[One-Verse Meditation]

1 Samuel 6:13 (NIV) “Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.”

[Meditation]

The Philistines offer a guilt offering in their own way, placing the ark of the LORD on a new cart drawn by two nursing cows that had never been yoked. As they watch the cows go straight toward Beth Shemesh, lowing as they went and defying their natural instincts, they confirm that this plague was no accident. God Himself returns His ark to Israel in a way that even foreigners are forced to understand.

To Israel, who had despaired that “the glory has departed” (Ichabod), the returned ark signified the restoration of God’s glory. They had contributed nothing to its return. Yet, they get to enjoy that glory, and in the most ordinary of settings. The Bible records it this way: “Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.”

This is the portrait of the believer today. God restores His own glory without any help from us. In truth, as the one who is glory itself, He doesn’t need to, but He does it for our sake—for His church—so that we might enjoy His glory in our lives. Come to think of it, the life of a believer is a canvas on which God’s glory is painted. And we look upon that beauty and compose a new song each day.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9).

[Prayer]

Lord, you are always my King. The Lord who uses even the smallest corner of my life as a channel to reveal Your glory is always King. And so, this morning, I sing to you: “The Lord alone is King.” Amen.
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[Daily Meditation]

1 Samuel 6:1-16