You're a Christian now. You believe in truth. You don't believe in truth because it's going to bring you a better life. You believe in truth because it's true. Joel had written earlier, so I restore.
To you, the years that the swarming locusts have eaten, the gnawing locusts, the chewing locusts, I restore it. We say by faith, amen. And then Jesus says this to us. You know in this world You're gonna have a lot of trouble. Keep your motivation up.
Because I've overcome the world. You're listening to Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 1 Samuel. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
And now here's Pastor Rick in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 6 as he continues his message: Discovery and Recovery. Numbers chapter 19 Again we read, Speak to the children of Israel. that they bring you a red heifer without blemish in which There is no defect. and on which a yoke has never come.
So they may have modeled even this part about getting the Two milk cows, though a heifer has not had. cows but they model the part that she's n they've never pulled a cart.
So I'm just saying that The Philistines likely We were referencing their religious scholars' Jewish materials to find out how to appease Yahweh. Instead of just getting that thing out of there, could you imagine?
So you got a bomb in your car and said, Well, let's figure out, should we pour milk on it? Or, you know, how about you just run away or get away from that thing? I don't know, maybe you get better ideas. Verse 8. Then take the Ark of Yahweh.
Well, let me pause here. I wouldn't pick a reading on this chapter on normally. If you said if you Pick a few chapters out of the Bible that you wouldn't read. These two would be in there. But anyway, they are still very instructive.
Then take the ark of Yahweh and set it on the cart, and put the articles of gold which you are returning to him as a trespass offering in a chest by its Side. Then send it away and let it go. You should have just done that initially. I know I've said that, but it's kind of frustrating. It's like a kabuki theater.
It's a bunch of guys with masks acting weird. Yeah, I know you had a hard day. You want to get through the sermon, go home, eat, and go to sleep. Not yet. Verse 9.
And watch, if it goes up the road to its own territory to Beth Shemesh, then he has done us a great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it's not his hand that struck us, it happened to us by chance. And so they said, you know, they get the chest next to the ark, they put it on a cart. They have these cows, milk cows, taken from their calves, and they're going to pull a cart. They've never done this before, so they're inexperienced.
And so they're creating this condition here. And they're saying, well, if it heads to Beth Shemesh, which is Israel's territory in the northern part of Judah, Then it is God that has afflicted us. But if it doesn't, if it just turns around and goes, you know, back to our land, then we're just victims of. bad circumstances. And so this is sort of how they are going to deduce what's going on here.
Now Beth Shemesh is a uh An ironic, not ironic. From the line of Aaron Iranic and a Levitical city at the same time. That's very significant. And that is also another miraculous act of God. There were three Beth Shemesh cities In Israel, One in Nephtali, one in Ishkar, and one in Judah.
Well, the one in Judah was a city given to the priests and the Levites.
Well, The priests were the only ones that could handle the ark according to the law of God. In fact, The Levites, who were supposed one group, one division of the Levites, were to carry the ark of the god with the poles the ark of god with the poles the sons of Kohath. And They both are in this city. The Levites were not to Look inside the ark, they weren't to touch it, they weren't even to look at the ark. The priest was supposed to cover it.
Well, evidently, that's not the case here.
So there have to be some exceptions. or else people would be s be dropping dead looking at the ark. But it is an act of God that He's sending His ark to those who are supposed to be skilled and authorized. in handling This Chest of the Lord. We know this from Joshua 21, incidentally, where the Bethshemesh is this city for priests and Levites.
So, verse 10 now, then the men did so. They took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart. and shut up their calves at home. Oh, this would keep the Calves from following the Mommy cows. And distracting them, they separate them.
It will also cause the cows to low for their calves, and we'll get that in a minute. Verse 11. And they set the ark of Yahweh on the cart. And the chest with the gold rats In the images of the tumors.
Now, my pastor would like to make a point when he would come to this verse. He would say, That The work of the Lord is not to be carried on carts. And carts are made out of boards and big wheels. And it's a very important lesson. It's one that I I don't think I've ever lost sight of.
