on ." Bu t s h e d i d n ot an s w er , n or d i d s h e
r egar d i t .
T h en s h e n am ed t h e c h i l d Ic h abo d , s ay i n g, "T h e
g l o r y h a s d e p a r t e d f r o m I s r a e l !" b e c a u s e t h e a r k o f
G od h ad been c ap t u r ed an d bec au s e of h er f at h er -i n l aw an d h er h u s ban d .
An d s h e s a i d , " T h e g l o r y h a s d e p a r t e d f r o m I s r a e l ,
f or t h e ar k of G od h as been c ap t u r ed ."
At this time, the city of Shiloh was the religious center of Israel and
where the tabernacle was permanently set up. Shiloh was the
natural place for a messenger to come and deliver the sad news
from the battle, and it was there that Eli eagerly awaited some news
of the battle.
Since the presence of the ark represented the presence of God in
Israel, its capture seemed like God’s presence was gone and God
Himself and all His glory were now in enemy hands. The pagan
nations believed that they could capture their enemies’ god and
keep it as a conquest. News of the ark’s capture sunk the heart of
those in Shiloh.
Eli knew that God’s judgment was coming upon his family because
of his and his son’s disobedience. Eli was very concerned about the
ark. When he heard the news, he was so overcome with emotion
that he fell back on his chair and died. Eli’s daughter-in-law
suffered the same fate while delivering a son.
What a blessing it is to have a God who is longsuffering, patient,
and kind. We know that His loving kindness is far reaching, leading
us to repentance when we recognize our sin and call to Him for
forgiveness (Romans 2:4). Sometimes, however, people live in a
sinful condition with an attitude of pride, only to stretch God’s
patience with their sin as did Israel. Then God is forced to
discipline and correct.
Palettes
Let kids draw a palette from the pattern provided on black
construction paper and cut out. Cut out 3 circles ahead of time for
each child. Use the three primary colors: red, yellow, & blue.
These should be about 3” in diameter. On one color write “Heart,”
on another “Soul,” and on the last “Strength.” Have kids glue or
tape to the palette. These are the three primary colors and all
colors can be made from them. Explain to the children that in
order to be obedient to the Lord we need to have the 3 primary
ingredients: Loving God with all of our heart, soul, and strength.
To demonstrate further, you could bring small glass jars and food
coloring. Let kids choose which colors they would like you to mix
for a demonstration. Ask what would happen if one or two of the
primary colors were missing from our world. When we love God in
all three areas, we are balanced; and He can use us for many
different purposes.
1 S AM U E L 5
T h e n t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s t o o k t h e ar k o f G o d an d br o u gh t
i t f r o m E b e n e z e r t o As h d o d .
Wh e n t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s t o o k t h e ar k o f G o d , t h e y
br o u gh t i t i n t o t h e t em p l e o f D ago n an d s et i t by
D ago n .
An d w h e n t h e p e o p l e o f As h d o d a r o s e e a r l y i n t h e
m o r n i n g, t h er e w as D ago n , f al l en o n i t s f ac e t o t h e
ear t h bef o r e t h e ar k o f t h e LOR D . S o t h ey t o o k D ago n
an d s et i t i n i t s p l ac e agai n .
An d w h e n t h e y a r o s e e a r l y t h e n e x t m o r n i n g , t h e r e
w as D ago n , f al l en o n i t s f ac e t o t h e gr o u n d bef o r e
t h e ar k o f t h e LOR D . T h e h ead o f D ago n an d bo t h t h e
p al m s of i t s h an d s w er e br ok en of f on t h e t h r es h ol d ;
o n l y D ago n 's t o r s o w as l ef t o f i t .
T h er ef o r e n ei t h er t h e p r i es t s o f D ago n n o r an y w h o
c o m e i n t o D ago n 's h o u s e t r ead o n t h e t h r es h o l d o f
D a g o n i n As h d o d t o t h i s d a y .
Bu t t he hand of t he LOR D w as heav y on t he p eop le of
As h d o d , a n d H e r a v a g e d t h e m a n d s t r u c k t h e m w i t h
t u m o r s , b o t h As h d o d a n d i t s t e r r i t o r y .
An d w h e n t h e m e n o f As h d o d s a w h o w i t w a s , t h e y
said , "The ark of t he God of Israel m u st not rem ain
w i t h u s , f o r Hi s h an d i s h ar s h t o w ar d u s an d D ago n
o u r go d ."
