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But the LORD killed seventy men from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the LORD. And the people mourned greatly because of what the LORD had done. 1 Samuel 6:19 NLT
Though biblical accuracy isn’t a hallmark of the 1981 Hollywood blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark, the film go one thing right: the ark of the covenant was not to be trifled with.
A man named Uzzah was killed when he tried to steady the ark, being transported—inappropriately—on an oxcart rather than on poles carried by priests (1 Chronicles 13:1-11). And, in today’s scripture, dozens died for looking inside the ark, recently returned by Philistines who’d captured it in battle.
God had very strict rules for the ark, which was the specific point on earth where He manifested Himself, He once told Moses and Aaron that the Kohathites, a Levite clan tasked with moving the ark and its related accessories, “must never enter the sanctuary to look at the sacred objects, even for a moment, or they will die” (Numbers 4:20).
Though that was long ago and far away, the ark’s story might cause us to ask ourselves, “What are some places I should be careful not to look?” One obvious answer, in our culture, is pornography. Or how about the occult (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)? Or perhaps at another man’s wife (Exodus 20:17)? Remember the trouble Adam and Eve found when they pursued what God forbade.
Prayer: Lord, help me to avoid what You forbid and be content with what I have.
Though biblical accuracy isn’t a hallmark of the 1981 Hollywood blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark, the film go one thing right: the ark of the covenant was not to be trifled with.
A man named Uzzah was killed when he tried to steady the ark, being transported—inappropriately—on an oxcart rather than on poles carried by priests (1 Chronicles 13:1-11). And, in today’s scripture, dozens died for looking inside the ark, recently returned by Philistines who’d captured it in battle.
God had very strict rules for the ark, which was the specific point on earth where He manifested Himself, He once told Moses and Aaron that the Kohathites, a Levite clan tasked with moving the ark and its related accessories, “must never enter the sanctuary to look at the sacred objects, even for a moment, or they will die” (Numbers 4:20).
Though that was long ago and far away, the ark’s story might cause us to ask ourselves, “What are some places I should be careful not to look?” One obvious answer, in our culture, is pornography. Or how about the occult (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)? Or perhaps at another man’s wife (Exodus 20:17)? Remember the trouble Adam and Eve found when they pursued what God forbade.
Prayer: Lord, help me to avoid what You forbid and be content with what I have.
