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Advent Lessons

Lesson 8 · November 22, 1890

The Ark Taken

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  1. 1.What was the result of a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, that was fought near Ebenezer? .
  2. 2.What did the elders of Israel decide to do to guard against a like result another time? .
  3. 3.When the ark came, how was it received? .
  4. 4.How did the Philistines feel when they heard that the ark of God had come into the camp of Israel? .
  5. 5.With what words did they encourage one another? .
  6. 6.What was the result of the battle that followed? .
  7. 7.What may we learn from this? Ans. That the mere possession of the truth of God will not protect anybody. See note 1.
  8. 8.Yet what will the truth be to some in the day of trouble? .
  9. 9.Where must a person have the truth in order to receive benefit from it? .
  10. 10.When men who make their boast in the law are guilty of violating it, what is the result? .
  11. 11.What naturally resulted from the Israelites' wrong use of the ark? Ans. The Philistines lost their fear of it, and of God, whom it represented.
  12. 12.How did the Philistines dishonor the ark? .
  13. 13.How did God assert the supremacy of his law? .
  14. 14.What proved that this was no chance occurrence? .
  15. 15.What was there in this that was calculated to show to the Philistines the vanity of their idols? See note 2.
  16. 16.What does the Lord say of the idols of the heathen? .
  17. 17.What of those who make them and trust in them? .

Notes

1. The fact that Israel was defeated notwithstanding the presence of the ark of God, is designed to show that the truth is not to be used as a charm. The possession of a cart load of Bibles will not keep anyone from harm or from the assault of the enemy of souls. It is only when the truth is hidden in the heart, and is a part of the life, that it acts as a shield, to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy.

2. A most striking point against the vanity of idols is made in the description of the downfall of Dagon before the ark. Dagon was an idol with the body of a fish, and the head and hands of a man. When the idol fell before the ark and lost his head and his hands, only the fishy portion remained. The record says that "only Dagon was left to him." Now the word "Dagon" is the diminutive of the Hebrew word for fish, so that we have in reality the statement that when Dagon fell before the ark and lost his head and his hands, "only a little fish was left." That is all that there was to the idol in which the Philistines trusted.

Bible texts in this lesson

1 Samuel 4:1 · 1 Samuel 4:2 · 1 Samuel 4:3 · 1 Samuel 4:4 · 1 Samuel 4:5 · 1 Samuel 4:6-8 · 1 Samuel 4:9 · 1 Samuel 4:10 · 1 Samuel 4:11 · Psalms 91:4 · Psalms 37:31 · Psalms 1:1-3 · Romans 2:23 · Romans 2:24 · 1 Samuel 5:1 · 1 Samuel 5:2 · 1 Samuel 5:3 · 1 Samuel 5:4-7 · Psalms 115:4-7 · Psalms 115:8

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This lesson PDF Whole quarter PDF · 13 lessons