T h er ef o r e t h ey s en t an d gat h er ed t o t h em s el v es al l
t h e l o r d s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s , an d s ai d , " Wh at s h al l w e
d o w i t h t h e a r k o f t h e G o d o f I s r a e l ? " An d t h e y
an s w er ed , "Let t h e ar k of t h e G od of Is r ael be c ar r i ed
aw ay t o Gat h." S o t hey c arried t he ark of t he God of
Israel aw ay.
S o it w as, af t er t hey had c arried it aw ay, t hat t he
h an d o f t h e LOR D w as agai n s t t h e c i t y w i t h a v er y
gr eat d es t r u c t i o n ; an d He s t r u c k t h e m en o f t h e c i t y ,
bo t h s m al l an d gr eat , an d t u m o r s br o k e o u t o n t h em .
T h e r e f o r e t h e y s e n t t h e ar k o f G o d t o Ek r o n . S o i t
w as , as t h e ar k o f G o d c am e t o Ek r o n , t h at t h e
Ek r o n i t e s c r i e d o u t , s ay i n g, " T h e y h av e br o u gh t t h e
ark of t he God of Israel t o u s, t o k ill u s and ou r
p e o p l e !"
S o t h ey s en t an d gat h er ed t o get h er al l t h e l o r d s o f
t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s , an d s ai d , " S e n d aw ay t h e ar k o f t h e
G o d o f Is r ael , an d l et i t go bac k t o i t s o w n p l ac e, s o
t hat it d oes not k ill u s and ou r p eop le." For t here
w as a d ead l y d es t r u c t i o n t h r o u gh o u t al l t h e c i t y ; t h e
hand of God w as v ery heav y t here.
An d t h e m e n w h o d i d n o t d i e w e r e s t r i c k e n w i t h t h e
t u m ors, and t he c ry of t he c it y w ent u p t o heav en.
The victorious march of the Philistines led to Ashdod where their
idol Dagon stood in the temple. Now that the ark of God was
captured, they could complete their humiliation of Israel by
putting the ark in a position of submission before Dagon their god.
Like other heathen nations, capturing your enemies’ god was a
great victory, especially a God that provided great blessings for
such a country as Israel.
But could you imagine waking up the next morning and
discovering that your god had just fallen face first into the ground?
Dagon had done just that, but the people returned the statue to its
place. Isn’t it funny that the people had to pick up their god after
he fell down? Not a very powerful god, is he? Then again the next
morning Dagon is found on the ground face down before the ark of
the Lord, with its head and hands broken off. Embarrassed by this,
the Philistines would not walk on the threshold of the temple of
Dagon.
Although the Philistines had just witnessed God’s power over their
idol Dagon, they did not take heed to Him until they were afflicted
with a terrible plague of tumors. They had thought that God was
defeated because they had beaten Israel and captured the ark.
They soon learned that no one defeats God as their so-called
victory turned sour, for God began to destroy them with the
plague.
Those who did not die were smitten with tumors and the cries of
the people went up to heaven. The Philistines finally paid
attention to God, fearing for their lives. What a tragedy it is when
people do not simply respond to God, but must experience
personal pain. Unfortunately for the Philistines, their pride was
their fall.
1 S AM U E L 6 : 1 - 1 6
N ow t he ark of t he LOR D w as in t he c ou nt ry of t he
Ph i l i s t i n e s s e v e n m o n t h s .
An d t h e P h i l i s t i n e s c a l l e d f o r t h e p r i e s t s a n d t h e
d i v i n er s , s ay i n g, "Wh at s h al l w e d o w i t h t h e ar k o f
the LOR D ? Tell u s how w e shou ld send it to its
p lac e."
S o t hey said , "If you send aw ay t he ark of t he God of
Is r ael , d o n ot s en d i t em p t y; bu t by al l m ean s r et u r n
i t t o Hi m w i t h a t r es p as s o f f er i n g. T h en y o u w i l l be
h eal ed , an d i t w i l l be k n ow n t o you w h y Hi s h an d i s
not rem ov ed f rom you ."
T h en t h ey s ai d , "Wh at i s t h e t r es p as s o f f er i n g w h i c h
w e s h al l r et u r n t o Hi m ?" T h ey an s w er ed , "Fi v e go l d en
t u m o r s an d f i v e go l d en r at s , ac c o r d i n g t o t h e
n u m be r o f t h e l o r d s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s . Fo r t h e s am e
p l agu e w as o n al l o f y o u an d o n y o u r l o r d s .
"T h er ef o r e y o u s h al l m ak e i m ages o f y o u r t u m o r s
an d i m ages o f y o u r r at s t h at r av age t h e l an d , an d
y o u s h al l gi v e gl o r y t o t h e G o d o f Is r ael ; p er h ap s He
w i l l l i gh t en Hi s h an d f r o m y o u , f r o m y o u r go d s , an d
f rom you r land .
