1 Samuel 6:20-7:920And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you. 1And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. 2And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. 5And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. 6And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. 7And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him. (1 Samuel 6:20‑7:9).
After so many had been slain for looking into the ark of God, the people said, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall He go up from us?” They then sent the ark up to Kirjath-jearim. Sometimes when God speaks loudly, as He did here at Beth-shemesh, people, even Christians, are afraid, and instead of turning to the Lord in humiliation under His mighty hand, they give up the path of nearness to Him. They would rather walk at a distance from the Lord than be exercised as to why He speaks. Like Job, they choose iniquity rather than affliction (Job 36:2121Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction. (Job 36:21)), but although this may seem like the easiest path at the time, it is not the path of.the Lord’s blessing. The Lord said to Israel, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Amos 3:22You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. (Amos 3:2). Judgment always begins at the house of God, but when it does fall upon the ungodly and sinner, how terrible it will be (1 Peter 4:17, 1817For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1 Peter 4:17‑18)). Let us not chooSe their company now to escape His dealing hand, for God must deal with His own. If we try to run away from His hand, we soon find, as Jacob did, and Jonah too, that He will follow us and bring us back, perhaps in a harder way than the one we tried to escape.
The ark of God remained in Kirjath-jearim for twenty long years, for so it is when we take a false step; we do not get back as quickly as we got away. Indeed, laxity in spiritual things grows upon us, and God often has to shake us up in some way, before we become exercised about our waywardness. So it was here, for the Philistines came up to fight against. Israel before they became exercised about their neglect of the ark. Samuel then called the people together, and told them that if they would put away their false gods, and seek the Lord only, He would deliver them from their enemies. This they did, and all came together at Mizpeh where Samuel poured water before the Lord, while the people fasted and acknowledged their sin. The water poured out was to show how helpless they were, for when water is spilled on the ground, no man can gather it up again (2 Sam. 14:1414For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. (2 Samuel 14:14)). It is always a good thing when we acknowledge our helplessness, admitting that we cannot do anything of ourselves. The Lord Jesus said, “Without Me, ye can do nothing.” John 15:55I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5).
As soon as the Philistines heard that the Israelites were gathered together before the Lord at Mizpeh, they went up to fight against them. This made the Israelites afraid. Whenever the Lord begins to work in the hearts of His wayward people, the enemy gets busy to hinder the restoration, and sometimes our poor hearts are overcome by fear of the enemy, as Israel here.
They asked Samuel to pray for them, and so Samuel, in communion with the mind of the Lord, took a sucking lamb and offered it wholly to the Lord. First he had acknowledged their helplessness by pouring out the water before the Lord, and now this sucking lamb would show their dependence on Him, and confidence that He would help. A baby lamb would be entirely dependent on its mother for its very life, and so the Lord delights to have us acknowledge our helplessness, dependence, and confidence in Him when difficulties arise. He then comes in on our behalf to diver us, as He did here with Israel.
ML 05/23/1954