1 Samuel 9:11

1 Samuel 9:11 says, And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here?  Saul and his servant went looking for the man of God, Samuel.  Though we as followers of Christ should be reaching out to the lost, it is even better when they come seeking us, and if you are struggling in life today and do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, if you have questions about how to do so, seek out a Christian to help you understand how.  Verse twelve adds, And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place:  The young maidens told Saul and his servant that the man of God was there, and to hurry because he had come early to make a sacrifice for the people.  Though he was getting older,Samuel was still performing his duties as a priest.  Since as Christians we are all a part of the priesthood of believers, we should start early every day doing what God has called us to do.  Verse thirteen continues, As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him.  The maidens emphasized the need for them to hurry, to catch Samuel before he went up to the high place offer his sacrifice for the people.  The rest of the people would not eat of the feast from the sacrifice until Samuel did, which would be another reason for them to hurry.  We should respect God's ministers today, though we should also never put them on a pedestal.  Verse fourteen states, And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.  When they got to the city, they caught Samuel as he was about to go to the high place.  Samuel was going about his routine day, but Saul was about to interrupt him.  We may at times be interrupted on our way to worship God, but we should always have time to answer the questions of lost people.  Verse fifteen adds, Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, Verse sixteen continues, Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.  God had spoken to Samuel the day before, telling him that today he would meet a man from the tribe of Benjamin, and that Samuel was to appoint him as the captain of His people.  I don't know that God has ever spoken into my ear, but He does speak in a still, quiet Voice to my soul, if I am listening.  Samuel was still the man in charge in Israel, but that was about to change.  God said He had heard the people of Israel wanted a king, and that He heard them crying out for deliverance, and that the man that Samuel appointed as captain, or king, would deliver them from the Philistines.  God may have been displeased with their desire for a king, but He still called them His people and sent the man to fulfill their request.  If we ask amiss for something today, something that is less than what God may have been ready to bless us with, He may grant our wish, and we as Christians will never stop being His children.  Verse seventeen states, And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.  When Samuel saw Saul, which should have been easy enough to do since he stood a head taller than the other Israelites, God told him that Saul was the man that He had chosen to lead His people.  Matthew Henry points out that Saul would have been a likely choice of the people because of his stature.  Of course, we cannot pick leaders of the church, or even the nation, based on the way they look.  Verse eighteen adds, Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is.  Saul did not recognize Samuel, but instead asked him where he could find the seer`s house.  Saul didn't know Samuel, and God had not pointed Samuel out to him.  We may not recognize God's preachers today just based on physical appearance, but if we have a concern about some issue in life, hopefully we will seek one out.  God may have already prepared them to meet us and answer our questions.  Verse nineteen continues, And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me today, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.  Samuel told Saul that he was the seer that he sought, and then invited him to go with him to the high place, where Saul would eat with him, and Samuel would tell him all that was in his heart the next day.  This was not why Saul was seeking Samuel, but Samuel promised him even more than what he was looking for.  God still does the same with us today as followers of Christ at times.  Verse twenty says, And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?  Samuel then answered the question that Saul had yet to ask and was the reason Saul had sought him out.  Samuel told him not to worry about the asses that he was hunting, because they were safely at home.  This should have been proof to Saul that Samuel was indeed a seer, or prophet.  Samuel then told Saul that since the people wanted a king that they would find no better man than him.  We today may find that sometimes God answers our prayers even before we ask them and gives us an even greater blessing than we are looking for.  Also, if God is calling us to a particular position, there is no better person to fulfill that position.  Verse twenty-one adds, And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?  Saul was modest in his answer.  He said that he was from the smallest tribe of Israel and that his family was the least of the families of that tribe, and then asked Samuel why he would say these things.  Though by answering Saul's unanswered question about the asses Samuel had proven himself to be a seer, Saul still questioned His ability.  We should be modest in our view of ourselves, but never to the point of questioning what God has called us to do.

