We read and hear about the war going on between Gaza and Israel at present, but this is nothing new. Conflicts like this have been going on for the last four thousand years!
At one stage, the Philistines were in a real dilemma! They had taken this Ark (box) of the God of Israel out of its place, and tried to add it to their collection of idols. But it had miraculous powers, and disaster came on each place where it was taken to. Plagues of mice over-ran the place and people became ill and died as a result. What to do?
The people felt they had no option but to get it back to where it had come from, but the big question was, how? At last they had a bright idea….”We have to send a gift for this God of Israel, so let’s put it onto a new cart with golden models of mice and the sores that we have been plagued with, in another box,” they said, “the cart can be pulled by two cows that have just calved and if they go on their own along the road without their calves, we’ll know that there’s something in the God of Israel that goes against nature!”
So this is what they did. They loaded the cart up, and followed along behind it to see what happened. To their utter amazement, the cows quietly went along towing the cart, and calling for their calves as they went. Not only that, but they took the right road to the land of Israel, and didn’t stop until they got there! The Philistines had to admit that the God of Israel was real after all!
But the people of the place where it stopped looked on it merely as a curiosity and all those who tried to look into it were struck dead on the spot. In fact, the disease flew through the countryside, and over 50,000 people died. “Take it away!” the people cried, “Tell the people of Kirjath-jearim where it came from, to come and get it and take it away!”
This story shows us that we cannot play fast and loose with God, or treat His things lightly. We must treat His things with respect and reverence . For us today, this shows us how careful we must be in this matter….those who treat the things of God, or talk about Him in a disrespectful manner or use His Name as a swear word, will pay the price one day.
When God speaks, it pays to hear, To listen and obey, If we do not have holy fear, Worse will come one day!
You can read this story in the Bible in the book of 1st Samuel chapter 6, verses 1-6