"Wh y t h en d o y o u h ar d en y o u r h ear t s as t h e
Egy p t i an s an d Ph ar ao h h ar d e n e d t h e i r h e ar t s ? Wh e n
He d i d m i gh t y t h i n gs am o n g t h em , d i d t h ey n o t l et
t h e p eo p l e go , t h at t h ey m i gh t d ep ar t ?
"N ow t heref ore, m ak e a new c art , t ak e t w o m ilk c ow s
w h i c h h av e n ev er been yok ed , an d h i t c h t h e c ow s t o
t he c art ; and t ak e t heir c alv es hom e, aw ay f rom
them .
"Then t ak e t he ark of t he LOR D and set it on t he c art ;
an d p u t t h e ar t i c l es o f go l d w h i c h y o u ar e r et u r n i n g
t o Hi m as a t r es p as s of f er i n g i n a c h es t by i t s s i d e.
T h en s en d i t aw ay , an d l et i t go .
" An d w a t c h : i f i t g o e s u p t h e r o a d t o i t s o w n
t errit ory, t o Bet h S hem esh, t hen He has d one u s t his
gr eat ev i l . Bu t i f n o t , t h en w e s h al l k n o w t h at i t i s
n ot Hi s h an d t h at s t r u c k u s ; i t h ap p en ed t o u s by
c hanc e."
Then t he m en d id so; t hey t ook t w o m ilk c ow s and
hit c hed t hem t o t he c art , and shu t u p t heir c alv es at
hom e.
An d t h e y s e t t h e a r k o f t h e L O R D o n t h e c a r t , a n d t h e
c h es t w i t h t h e go l d r at s an d t h e i m ages o f t h ei r
tum ors.
T h en t h e c o w s h ead ed s t r ai gh t f o r t h e r o ad t o Bet h
S h em es h , an d w en t al o n g t h e h i gh w ay , l o w i n g as t h ey
w en t , an d d i d n o t t u r n as i d e t o t h e r i gh t h an d o r t h e
l e f t . An d t h e l o r d s o f t h e P h i l i s t i n e s w e n t a f t e r t h e m
t o t h e bor d er of Bet h S h em es h .
N ow t he p eop le of Bet h S hem esh w ere reap ing t heir
w heat harv est in t he v alley; and t hey lif t ed t heir
eyes and saw t he ark , and rej oic ed t o see it .
Then t he c art c am e int o t he f ield of J oshu a of Bet h
S h em es h , an d s t o o d t h er e; a l ar ge s t o n e w as t h er e. S o
t hey sp lit t he w ood of t he c art and of f ered t he c ow s
as a bu r n t of f er i n g t o t h e LOR D .
The Lev it es t ook d ow n t he ark of t he LOR D and t he
c hest t hat w as w it h it , in w hic h w ere t he art ic les of
go l d , an d p u t t h em o n t h e l ar ge s t o n e. T h en t h e m en
o f Bet h S h em es h o f f er ed bu r n t o f f er i n gs an d m ad e
sac rif ic es t he sam e d ay t o t he LOR D .
S o w h e n t h e f i v e l o r d s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s h ad s e e n i t ,
t h e y r e t u r n e d t o Ek r o n t h e s am e d ay .
The Philistines knew that the God of Israel was greater than all
gods. After seven months, they had endured enough tragedy and
called upon the priests and diviners for advice on how to get relief.
They decided to give the ark back along with some token gifts, not
out of worship, but in order to remove the plague.
The Philistines came up with their own way of acknowledging God
rather than giving themselves to serve Him in the way that He
requires.
The Philistine priest and diviners came up with a way to see if God
was the cause of their troubles. They used two cows who had just
had calves, hitched them up to a cart and sent it towards Israel’s
border carrying the ark. If God was the cause, the ark would head
towards Israel. For a cow to leave her calves, she would have to go
against her motherly instincts. Only God, who has the power,
could cause this to happen. Without turning to the right or the
left, they went into Israel’s territory, again revealing God’s power to
the Philistines.
The Israelites at Beth-Shemesh were so overjoyed to see the ark
that they offered a sacrifice of the cows to the Lord. The burnt
offering represented the renewing of their relationship with God.
The men of Beth-Shemesh had great reason to celebrate--their ark
was returned. God’s great mercy was revealed, forcing their
enemies to return the glory of Israel in the ark. Rededicating their
lives to God, they demonstrated their willingness to start over with
Him as their leader.