1 Sam 9:1

1 Samuel 9:1 says, Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.  We are told a lot about a man named Kish, who was a man of Benjamin.  The Benjamites were the tribe that was nearly destroyed while defending the city of Gibeah after their great sin.  Of course, they had been known as men of valor and had been good at fighting wars, but they had also been willing to destroy the rest of Israel.  Now, as we will learn, it was from this tribe that Israel would choose their first king, or more accurately that God would choose him for them.  Verse two adds, And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.  Kish had a son named Saul, and he was noted for being very good man, and he was at least a head taller than the other Israelites.  He would seem to be an ideal candidate for a king.  We could all benefit from having a leader who is physically fit and above and above all else is a good man.  Verse three continues, And the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.  Kish's asses were lost,  and he told Saul to take one of the servants and go find them.  Saul may have been the one day king, but at the moment, he was a son who was subjected to and obedient to his father.  No matter what we may be in this world, as followers of Christ we are just His children and subject to His leadership and we should be obedient to that leadership.  Verse four states, And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.  Saul traveled to many places looking for the missing asses, but he didn't find them.  Even if we put forth our best efforts in what we are doing, we are not guaranteed success, so then we have can either choose to continue working or give up and quit.  If it is something that the Heavenly Father has told us to do, hopefully we will not quit if we don't meet with immediate success.  Verse five adds, And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.  Saul decided after they got to the land of Zuph and didn't find them, that it was time to return home, since his father would be worried that something had happened to him, and he told his servant this.  We as Christians should never spend too much time away from our Heavenly Father, because He is always concerned about us.  Verse six continues, And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.  Saul’s servant said there was a man of God, in the city and they should consult him about what to do.  This man of God was Samuel. If people are having trouble today, would they say of us that we are a man or woman of God and that they should come to us for advice?  Verse seven says, Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?  Saul was concerned about what reward they could offer the man of God for helping them.  Of course, a true man of God would not expect payment for his advice.  Verse eight adds, And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.  Though he may have been a future king, Saul had to rely on his servant to provide the money to pay the man of God.  Even rulers should be willing to accept help from others when it is needed, and we should be willing to help them under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and for God's glory and not our own.  Veres nine states, (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)  At one time, prophets were evidently called seers, due to their ability to see into the future.  Of course, this wasn't because of any psychic ability or their own power, but by the power and revelation of God.  Verse ten adds, Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.  Saul said that the servant had a good idea, and they went up to the city where Samuel the man of God was.  If we have problems, we would be well advised to find a man of God and ask for his advice.  Of course, we can go directly to God, but He has also placed people in positions of leadership in the church today who are there to help us.

