Anesti Ministries

The weight of God’s presence.

God’s presence is very real. God’s enemies cannot stand in His presence. The Philistines were desperate to send the ark back to the land of Israel to avert the plague. Together with the ark, they offered to God a guilt offering. In the Bible, people offered a guilt offering to atone for committing sin (Leviticus 6:1-7). Even though they did not know the right sacrifice to offer God, their hearts were sincere. The golden tumors and mice suggests that the Philistines suffered from a bubonic epidemic in their cities. They remembered what God had done to the Egyptians and repented before God. The repentance by the Philistines after 7 months is contrasted with the unfaithfulness of Israel. This passage shows us how human sinfulness would be crushed under the weight of God’s Holy presence if not for the atoning blood of Christ.

The Philistines asked for a supernatural sign to confirm that the epidemic was not a coincidence but from God. The milk cows who were deprived of their calves would have instinctively sought out their young. Instead, they did the unexpected by heading towards the land of Israel. They even announced God’s return as they pulled the ark.

How do we treat God’s presence?

Beth-shemesh was a town at the edge of Judah and was given to the Levites (Joshua 15:10, 21:16). The Israelites would celebrate the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) during the time of the wheat harvest (Leviticus 23:16-17). The process involved reaping, threshing the wheat to remove the grain from the chaff, and winnowing to clean the grain. It reminded the people of God’s provision, judgement and a spiritual harvest. It is deeply symbolic that Pentacost coincides with the return of God’s presence.

The Levites were overjoyed when the ark returned. Israel did not do anything to deserve it, but God came back in His mercy. In 1 Samuel 4, Israel’s defeat would have cast doubt on the power of God’s presence. The guilt offering from the Philistines was a testimony that God was sovereign over Israel’s enemies. The 5 tumors represent God’s authority over the 5 strongest cities that formed the Philistine Pentapolis.

God’s presence demands that we approach with utmost reverence. Approaching God in reverence means giving Him the highest honor. We put on our best behaviour before guests-of honor and heads of state. We should do better for God since He is the King of the universe. One way to express our reverence is to obey God’s commands. The Levites were struck down by God because they did not approach God with reverence. They were commanded not to look at the ark because of their human sin (Numbers 4:20). Because God is so holy, sin is consumed in His presence. Sin is a barrier that prevents us from entering God’s presence. But Jesus was the ultimate guilt offering when He died on the cross. His blood has cleansed us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7). God invites us to come into His Holy presence without fear on account of the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22). This great privilege to enter God’s presence should not be treated casually or lightly.