Post by Woody Williams on Aug 21, 2007 6:45:45 GMT -5
Text for the Day -- I Samuel 6:1-9
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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."
Devotional
----------
The Philistines came to realize they could not contain nor control
the power of God working against them through the Ark of the
Covenant. It would be their destruction. They asked the leaders of
Israel to tell them how they could escape the judgment falling on
them. They were instructed to return the Ark and make a guilt
offering to God for atonement. They did this and the judgment was
withdrawn. What lesson do you see in this?
Prayer
-----------------
Give me respect for those things you make holy, gracious God. 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."
Devotional
----------
The Philistines came to realize they could not contain nor control
the power of God working against them through the Ark of the
Covenant. It would be their destruction. They asked the leaders of
Israel to tell them how they could escape the judgment falling on
them. They were instructed to return the Ark and make a guilt
offering to God for atonement. They did this and the judgment was
withdrawn. What lesson do you see in this?
Prayer
-----------------
Give me respect for those things you make holy, gracious God. Amen