1 Samuel 8:11

1 Samuel 8:11 says,  And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.  Samuel told the people what was going to happen when they had a king.  Some of their sons would have to be servants of the king, in particular in relationship to his chariots.  This was in accordance with the way kings of other nations were treated, and Israel wanted a king so they could be like other nations.  If we choose to follow after the ways of the world as followers of Christ, we can expect it to cost us.  Verse twelve adds, And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.  Samuel added some other demands that would be made on the people of Israel.  Children who had served their parents would now serve the king to meet his needs. Some would serve in his army and some would reap his crops, and if he were to be like other kings, then all crops would basically belong to him.  In some respects, he would be replacing God, Who had provided for both the needs and defense of Israel and everything ultimately belonged to Him.  The one big difference, the king would demand these things, but God Who really did supply everything for them only asked for their obedience.  We need to be careful that we don't desire to be like the world more than we want to be dependent on God.  Verse thirteen continues, And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.  The sons weren't the only ones who would be affected, because their daughters would be expected to be cooks and bakers for the king.  Everyone would be subjected to the king.  Verse fourteen states, And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.  The king would have total control over the people, taking their fields and giving them to his servants.  They would be surrendering individual rights to the authoritarian rule of the king.  We as Christians have been set free to enjoy God's blessings without anyone being able to take them away from us, yet we sometimes surrender that freedom willingly in order to be like the rest of the world.  Verse fifteen continues, And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.  They were told that the king would take a tithe from them.  The people were already expected to pay their tithe to God, and this would not replace that, but would be an additional tithe they would pay.  We today likewise cannot count taxes as a substitute for the tithe.  Verse sixteen continues, And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.  Verse seventeen concludes, He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.  These verses are a continuation of the warning Samuel was giving the people about what a king would cost them. We as followers of Christ should already know that if we put someone else in charge of life instead if allowing God to be, it is going to cost us.  Verse eighteen declares, And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.  Samuel warned them that if they appointed a king, when all that he demanded became too much, that they would call out to God, but He wouldn't hear them. We cannot go against God's law and direction in our life and complain to Him when things go wrong.  Verse nineteen adds, Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;  In spite of all Samuel's warnings, the people of Israel would not listen to him and said that they would have a iing.  Sometimes, no matter how much Christians are warned about the danger of attempting to be like the rest of the world,  they will not heed the warning.  Verse twenty continues, That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.  Instead of relying on God to appoint them judges and to fight their battles for them, they demanded a king to do so.  Evidently, they had forgotten how many kings they had defeated by the power and leadership of God.  We should never look to anyone or anything in this world to give us victory over the forces of evil but God Himself.  Verse twenty-one states, And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.  Samuel heard what the people said, and repeated it to God,  He did not just make the decision himself, and neither should we as Christians when it comes to anything in life.  Verse twenty-two continues, And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.  God told Samuel to listen to them and to make them a king, and Samuel told them for everyone to return to their own city.  God gave them up to the lusts of their hearts, and we better hope we never find ourselves in the same position today. 

1 Samuel 8:1

1 Samuel 8:1 says, And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.  After Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.  We are not told that God directed him to do this.  Of course, there was more of an ascendancy to the priesthood by family in those days, but Samuel had not become a prophet and judge that way, but really by quite the opposite.  We cannot assume that just because a person is a preacher today that their children are going to be, although sometimes they are called by God.  Verse two adds, Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.  Verse three continues, And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.  His sons, Joel and Abiah, did not walk following the LORD, but turned aside from His ways for money and perverted justice.  I know many people believe that justice can be bought today, but it should never be for sale by those who are followers of Christ.  Verse four states, Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,  Verse five adds, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.  The elders of Israel came to Samuel and told him what he already knew.  He was old, and his sons did not walk in the ways of the LORD.  They then demanded that he make them a king to judge them, like other nations had.  We are always going to fall into trouble if we as followers of Christ want to be like the people of the world.  Once again, we are not told that they consulted God about this decision, nor had they asked Samuel to do so.  We need to always ask God first before we implement any plan.  Verse six declares, But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.  Samuel was displeased by their demand or request, and at least he  recognized the fact that God should be consulted about this decision.  I believe Christians should always seek God's guidance in any matter, especially those related to the church or the nation.  Verse seven adds, And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.  God told Samuel to grant what they were asking, and that by what they were asking, thay weren't rejecting Samuel, but they were rejecting God.  God had been their ruler since they left Egypt, and as long as they were obedient to Him, they had always been triumphant, defeating nation after nation that had a king.  Now, they wanted an earthly king, instead of being obedient to the Heavenly King. Verse eight continues, According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.  God pointed out that since leaving Egypt the people of Israel had been rebelling against Him time after time,and now they were doing the same thing to Samuel.  We need to do our best to avoid these cycles of faith in our Christian walk today. Verse nine says, Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.  Verse ten adds, And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.  God again told Samuel that it wasn't Samuel's rule that they were rejecting, but the rule of God Himself.  God told Samuel to protest solemnly to them, but then see what manner of king they would choose, and Samuel told the people what God had said.  Ultimately, all we can do today is tell people what God's word says, and then it is up to them how they respond. 

