Post by Woody Williams on Apr 18, 2017 6:50:31 GMT -5
Text for the Day -- II Samuel 6:1-15
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The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven
months. Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners
and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us what we
should send with it to its place." They said, "If you send away the
ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means
return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and will be
ransomed; will not his hand then turn from you?" And they said, "What
is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered,
"Five gold tumors and five gold mice, according to the number of the
lords of the Philistines; for the same plague was upon all of you and
upon your lords. So you must make images of your tumors and images of
your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel;
perhaps he will lighten his hand on you and your gods and your land.
Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh
hardened their hearts? After he had made fools of them, did they not
let the people go, and they departed? Now then, get ready a new cart
and two milch cows that have never borne a yoke, and yoke the cows to
the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. Take the ark of
the LORD and place it on the cart, and put in a box at its side the
figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering.
Then send it off, and let it go its way. And watch; if it goes up on
the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done
us this great harm; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his
hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance."
The men did so; they took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart,
and shut up their calves at home. They put the ark of the LORD on the
cart, and the box with the gold mice and the images of their tumors.
The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one
highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to
the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as
the border of Beth-shemesh.
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in
the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they went with
rejoicing to meet it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-
shemesh, and stopped there. A large stone was there; so they split up
the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the
LORD. The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was
beside it, in which were the gold objects, and set them upon the
large stone. Then the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings
and presented sacrifices on that day to the LORD.
Devotional
----------
King David wanted to make Jerusalem the religious center of Israel as
well as its political and cultural center. In order to do that he had
to bring the Ark of the Covenant to reside in Jerusalem. The Ark was
the symbol of God's presence living in their midst. David had
captured Jerusalem and it became known as the City of David, the
focal point for Israel. From this point on Jerusalem would play a
major role for the religious life of the world.
Prayer
------------------
Lord, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Amen
----------
The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven
months. Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners
and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us what we
should send with it to its place." They said, "If you send away the
ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means
return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and will be
ransomed; will not his hand then turn from you?" And they said, "What
is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?" They answered,
"Five gold tumors and five gold mice, according to the number of the
lords of the Philistines; for the same plague was upon all of you and
upon your lords. So you must make images of your tumors and images of
your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel;
perhaps he will lighten his hand on you and your gods and your land.
Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh
hardened their hearts? After he had made fools of them, did they not
let the people go, and they departed? Now then, get ready a new cart
and two milch cows that have never borne a yoke, and yoke the cows to
the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. Take the ark of
the LORD and place it on the cart, and put in a box at its side the
figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering.
Then send it off, and let it go its way. And watch; if it goes up on
the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done
us this great harm; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his
hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance."
The men did so; they took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart,
and shut up their calves at home. They put the ark of the LORD on the
cart, and the box with the gold mice and the images of their tumors.
The cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one
highway, lowing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to
the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as
the border of Beth-shemesh.
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in
the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they went with
rejoicing to meet it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-
shemesh, and stopped there. A large stone was there; so they split up
the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the
LORD. The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was
beside it, in which were the gold objects, and set them upon the
large stone. Then the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings
and presented sacrifices on that day to the LORD.
Devotional
----------
King David wanted to make Jerusalem the religious center of Israel as
well as its political and cultural center. In order to do that he had
to bring the Ark of the Covenant to reside in Jerusalem. The Ark was
the symbol of God's presence living in their midst. David had
captured Jerusalem and it became known as the City of David, the
focal point for Israel. From this point on Jerusalem would play a
major role for the religious life of the world.
Prayer
------------------
Lord, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Amen