Looking inside the Ark

Beth-shemesh was a town of priests, yet the judgment of the Lord fell upon it, just as it had in the Philistine towns. However, the reason for the judgment was entirely different. (1) The people of Beth-shemesh looked inside the Ark of the Lord. (2) This was a clear violation of the Mosaic Law. Moses had given strict instructions to the Kohathites, a clan of the Levites, regarding the handling of the Ark of the Lord. He warned them they shall not enter and look at the holy things, “or they will die” (Num. 4:20). (3) Because the people of Beth-shemesh showed irreverence before God, His judgment came upon them. (4) Regarding the number of people struck, the Hebrew text records “70 people” followed by “50,000 people.” Therefore, some translations render it as “50,070 men.” However, Beth-shemesh being a small town, this number seems excessively large. There also are translations that consider the phrase “50,000 people” a copyist error and record the number of people struck as “70.” Few translations interpret is as “70 out of 50,000.” In my opinion, “70 people” seems to be the correct interpretation.

Erroneous decision

Looking inside the Ark of the Lord was already a mistake, yet the people of Beth-shemesh continued to make erroneous decisions afterward. (1) They said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God?” and sought to move the Ark to another location. (2) They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, requesting them to come and take up the Ark of the Lord that the Philistines had returned. (3) The reason why this was a foolish decision is that they were voluntarily relinquishing the source of blessing from their own hands. Had they guarded the Ark of the Lord with a devout attitude, their town would have been greatly blessed. What they should have done was repent, not expel the Ark of the Lord. Many people make the same mistake. When God’s word points out their sin, instead of repenting, they try to distance themselves from God’s word itself. What can you learn from the mistake of the people of Beth-shemesh?