1 Samuel 7:10

1 Samuel 7:10 says, And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.  While Samuel was offering a burnt offering to God, the Philistines were drawing near to battle the Israelites.  We are told God thundered a great thunder, and the Philistines were discomfited, or made to feel uneasy by the thunder, and they were defeated by the Israelites.  There is nothing about the Israelites being made superior physically or becoming better armed, but God used the thunder to lead to Israel's victory.   We need to learn to put our faith in God above all else.  Verse eleven adds, And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.  The men of Israel pursued the Philistines all the way to Bethcar.  God gave the people of Israel the victory once they repented and returned to Him.  We cannot expect to be victorious over the world today if we are being disobedient to God, but if we feel that we are being defeated, we need to simply look to Him in obedience.  Verse twelve states, Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.  Samuel made a memorial to God between Mizpeh and Shen, to commeriate God's giving the people of Israel the victory over the Philistines.  This was where the Israelites had been defeated by the Philistines twenty years earlier.  The longer it takes us to repent and ask God's forgiveness if we as followers of Christ have gone astray, the longer it will be before God restores us to a place of victory in the world today.  Of course, we will always have the everlasting victory, but that does not mean that if we fail to put our faith in God in all situations that we cannot be temporarily defeated.  Verse thirteen adds, So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.  As long as Samuel lived, the Philistines never came to battle the people of Israel again, because the hand of God was against them.  We need to be like Samuel today, standing with God and calling on others to do so as well.  Verse fourteen continues, And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.  All the land that the Philistines had taken from Israel was returned, and Israel was at peace with the Amorites, or those people who remained in the Promised Land.  We live with people of all beliefs and backgrounds today, but we should do our best to live at peace with them, without compromising our faith.  We are to be a light of the gospel to them, and this is easier to do if we are not looking to be at war with them.  Verse fifteen declares, And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.  Verse sixteen adds, And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.  Samuel was a Judge of Israel for the rest of His life, and he was actively involved in doing so. He did not just sit and wait for the people to come to him, but He traveled throughout Israel.  I believe that we today cannot just wait for people to come to us to hear the Gospel, but we must take it to them by any means possible. Verse seventeen continues, And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.  Samuel's residence was in Ramah, so he would return there after traveling the circuit.  He also built an altar to God there.  We need a place to call home that we can return to after we have been out in the world sharing the Gospel, and there should be an altar to God there, spiritually if not physically. 

1 Samuel 7:1

1 Samuel 7:1 says, And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.  The men of Kirjathjearim got the Ark, brought it to the house of house of Abinadab, and sanctified Eleazar Abinadab's son to keep it.  Matthew Henry said the Ark remained there for many years, never to have any more heard about it until David retrieved it, except for once in 1 Samuel 14:18.  He said the men there allowed what should have been a blessing to become a curse.  There definitely was no mention of them consulting God about anything that they did.  Still, God allowed the Ark to remain there, and they had made the effort to attend to it properly.  We likewise cannot just keep the Gospel to ourselves today, even if we attempt to keep its truth for ourselves.  Verse two adds, And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.  As stated, the Ark remained there for twenty years while the people lamented to the LORD, not really very concerned about where the Ark was, even though it was back in Israel. We don't need to sit around lamenting God's seeming lack of action in the world today, because He is here if we will only obey Him.  Verse three states, And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.  During this time, Samuel called on the people of Israel to repent, return to God, and put away their false gods.  Then, if they did, God would free them from the hand of the Philistines.  If we want God to bless us as individuals or as a nation, we must do the same thing.  Verse four adds, Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.  The people responded to Samuel's call, and put away their idols to Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.  If we have allowed idols, which is anything that comes between God and us, into our life, we need to put whatever it is away, and serve God only.  Verse five continues, And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.  Samuel called on the people of Israel to gather at Mizpeh, and he would pray for them.  We need to be willing to gather together as the church today, spiritually and physically, and all be in prayer for God's will to be done in the world.  Verse six says, And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.  The people took action to show that they had repented.  Matthew Henry says the pouring of the water on the ground was symbolic of their humiliation and contrition, since the water once poured out could not be gathered again.  We cannot undo our sins by our own power, but must allow God to forgive us by putting our faith Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seven adds, And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.  When the Philistines heard that the people of Israel were gathered at Mizpeh they went up against them, and the people of Israel were afraid.  They still were not totally trusting in the LORD.  We today as followers of Christ should never live in fear of the world, because we have already won no matter what happens in this life.  Verse eight continues, And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.  The people of Israel asked Samuel to pray that God would not forget them, and that He would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines.  We as Christians today know that God will never forget us,and that He has already delivered us out of the hands of all our enemies. Verse nine concludes,  And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.  Samuel offered a sacrifice of a young lamb to God as a burnt sacrifice, cried out to God, and God heard Him.  The only acceptable sacrifice for sin has already been made for us, and that is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, and all we need to do is cry out to Him by faith, and He will hear us.