The church is the work of the church is not done by church boards and important people. The work of the church is done by the Holy Spirit. through those who are appointed by the Holy Spirit to do his work. And they're no more important than anybody else in the church, though they may be more accountable with things of the church. They are no more important than And so that is just a good lesson because, unfortunately, there are many churches that are run by boards and big wheels.
you know, church governing boards and people who the other people have deemed to be more important than others. And I think that this is just a good illustration of how it should not be because the ark does not belong on a cart. And it's going to cost lives. Verse 12. Then the cows headed straight.
for the road to Beth Shemesh and went along the highway, lowing as they went. and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. I'm reading this with a smirk because there's so much humor in here, but I'm just gonna leave it alone because I'm probably the only one that thinks it's humorist, and you might think it was an attempt at humor.
Well, this confirms that Yahweh afflicted the Philistines. It went. The road to Beth Shemesh, the lowing in protest of being separated from their calves, again attesting to the realistic part of the story and the presence of God, both at the same time. The fact that they were never yoked and seemed to be cooperating with each other is another indication that this is remarkable. Verse thirteen, Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvests in the valley, and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark and rejoice to see it.
So Here we are again at this City of priests and Levites. They're working in the fields. It's the wheat harvest that makes it sometime around May. The fact that it is harvested and they're working in the fields also means there's many witnesses to see this happening. The Jews know they lost the Ark of the Covenant.
Life went on. And lifted up their eyes, saw the ark of the coming, and they rejoiced to see it. Understandably, verse 14: Then the ark came into the field of Joshua of Bathsheemesh. and stood there. A large stone was there.
So they split the wood of the cart, and the and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh.
Well, that big rock is mentioned evidently because it provides an ideal altar to sacrifice to butchered animals. And The Cals, you know, they didn't sign on for this. Yeah. But they just get there and they stop. And that is because God ordered them to stop.
So they split the wood, the cart.
Some say, you know, the burnt offering should have been a male. Uh animal Not the females, and that may have been in violation of the law. Just a thought to throw out there, but there are liberties that they are taking because they really don't have much of a choice. Verse 15. The Levites took down the ark of Yahweh and the chests.
That was with it. in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Bethshemesh Offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to Yahweh. And so these are Levites and priests, they know about the offerings, they're authorized to give them. Shiloh has probably been destroyed when they lost the ark, and it is no longer going to be part of the Jewish center of worship.
The ark will end up in Kirajath Jerim at the end of the chapter, where it will be until David. takes it to Jerusalem. It will be there a very long time. Verse 16.
So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned As a trespass offering to Yahweh, one for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron, verse 18, and the golden rats. Yeah. I don't know why the New King James opted to go with rats and the old goes with mice and some of the other translations. I would have preferred mice.
They certainly are more welcome than rats. But uh anyway, you got a rat, you got a problem.
Okay. Golden rats, verse 18, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords. They're both fortified cities. and country villages even as far as the large stone of a bell, on which they set the ark of Yahweh. Which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, which is not relevant to us, but was relevant to them.
Because in those days there were those that would have a hard time being a believer, also. That's why there was so much idolatry. And so, when the writers put together scripture, they put things in there like that to encourage them to believe. Verse 19, Then he struck the men of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter.
So they went beyond what they were supposed to. As Levites and priests, they were allowed to do the sacrifices, they were allowed to take the ark off the cart. This won't be the last time the Jews make this kind of mistake. With Uzzah in the days of David and bringing it to Jerusalem, they will put it on a cart. and Uzza will be struck dead.
I believe Uzza will be in heaven. But he was instantly dealt with for that sin because it was a clear instruction of. those who were to handle the ark, Here, then he struck the men of Beth Shemesh because they looked in. Curiosity killed the Levites. Curiosity Has a serial killer he killed a cat after this?
He struck 50,070 men.
Well, scholars argue that this number can't be right. Not enough people in such a village as Beth Shemesh, This would have wiped out all the men or all maybe even all the people. But Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, incidentally. Before we get into a little bit of this, Men reject the Bible because the Bible contradicts them. what they want to do.
