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1. Samuelova 6

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1 Byla pak truhla Hospodinova v krajině Filistinské za sedm měsíců.

2 Tedy Filistinští povolavše kněží a hadačů, řekli: Co učiníme s truhlou Hospodinovou? Oznamte nám, kterak bychom ji odeslali na místo její?

3 Kteříž odpověděli: Jestliže odešlete truhlu Boha Izraelského, neodsílejte jí prázdné, ale všelijak dejte jí obět za provinění; tehdy uzdraveni budete, a poznáte, proč ruka jeho neodešla od vás.

4 I řekli: Jakáž jest to obět za hřích, kterouž jí dáti máme? Odpověděli: Vedlé počtu knížat Filistinských pět zadků zlatých a pět myší zlatých; nebo rána jednostejná jest na všechněch, i na knížatech vašich.

5 Uděláte tedy podobenství zadků svých a podobenství myší svých, kteréž pokazily zemi, i dáte slávu Bohu Izraelskému; snad pozlehčí ruky své nad vámi, i nad bohy vašimi a nad zemí vaší.

6 A proč obtěžujete srdce svá, jako jsou obtížili Egyptští a Farao srdce své? Zdaliž, když divné věci prokázal při nich, nepropustili jich, a oni odešli?

7 A protož udělejte vůz nový jeden a vezměte dvě krávy otelené, na kteréž jha nebylo vzkládáno, a zapřáhněte ty krávy do vozu, a zavřete telata jejich doma, aby za nimi nešla.

8 A vezmouce truhlu Hospodinovu, vstavte ji na vůz; nádoby pak zlaté, kteréž jste dali jí za provinění, položte v škřiňce po boku jejím, a propusťte ji, ať odejde.

9 A šetřte: Jestližeť cestou k cíli svému půjde do Betsemes, onť jest nám způsobil všecko toto zlé přenáramné; pakli nic, poznáme, že ne ruka jeho dotkla se nás, ale náhodou nám to přišlo.

10 Učinili tedy ti muži tak, a vzavše dvě krávy otelené, zapřáhli je do toho vozu, a telata jejich zavřeli doma.

11 A vstavili truhlu Hospodinovu na vůz, i škřiňku i myši zlaté, a podobizny zadků svých.

12 I šly upřímo krávy cestou, kteráž vede do Betsemes, silnicí jednou předce jdouce a řičíce, aniž se uchýlily na pravo aneb na levo. Knížata také Filistinská šla za nimi až ku pomezí Betsemes.

13 Betsemští pak žali tehdáž pšenici v údolí, a pozdvihše očí svých, uzřeli truhlu; i veselili se, vidouce ji.

14 A když přijel vůz na pole Jozue Betsemského, tu se zastavil. I byl tu kámen veliký. Tedy zsekavše dříví vozu toho i ty krávy, obětovali je v obět zápalnou Hospodinu.

15 Levítové pak složili truhlu Hospodinovu i škřiňku, kteráž byla při ní, v níž byly nádoby zlaté, a postavili na ten kámen veliký. Muži pak Betsemští dodávali obětí zápalných, a obětovali oběti v ten den Hospodinu.

16 Což viděvše knížata Filistinská, navrátili se do Akaron téhož dne.

17 Tito jsou pak zadkové zlatí, kteréž dali Filistinští za své provinění Hospodinu, za Azot jeden, za Gázu jeden, za Aškalon jeden, za Gát jeden, za Akaron jeden.

18 Myši také zlaté, vedlé počtu všech měst Filistinských, za patero knížetství, od města hrazeného až do vsi nehrazené, a až k kameni tomu velikému, na němž postavili truhlu Hospodinovu, kterýž jest až do tohoto dne na poli Jozue Betsemského.

19 Pobil pak Hospodin z mužů Betsemských, kteříž hleděli do truhly Hospodinovy, pobil, pravím, z lidu padesát tisíců a sedmdesáte mužů. I kvílil lid, proto že učinil Hospodin v lidu porážku velikou.

20 Protož řekli muži Betsemští: Kdož bude moci ostáti před Hospodinem Bohem svatým tímto? A k komu odejde od nás?

21 I poslali posly k obyvatelům Kariatjeharim, řkouce: Vrátili zase Filistinští truhlu Hospodinovu; přiďte, vezměte ji k sobě.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of 1 Samuel 6

Napsal(a) Garry Walsh

The Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant but now they were desperate to get rid of it. The statue of their god, Dagon, had fallen and broken, and they had suffered plagues. Seven months after they had taken the Ark, they asked the priests and diviners of the Philistines what to do. The priests and diviners said they should return the Ark, as well as a “trespass offering,” to the Lord “Jehovah” in Israel’s territory. The trespass offering was to be five gold tumors, and five gold mice, to represent the two plagues that had struck the five cities of the Philistines.

So, the Philistines built a special cart to carry the Ark and the trespass offering, and two young milk cows pulled it. The cows were set free to find their own route, and they headed straight for Israelite territory.

In Divine Providence 326[11-13], we get an explanation of the meaning of the symbols in this. The hemorrhoids that plagued the Philistines in 1 Samuel 5 represent earthly loves separated from spiritual ones. The golden hemorrhoids of the trespass offering represent earthly loves that have been purified, and made good.

The mice represent distortions of the truth which destroy the church. The golden mice represent the repair of this destruction by good loves and actions.

The cart that carried the ark and the trespass offerings symbolizes a new teaching, and the cows that pulled it symbolize “good earthly feelings.”

The cows lowed as they drew the cart away from the Philistines back to Israel. This represents how difficult it is to turn away from our obsessions with evil, and turn towards good.

The end of the chapter tells that the Israelite people in the border town of Beth Shemesh saw the cart coming, and rejoiced. They used a large stone as an altar, split up the wood of the cart and offered the two cows as a sacrifice. The golden objects were then distributed through the land.

These symbols reveal something about our relationship with God, and the importance of uniting faith and charity, good and truth, within ourselves. The Philistines represent a spiritual state with faith that is separate from charity. This chapter tells us that in order to reunite our faith with charity we must turn our loves of evil into the desire to do good with our knowledge.

But the people of Beth Shemesh, who received the Ark of the Covenant, made a fatal mistake: some of them looked into the Ark. As a consequence, 50,070 of their people died. So they sent a message to the people of Kirjath Jearim, asking them to come down and take the Ark from them.

The primary message here is the power of the Lord’s Ten Commandments. In the book "True Christian Religion", we are taught that there was tremendous holiness and power in the law written on the stone tablets, because it was a “summary of the whole of religion.” (See True Christian Religion 285, 286.) The two engraved tablets represent the link between us and God. One of them contains a synopsis of all things related to God, and the other, a synopsis of all things related to us.

If we ever disobey the commandments or treat them as less than holy, harm will surely come. Therefore, we must work with the Lord in order to learn to love His commandments. This needs to go together with an active and sincere effort to obey them to the best of our frail and limited human ability.

Bible

 

1 Samuel 5

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1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.

2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

6 But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.

7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our God.

8 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.

9 And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.