Thursday, January 17, 2013

Week 19 Day 5 Growths and Rats

I Samuel 6-7

As you may remember, at the end of the last chapter, the Philistines were beginning to regret that they had "captured" the Ark of the Covenant.  The people were dealing with growths and deaths and terror. 

This went on for 7 months. 

7 long months.

Finally, the Philistines had had enough. 

They called for their priests and magicians and asked what on earth they could do.

The priests and magicians answered with a very long and complicated answer.

Basically, the Philistines needed to send the Ark back.  But they couldn't send it back empty.  They needed to add a penalty offering.

A penalty offering of five gold medals of the growths on their skin and five gold models of rats (to represent kings).

Um, yuck.

I am not sure why that was the suggested offering, but it was.

And even more, the Philistines did just that. Without question. 

In fact, they put it all on a cart with some cows attached and just let them go.

The cows found their way back to the Israelites, and the Ark was safely home once again.

Growths and rats and all.

Yuck.

The other thing that stood out to me in this passage was that while Samuel was a judge, the Lord was against the Philistines.

That says something about Samuel's dedication and faithfulness to God.

And God's dedication and faithfulness to Samuel.

Tomorrow's reading:  I Samuel 8

Reba

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