So, these numerical discrepancies that pop up from time to time in the historical books, mostly. They're really not something to be concerned with. Numerical errors do not alter any doctrinal teaching. at all. And there is Certainly A logical explanation for them is that the Jewish n right numbers are just really unclear.
when you write them down. But Jameson, Fawcett, and Brown is a collection of. Com Bible commentators. and is pretty good from time to time. He has a nice explanation.
He says, uh Really, it should be 50 out of 100 being a total of 1400. Instead of God decimating. The entire village. According to Josephus, it was 70 out of 1,400. If you want to play with the numbers, have at it.
But it's really not something to be concerned with. Or if some others just simply take the number as it is and say, no, he struck 50,000 because it says it was a great slaughter. And these things we have to pause on from time to time because nowadays everybody's got to study the Bible, and you may look it up, and you may read what the Commentator says, and many times they're right, and sometimes there are other commentators that have gotten it better. Don't be shocked by that. Just build your library, expand your library, and spend all day trying to chase these things down.
Verse 20. And the men of Bathsheimer said, Who is able to stand before? This holy Yahweh God. And to whom shall it go? Up from us.
Uh this is your ark. Why would you want to get rid of it? This is what your calling is, but they had moved so far away from their identity, they had become just farmers. And they just live for themselves now. And the fact that they were Levites and priests.
was not primary anymore. What was primary is this great slaughter came because of them. On a similar note, Paul trying to get, remember, the church was modeled after the synagogues. And when the Gentiles were coming into the church, They brought with them all sorts of craziness. The synagogues had their own problems, but to bring in the Gentile problems compounded everything, and Paul really worked so hard.
to stabilize early Christianity. You read the book of Acts, you see how the church was born.
So exciting. But then after that The church began to have to fight for her life to this day. And that's why we have the precepts known as the epistles. And Paul writes to Timothy, and he says, This is an important thing. And it's found in the Old Testament.
Almost everything he taught was already spoken. Same with Jesus. Jesus just. Put into fresh language so many lessons he had already given in the Old Testament.
So Ecclesiastes 5 matches First Timothy 3:15. Ecclesiastes 5. And 1 Timothy. 315. He says, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God.
Which is the church? of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth. Do you know a lot of Christians don't know how they're supposed to behave in church? They think the church is supposed to conform or it's a problem. When you finally get a church that is strong enough.
to live this, then you've really made it an accomplishment. But to get to this place is a lot of work, a lot of pain and heartache. But this is how you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God.
Well, I should just take Ecclesiastes. Yeah. Yeah. Briefly. Walk prudently when you go to the house of God, and draw near to hear, rather than to give sacrifice of fools, for they do not know the evil that they do.
Do not be rash with your mouth. And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth, therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by his many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed.
Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. And so they're addressing the presence of the Lord along with the assembly.
Solomon in Ecclesiastes says, watch yourself. And that's what Paul says. We have to learn these things. And here in Beth Shemesh, they were supposed to know how to conduct themselves. They were supposed to know what their business was, but it had failed in the land.
How is it going to come back? How is any of this going to be recovered? God's going to raise up someone. His name is Samuel. Samuel will come rushing to the front, and he will begin to fix it.
And then Saul We'll mess everything up. Saul will be so busy chasing one harmless person that he forgets about all of Israel's enemies who end up killing him. And then David really gets the people into worshiping the Lord. like never before in her history. Verse twenty one So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirijath Jerim, saying, The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh.
Come down and take it up with you.
So they did not want the responsibility, they passed it off. And again, Kirijath Jerim remains its resting place until David brings it in to Jerusalem. And how does David bring this ark in? Speaking of heart recovery, The first time, you know, Uzza dies. And David was devastated.
And the ark was kept elsewhere, and the man's house to whom it belonged was greatly blessed. And David heard that. He said, Why are you going to bring this ark back? And he brings it and he dances with all of his might. He's dancing before the ark.
And everybody is saying. watching him This is the king. And this is how you worship. This is how you serve, and this is how you express passion, and it doesn't need to be getting out of control. And there's one naysayer that is pointed out by the Holy Spirit, and that would be Michelle.
King made such a fool of himself, dancing before the maidens. It was not her place to say that. Why wasn't she leading the women like Miriam? Miriam grabbed a tambourine and said, I will celebrate. You know, the army of the Egyptians wiped out dead on the shore, and she grabs a tambourine.
