I Samuel 6
Wednesday, 12th July 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
What is our relationship with God? Do we have an intimate relationship with God, or do we only come to God when we want something? So often our relationship with God is like walking in parallel lines with Him, we seem to be going in the same direction but there is no interaction. God wants to build an intimate relationship with us, but our orphan spirit rejects Him. We try to use our own strength to do everything, and we will be easily offended. We cannot see our weakness, and we will only grow self-pity when people don’t recognise us. Follow the Way of God is very easy, we will walk the way God walks, we just need to follow Him, He is leading us and guiding us.
V1-2 ‘Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”’ In the previous chapter, we know that the Ark of God was captured by the Philistines, but no matter where the Ark of God is, He is still the powerful God, He is still the ‘I Am Who I Am’ God. Do we see God as a powerful God? Even the Philistines recognised this.
V4-5 ‘Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.’
Philistines humbled themselves, they saw themselves as rats and tumours, they knew they were small in front of God. Do we see God’s mercy upon us? Ca we humble ourselves and see ourselves like a ‘rat’? What is our true-self? We are wearing a mask, we think God does not know and we think others don’t know, but God wants to set us free, to reveal our true self in front of God. Do not harden our heart, may God help us to release our ‘being’ within us, this is the beauty God created us to be. When we align with God with our spirit, we will be set free.
V13 ‘Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.’ The people of Beth Shemesh were happy to see the Ark of God, they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to God. They also let the Levites take down the ark. But God stuck them because they looked into the Art of God. The people of Beth Shemesh were weeping for the dead, but they didn’t repent before God and they didn’t uplift God’s Name. What is our attitude towards the Temple of God? When we come to the Temple of God, do we really know this is the holy place?
V20 ‘And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”’ We seem to have done a lot for God, but when we do it with the wrong attitude, then everything we do will be in vein. Do we know our own problems? When God struck down the fifty thousand and seventy people, did the people of Beth Shemesh realise their mistake? At the end of the day, they still used their own strength, they thought stand before God was a difficult thing to do. There is nothing impossible through God, do we really believe in this? Or do we see this as a burden?
When we pray in tongues, we can give everything to God, let God’s blessings come greatly upon us, take away all the stubbornness, so we can be without fear before Him. Let God’s love cover us completely.