SCRIPTURE: 1 SAMUEL 6
THE ARK RETUREND TO ISRAEL (VS. 1-21)
The Ark of the Lord had been in Philistines territory for 7 months. The Philistines wanted to return it to Israel. They called the priests and the diviners on how to send it back. The priests told them to send a guilt offering – 5 gold tumors representing 5 towns – Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron, and two gold rats and get a new cart with 2 cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Put the Ark of the Lord on the cart in a chest beside it, put the gold objects. They did it and the Ark of the Lord traveled as far as Beth Shemesh and stopped beside a large rock. The people rejoiced upon seeing the ark and the Levites took down the Ark of the Lord. They offered burnt offering and made sacrifices to the Lord.
But God struck down to death 70 men of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Lord. The people mourned and sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim to take the Ark of the Lord. So the men of Kiriath Jearim came to take it to Abinadab’s house and Eleazar was to guard the Ark.
THOUGHTS:
The Lord had warned the Israelites not to look at the sacred sanctuary objects in the Most Holy Place or they die. Only the Levites were allowed to move the Ark but the people at Kiriath Jearim looked at it. They disregarded His warnings and commit the sin of disrespect and disobedience. So God killed them because overlooking their presumptuous sin would encourage the whole nation to ignore God.