So these instructions were carried out. Two cows were hitched to the cart, and their newborn calves were shut up in a pen. Then the Ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors were placed on the cart. And sure enough, without veering off in other directions, the cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went. The Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they saw the Ark, they were overjoyed! The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the LORD as a burnt offering. Several men of the tribe of Levi lifted the Ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors from the cart and placed them on the large rock. Many sacrifices and burnt offerings were offered to the LORD that day by the people of Beth-shemesh. The five Philistine rulers watched all this and then returned to Ekron that same day. The five gold tumors sent by the Philistines as a guilt offering to the LORD were gifts from the rulers of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The five gold rats represented the five Philistine towns and their surrounding villages, which were controlled by the five rulers. The large rock at Beth-shemesh, where they set the Ark of the LORD, still stands in the field of Joshua as a witness to what happened there. But the LORD killed seventy men from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the LORD. And the people mourned greatly because of what the LORD had done. “Who is able to stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?” So they sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jearim and told them, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of the LORD. Come here and get it!”
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Compare All Versions: 1 Samuel 6:10-21
3 Days
The plan hopes to highlight God’s heart for the down-trodden, underprivileged, victims of abuse and discrimination. The study hopes to challenge people to stop dignifying discrimination and to recognize attitudes and practices that are oppressive and contribute towards restoring people’s God-given dignity.
6 Days
There’s plenty of discussion about whether a person is a natural-born leader, made that way by experience, or some combination of both. In these readings, we look at ordinary people in the Bible became God’s leaders. We also look at how God may be calling you today and how to respond, especially in light of our capabilities, limitations and environment.
7 Days
This week, we will explore the book of 1 Samuel, engaging the transition of Israel from the age of judges to the age of kings. We will spend two days with each of the main characters—Samuel, Saul, and David—seeing both things to emulate and things to avoid as men of God.
12 Days
You have a race to run. It’s more than a competition or sporting event, it’s a race with eternal implications - a sprint to destiny. If you are feeling burdened or intimidated by obstacles on the journey to your destiny, this 12-day reading plan from Christine Caine will remind you that you are unstoppable, you can't lose, because you are running with God in his divine relay.
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