1 Samuel 6:20

_AND THE MEN OF BETH-SHE'MESH SAID, WHO IS ABLE TO STAND BEFORE THIS HOLY LORD GOD? AND TO WHOM SHALL HE GO UP FROM US?_ No JFB commentary on this verse....

19-21 It is a great affront to God, for vain men to pry into, and meddle with the secret things which belong not to them, Deuteronomy 29:29; Colossians 2:18. Man was ruined by desiring forbidden knowledge. God will not suffer his ark to be profaned. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Those that will not fear his goodness, and reverently use the tokens of his grace, shall be made to feel his justice. The number smitten is expressed in an unusual manner in the original, and it is probable that it means 1170. They desire to be rid of the ark. Foolish men run from one extreme to the other. They should rather have asked, How may we have peace with God, and recover his favor? Micah 6:6;...

Verse 1 Samuel 6:20. _WHO IS ABLE TO STAND_] Why this exclamation? They knew that God had forbidden any to touch his ark but the priests and Levites; but they endeavoured to throw that blame on God, as a Being _hard to be pleased_, which belonged solely to themselves....

EXPOSITION RESTORATION OF THE ARK TO THE ISRAELITES (1 Samuel 6:1). 1 SAMUEL 6:1, 1 SAMUEL 6:2 THE ARK OF JEHOVAH WAS IN THE COUNTRY—literally, the field, _i.e._ the territory—OF THE PHILISTINES SEVEN MONTHS, during which long time the people wherever the ark was deposited were afflicted in their persons with a most painful malady. The princes determined, therefore, to restore it to Israel, and convened THE PRIESTS AND THE DIVINERS, that they might advise them as to the manner i

AND THE MEN OF BETHSHEMESH SAID, WHO IS ABLE TO STAND BEFORE THIS HOLY LORD GOD?.... The Targum is, "before the ark of this holy Lord God;'' which is said either by way of complaint of the severity of God, and the strictness of his justice; or in reverence of his holiness, acknowledging their imperfection, sin, and guilt, by reason of which they could not stand before him; nor can any, but on account of the mercy seat over the ark, or through Christ, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice: AND TO WHOM SHALL HE GO UP FROM US? that is, the ark, the symbol of God's presence, which they seem to be desirous of parting with; being unworthy of it, and conscious of their impurity in comparison of God that dwelt in it; and of their weakness to give the honour and reverence that was due unto it; and yet they knew not who were fit for it, or would choose to receive it, because of the danger the...

CHAPTER S 6:1-7:2 _ 1. The counsel of the Philistines (1 Samuel 6:1)_ 2. The ark at Beth-shemesh (1 Samuel 6:10) 3. The ark at Kirjath-jearim (1 Samuel 6:21; 1 Samuel 7:1) The ark had remained among the Philistines seven months. For them they were months of suffering and deadly destruction. Now they plot to get rid of the ark and of Him whose hand rested so heavily in judgment upon them. The advice of the heathen priests and diviners is that the ark should be sent away with votive offerings of gold, representing that which had plagued them. This was a heathen custom, which has also been adopted and is pract

1 SAMUEL 6:1 TO 1 SAMUEL 7:1. ARK BROUGHT BACK TO BETH-SHEMESH; PLAGUE BREAKS OUT THERE; ARK HOUSED AT KIRIATH-JEARIM. 1 Samuel 6:1 may not belong to the main story; 2 would be a better continuation of 1 Samuel 5:12. At the end of the verse LXX adds And their land swarmed with mice. This would prepare for the mice in 1 Samuel 6:4 f., 1 Samuel 6:11; 1 Samuel 6:18. Possibly these references t

WHO... ? Figure of speech _Erotesis._ App-6. HOLY. See note on Exodus 3:5. HE. it: i.e. the ark. See note on 1 Samuel 6:9....

_Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?_ BEFORE JEHOVAH THIS HOLY GOD. Holiness is an especial attribute of Jehovah, demanding a corresponding holiness on the part of the people among whom He promised to dwell (Exodus 29:45-46; Leviticus 11:44-45). Chastisement was necessary to teach the men of Beth-shemesh that their sinfulness could not stand before the holiness of God (cp. Malachi 3:2; Luke 5:8): but instead of fitting themselves for His Presence, they desired to free themselves from the harden of it. Cp. Matthew 8:34. We s

DISCOURSE: 287 THE ARK RETURNED TO BETH-SHEMESH 1 Samuel 6:20. _And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?_ TILL we come to behold some extraordinary interposition of the Deity, we have in general a very slight sense of his majesty and greatness: but when we see any remarkable display of his power, we are apt to forget all his other perfections, and to think of him with insupportable terror. We have a striking instance of this in the Israelites, when they saw God’s decision of their controversy with Aaron on the subject of the priesthood: “They said, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish: whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed with dying [Note: Numbers 17:12.]?” Thus, in the passage bef