1 S AM U E L 6 : 1 7 - 7 : 2
T h e s e ar e t h e go l d e n t u m o r s w h i c h t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s
ret u rned as a t resp ass of f ering t o t he LOR D : one f or
As h d o d , o n e f o r G a z a , o n e f o r As h k e l o n , o n e f o r
G at h , o n e f o r Ek r o n ;
an d t h e go l d en r at s , ac c o r d i n g t o t h e n u m ber o f al l
t h e c i t i e s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s be l o n gi n g t o t h e f i v e
l o r d s , bo t h f o r t i f i ed c i t i es an d c o u n t r y v i l l ages , ev en
a s f a r a s t h e l a r g e s t o n e o f Ab e l o n w h i c h t h e y s e t
t he ark of t he LOR D , w hic h st one rem ains t o t his d ay
in the field of Joshua of Beth S hem esh.
T h en He s t r u c k t h e m en of Bet h S h em es h , bec au s e
t hey had look ed int o t he ark of t he LOR D . He st ru c k
f if t y t hou sand and sev ent y m en of t he p eop le, and
t h e p eop l e l am en t ed bec au s e t h e LOR D h ad s t r u c k
t h e p eo p l e w i t h a gr eat s l au gh t er .
An d t h e m e n o f B e t h S h e m e s h s a i d , " W h o i s a b l e t o
s t a n d b e f o r e t h i s h o l y L O R D G o d ? An d t o w h o m s h a l l
i t go u p f r o m u s ?"
S o t h ey s en t m es s en ger s t o t h e i n h abi t an t s o f Ki r j at h
J e ar i m , s ay i n g, " T h e Ph i l i s t i n e s h av e br o u gh t bac k
t he ark of t he LOR D ; c om e d ow n and t ak e it u p w it h
you ."
Th en t h e m en of Ki rj at h J eari m c am e an d t ook t h e
ar k o f t h e LOR D , an d br o u gh t i t i n t o t h e h o u s e o f
Ab i n a d a b o n t h e h i l l , a n d c o n s e c r a t e d E l e a z a r h i s s o n
t o k eep t he ark of t he LOR D .
S o i t w as t h at t h e ark rem ai n ed i n Ki rj at h J eari m a
l o n g t i m e ; i t w a s t h e r e t w e n t y y e a r s . An d a l l t h e
hou se of Israel lam ent ed af t er t he LOR D .
Unfortunately, though the people of rejoiced at the return of the
ark, they were careless and violated God’s law (Numbers 4:20) by
opening it and looking inside. Only Levites could handle the ark;
the people of Beth-Shemesh chose to take matters into their own
hands. Their deliberate violation of the clear will of God brought
judgment and many died.
God did not want the people to disregard His laws and come into
His presence lightly. The hearts of the people of Israel were filled
with idolatry, and the cycle of disrespect, disobedience, and defeat
could start all over again. Overlooking their sin would only lead
them into overlooking God.
The people were eager for the men of Kiriath-jearim to come and
take the ark. (After the battle of the Philistines, Shiloh had
probably been captured and destroyed (4:1-18), and as a result, it is
never mentioned again in the historical books of the Old
Testament.) The ark was put away in Kiriath-jearim, and the
people avoided it.
Though the people felt sorrow for their
condition, they refused to act, change, and walk in obedience.
Samuel, now a grown man, would address the people of Israel
encouraging them to return to the Lord with all their heart,
challenging the people to prove their loyalty to Him and abandon
their idols (7:3-4). This challenge is just what Israel needed.
God desires that we fully commit our life in obedience to Him. The
Lord alone is worthy of our love and worship. He is worthy of first
place in our heart. God wants us to love Him with all of o u r
heart, soul, and strength.
Stained Glass Window
Use the enclosed “Stained Glass” template with scripture verse.
Have the children color the worksheet with dark colors as solid as
possible. Place paper in a cardboard box. Then spray finished
sheet on the back with no-stick cooking spray. Roll in a paper
towel and put in a plastic bag to be sent home. Should become
translucent and may be taped to glass of a window. (Writing on
worksheet will be backwards. Use 16 pound white paper if
possible, 20 pound does work though.)
As an option if you do not want to use cooking spray, you can just
have the children color the page and put contact paper on both
sides so that it will appear to be laminated. Then they can also tape
it to a window.
PRAYER
Lead the children in a prayer of commitment to love the Lord with
all of their heart, soul, and strength, and to obey Him in everything.
If there are any children who have not yet responded to the Gospel,
give them opportunity.
Template - Stained Glass
Template - Palette