And so they kept naming the girls Mary. Mary is a derivative of Miriam. The excitement of these things, we're not supposed to lose them.
So we read this story, we can see these desperate village people coming and saying, We want the ark out of here. And we're supposed to read that and say. I hope I would not have been one of them. And If anything, I would have wanted to be dancing along with David, though not in front of the ark, but behind it. If the king is doing it, then I could do it.
Zeal for your house has consumed me. What is zeal?
Well we lose this word, this morale. It's to be motivated. When your morale is knocked down, which the enemy spends a lot of time trying to do. You get less done. Do you know in the f In the Second World War, when Germany blitzed France, It just blew right past her defenses that she spent so much time getting ready.
The German troops were on a form of methamphetamine. These guys were fighting for days without sleep. And the thing that comes out of this is many of those troops, They didn't want another war, they had been in the first one, they lost it, their morale was low.
So the Nazis Juice them up. And they were all highly motivated at that, like seven times more motivated. And and the the French could not believe how fast they were blitzed. The Blitzkrieg Lightning War.
Well, God's people have to look at something like that and say, well, You know, we understand the motivation. We'll need the methamphetamine. We don't need the outside influence. We want the Spirit of God. And so, if you've been a Christian for a long time, okay, so you're younger Christians, you've really not been on the battlefield yet, most of you.
From time to time you come across young people, they have suffered a lot. But you really haven't been tested. Your faith. It's going to be tested, it's a promise. and you are supposed to come through it.
And then after time, your faith gets tested so much that your morale gets low, and then you just may be going through the steps.
Well, it's good that you keep going through the motions, but it's not enough. You can't stay there. You've got to keep the morale high. You've got to have zeal. And when you feel it slipping, you gotta fight for it.
Force yourself to sing. Force yourself to read. You've got to force yourself. Because it ain't going to come naturally. And don't be surprised at these things.
You get old, you get lonely. It gets higher, whatever it is. You still have to? Apply yourself. Be zealous for the things of God.
In the face of apparent defeat, you know that you are not defeated. You know that Christ is saying it counts. When I see you suffering, Going in circles. Feeling like I have forsaken you. And yet, you still get into the fight.
I see that. And I am going. to not forget it. for all eternity.
So it does count. When David, King David, had gone off to battle. And zig lag. and he left behind the women and children of his men that were running off from Saul for years. While they were away, their people were Taken.
I believe it was minionites, or Malachites or Malachites and Yeah, one of 'em. Yeah. That's not the important part. The important part is when David came back and him and his men found everything gone. At first his men talked about killing him.
The Bible tells us David strengthened himself in the Lord. Instead of dealing with the men, he went to the Lord and he got strong. And they went and they found an Amalekite in the field and they interrogated him and they found the. Those who had stolen their women and children and their goods, and we read this in 1 Samuel chapter 30, and nothing of theirs was lacking. Either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them, David recovered all.
So it's about discovering That God rules his sovereignty. and that he recovers. And get to the New Testament. This says this about Paul: that he was strengthening the souls of the disciples. exhorting them to continue in the faith.
and saying we must go through many tribulations. to enter the kingdom of God. Comes with it. That's what he's telling them. You're Christian now.
You believe in truth. You don't believe in truth because it's going to bring you a better life. You believe in truth because it's true. And Joel had written earlier, so I restore. To you, the years that the swarming locusts have eaten, the gnawing locusts, the chewing locusts, I restore it.
We say by faith, Amen. And then Jesus says this to us. You know in this world You're gonna have a lot of trouble. Keep your motivation up. Because I've overcome the world.
In the world, you will have much tribulation, but be of good courage because I have overcome the world. The only way you can get that is by faith. Without faith, it's impossible to please God and to really be effective. Uh Thanks for joining us for today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio. This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia.
Currently, Pastor Rick is in the book of 1 Samuel. If you'd like to listen again to this or other messages or share it with someone you know, please visit crossreferenceradio.com. Here, you can also listen to interviews with Pastor Rick to learn more about his life and ministry. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never miss another edition. All you have to do is find us on your favorite podcast app.
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