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Bible study · 1 Samuel 6:1-21

1 Samuel 6: This holy God

Read 1 Samuel 6:1-21 before you meet.

In a few lines

The warning about Pharaoh's hard heart came from the Philistines' own priests (6:6), and in Hebrew glory (6:5) is the noun of the verb for harden (6:6) and the LORD's heavy hand (5:6). And "to stand before the LORD" (6:20) is, in Hebrew, the phrase Deuteronomy uses for the Levites' calling (Deuteronomy 10:8).

The verse to carry

“The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?””

1 Samuel 6:20

To talk about

  1. 1. The diviners offered two ways to read what happened: "his hand" or "a chance that happened to us" (6:9). When something hard or surprising happens to you, which do you reach for first, and why?

  2. 2. The people of Beth Shemesh "rejoiced to see" the ark (6:13), and later asked, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?" (6:20). How do joy and awe both belong in the way you come to God?

  3. 3. The Philistines' priests asked, "Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts?" (6:6). Where are you tempted to keep resisting what you already know?

Prayer requests