1 Samuel 6:19 – “Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD…and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.”
The nation of Israel at the beginning of 1 Samuel was in a state of upheaval, chaos, uncertainty, loss and defeat. Philistines, archenemies of the Israelites, had successfully defeated Israel and stolen the Ark of the Covenant. Israel’s priests and spiritual leaders, Eli and his two sons, had just perished because the sons were corrupt and Eli did not restrain them (1 Samuel 3:13; 4:11,18). The people of Israel demonstrated half-hearted allegiance because they worshipped Jehovah God, but they also were worshipping the gods of Canaan (1 Sam. 7:3). It was not a good time for Israel.
While the ark of the covenant (symbolic of God’s presence, 1 Samuel 4:4) was in the possession of the Philistines for seven months (1 Sam. 6:1), God wreaked havoc upon them until they were so afraid that they sent the ark of God back to Israel.
Imagine the joy that the people of Beth Shemesh must have felt when they saw the Ark of the Covenant coming into their village (1 Samuel 6:13). They worshipped God and offered sacrifices to Him (1 Samuel 6:14-15). “We must be within God’s favor again,” they most likely thought.
Stop there for a moment and contemplate the history and significance behind this golden box carried with poles and covered with two golden cherubim. It was built during the days of Moses (some 500 years before this point) while the Israelites were in the wilderness just after the Egyptian bondage. The importance of this ark to the nation of Israel, both religiously and historically, cannot be overstated.
What was in this Ark of the Covenant, this shiny golden box?
3 things (Heb. 9:4-5):
- The 10 commandments on stone tablets engraved miraculously by the very finger of God (Exodus 34:1).
- A pot of manna, the miracle food from heaven which sustained God’s people in the wilderness for 40 years (Exodus 16:33-34).
- Aaron’s rod, which budded as a miraculous sign from God that he and his sons were called to be priests (Numbers 17:10).
Wouldn’t you want to look into this amazing piece of religious history? Wouldn’t you want to see just a glimpse of things that God’s own finger wrote? What would it be like to touch something that was held by Moses or Aaron? How could you resist the urge not to take a peek? It is right there before you, all you have to do is lift the cover and see. What’s the harm? What’s the big deal? Why would God possibly care? Is it so wrong to know what manna looks like?
Well, we know what happened if we read the text. Samuel recorded that the people of Beth Shemesh took the mercy seat off and looked into the ark, and for that another disaster happened in Israel. Even though the actual number who died here is debated by scholars, we know that the Scripture says that a “great slaughter” occurred because of this sin.
What are we to learn from this?
- Some things are off-limits. God, like a loving parent, sometimes says, “Don’t touch!” Uzzah learned a fatal lesson about this very principle (see 2 Samuel 6). There is a reason why Paul said, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Cor. 7:1). The sexual relationship was limited by God to the blessing and commitment of marriage. Within marriage, it is a wonderful and honorable relationship, but outside of marriage, God says, “Don’t touch!” (Hebrews 13:4). Some thoughts are off limits (2 Cor. 10:5). Some relationships are off limits (1 Cor. 15:33). Some words are off limits (Matt. 12:36-37). Some doctrine is off limits (2 John 9). Some behavior has a big “Do Not Enter” sign painted on it by God. Just because it is available and accessible doesn’t make it right. Just because you have access on your cable package, or just because Google will take you there, doesn’t mean you should. Don’t touch! Don’t look! Don’t go there! Flee!
- There are things that belong only to God. God has given us all good things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17), but we must “render” to God the things that are His (Matt. 22:21). Certain knowledge belongs only to Him and we must be content with that fact (Deut. 29:29; Rev. 10:4). Besides, could we even handle the truth if God revealed all of it to us (Psalm 139:6; Job 42:3)? God had a very good reason why He restricted access to the Ark of the Covenant – it symbolized the very presence of God (1 Sam. 4:4), and without the blood of Christ, we are not allowed to go there (Heb. 10:19-20).
- My desire to know and to experience must be grounded by a reverence for keeping God’s commands. Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in full admission that he tried to experience everything life had to offer, but he did it without recognition that fearing God and “keeping His commandments” are the things that truly matter (Eccl. 12:13-14. We as humans hate not knowing something. Americans, like Greeks, pride ourselves in the “experience.” In fact, some Christians are found taking pride in their worldly wisdom and street knowledge, and that pride is made clear as they mock other Christians who are striving for innocence and purity. We must become content within the will of God, assuring ourselves through Scripture that God prizes purity, holiness and innocence (Matthew 5:8; Hebrews 12:14). It’s okay to be innocent. It is just fine not to know certain things (Rev. 2:24), because pleasing God and having intimacy with Him should temper my inquiring mind (Ephesians 5:3,11).
“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
Aaron Kemple