The Capture of the Ark pt 4-Mice and Hemmeroids

May 24 2010 | Bill Randles

[pastorbillrandles]

The Capture of the Ark part 4 Mice and Hemmerroids

“Now the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Ashdodites and he destroyed them and smote them with emerods, both Ashdod and its territories” (I Samuel 5:6)

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And He smote His enemies in the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetual reproach (Psalm 78:65-66)

The Philistines thought they were celebrating one of their greatest victories, when they routed Israel, killed the sons of the High Priest, and captured the Ark of God. But when they found Dagon, their god, prostrated before the Ark, and then found his face and hands broken in the presence of the Ark, they began to realize that the God of Israel, was far from dead, let alone defeated.

…had the Princes of the World known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory…(I Cor 2:8)

First Samuel five recounts the story of the Ark ‘in captivity’, and how the gentiles dealt with the custody of it.

Each of the five major cities of the Philistines took custody of the Ark for a season and each of them were visited by plagues ,most notably, Emerods(Tumors, Hemmeroids), and over running mice. People were dying under these plagues and the reason for the plagues was not lost on the people.

“When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, the Ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god…”(I Sam 5:7)

So Ashdod sent the Ark to Gath, and Gath to Eshkalon , and they to Ekron, and so on. Every where the Ark went, the plagues broke out, and Philistines died. The Philistines almost literally played “hot potato” with the Ark of God, until they decided to send it back to Israel, as a tacit admission of defeat and the superiority of Israel’s God.

But first, like the Exodus of Egypt, the Philistines consulted their own priests and diviners, as to what to do with the Ark.

And they said, if ye send away the ark of the God of Israel,send it not away empty ;but in any wise return him a trespass offering; then you shall be healed,and it shall be known unto you why His hand is not removed from you.Then said they What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to Him ? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice , according to the number of the Lords of the Philistines ,for one plague was on you all and your Lords.(I Samuel 6;2-3)

The advice given was to make a trespass offering, which amounts to a confession of sin. The trespass offering is in essence a prayer ,that, “We admit that we have sinned, trespassed, and that we deserve these plagues- please receive this offering and forgive and heal us of the wrath we have brought upon us”. The logic of the offering is substitution. That which is offered is to be seen as a substitute for the one doing the offering. It is representation.

Every offering is a confession to God, each gift is a representative substitute. Should it be a lamb or a bull, the worshipper is saying “I deserve to die, I am a sinner, behold the lamb I offer in my place, see it as me!”

When the wise men of the Philistines told the five Lords of the Philistines to cast five golden hemmeroids, and five golden mice, they were in effect having them confess to the God of Israel, “ Not only do we have hemmeroids and mice as plagues from you for our trespasses, WE ARE HEMMEROIDS, WE ARE MICE, these substitutes represent us, have mercy on us and heal us!”

The God of Israel did receive the offerings, for the plagues did cease upon the humiliating confession of the five Lords of the Philistines. This too is the future history of Israel and the Gentiles.

The Messiah of Israel, upon being turned over to the gentiles, remains among them, being received by multitudes of gentiles from every tribe and nation , who have made the trespass offering, confessing what Paul testified of in I Cor 5:21-

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him”

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[Lobsterback]

Fascinating.

Its incredible to think that all these things happened. In the modern world, people tend to get caught up in 'real life' and forget things that they should remember...