1 Samuel 6:12

1 Samuel 6:12 says, And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.  The two cows pulling the Ark of the Covenant took a straight path to Bethshemesh.  This was the next city in the land of Israel, and a priests city.  They did not turn aside on their way there.  The Philistines had taken the Ark as a trophy, and had possibly thought to ransom it, but they were as glad to get rid of it as they had been to take it.  We should never attempt to profit from things that belong to God.  Verse thirteen adds, And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.  The people of Bethshemesh were at work, reaping their wheat.  They were not expecting this blessing from the lord, and it was a blessing.  We never know as we go about our everyday life as followers of Christ when we will receive an unexpected blessing, but then again shouldn't all blessings be unexpected?  We should not live sitting around waiting for God to bless us, but should be at work for Him every day.  Verse fourteen continues, Like the people of Israel then, we should rejoice in the lord when these unexpected blessings come out way.  Verse fourteen continues, And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD.  The cows came to a halt in the field of Joshua, a resident of Bethshemesh, and the placed the Ark on a great stone and used the wood of the cart to make a burnt offering of the cows to God.  Matthew Henry points out that after bearing the Ark of the Covenant, the cart could have never been used for anything else, and the two cows, once they were used to pull the cart had already been given to God.  We should never attempt to profit materially from the things already given to God.  Verse fifteen states, And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.  The Levites had already taken possession of the Ark and the coffer containing the jewels and gold and had placed the Ark on the great stone, as the people offered burnt offerings and sacrifices the same day.  We should never put off rejoicing at that blessings that God bestows on us.  Verse sixteen adds, And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.  When the five lords of the Philistines saw what had happened, they returned to Ekron.  They had received no ransom for the Ark, but had actually paid to get rid of it.  We cannot ransom God's word today, and if we attempt to, we will pay the price for doing so.  The lords of the Philistines had seen evidence of the reality and power of God by the cows returning straight to God's people with the Ark, but they simply returned home.  Not everyone who sees evidence of the reality and power of God put their faith in Him.  Verse seventeen continues, And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;  The lords of the Philistines had offered golden statues for each of their five cities.  Verse eighteen says, And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.  They had also included five golden mice in the offering, and the stone the Ark sat on was there for a memorial to God thereafter.  We need to teach our children about the blessings that God has given us, so that they might know of His power and hopefully come to put their faith in Him.  Verse nineteen adds, And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.  Instead of being able to continue worshipping God, He struck down over fifty thousand of the people of Bethshemesh because they had shown disrespect for the sanctity if the Ark of the Covenant by looking inside it.  We should never disrespect the things set aside for God.  Verse twenty continues, And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?  The remaining people of Bethshemesh asked who could stand before the Holy Gad and who could go up to God for them.  The answer to their questions is that no one of their own merit can stand before God, but He graciously sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to go up before Him for us, if we will put our faith in Him.  Verse twenty-one continues, And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.  The people of Bethshemesh then sent messengers to Kirjathjearim, asking them to come take the Ark.  They now would not even touch the Ark of the Covenant themselves, though they had rejoiced at its return earlier, and had then become guilty of profaning it.  If God blesses us today, we should be careful that we do not begin to profane Him by misusing the things He blesses us with.