How does 1 Samuel 6:14 connect to sacrifices in Leviticus? The scene in Beth-shemesh “When the cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, it stopped there beside a large stone. Then the people chopped up the wood of the cart and offered up the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.” — 1 Samuel 6:14 The ark has just returned from Philistine territory. Two milk cows, never before yoked and therefore ceremonially “unused” (cf. Numbers 19:2), have carried it straight to Israelite soil. The villagers respond instinctively with sacrifice. The Levitical blueprint for a burnt offering Leviticus 1:3-9 lays out the core features: • A domestic animal “from the herd or the flock” without defect (v. 3). • The worshiper brings it “to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (v. 3). • The animal is wholly consumed on the altar; nothing is eaten (vv. 8-9). • The aroma is “a pleasing fragrance to the LORD” (v. 9). Burnt offerings symbolize total consecration: everything ascends to God in smoke. Point-by-point links • Unblemished animals. The milk cows had never been worked; their unused status echoes the requirement of purity (Leviticus 1:3). • Wood supplied for the fire. The people “chopped up the wood of the cart”—mirroring Leviticus 1:7, “The priest shall arrange the wood on the fire.” Even the cart becomes fuel, underscoring total dedication. • A large stone as an altar. While Leviticus specifies the bronze altar at the tabernacle, earlier law also permits earth or uncut-stone altars (Exodus 20:24-25). The field-stone functions within that allowance. • Whole-burnt, nothing retained. Unlike peace offerings (Leviticus 3), nothing of the cows is eaten. 1 Samuel 6:14 states simply that they were “offered up … as a burnt offering,” matching the Levitical pattern of complete consumption. • Immediate response to God’s holiness. Just as Leviticus prescribes offerings whenever a worshiper approaches the LORD, the men of Beth-shemesh acknowledge His holy presence in the ark’s return (cf. 1 Samuel 6:20). Why cows instead of bulls? Leviticus specifies a male from the herd (1:3), yet Scripture records other acceptable female sacrifices when circumstances call for them: • Numbers 15:27: a female goat for individual sin. • Judges 6:25: Gideon’s seven-year-old bull use for a burnt offering. The unique providential arrival of these specific cows marks them out as God-appointed. Their suitability is affirmed by the narrative and by the LORD’s acceptance—no corrective word is issued, and the text swiftly moves on to blessing (1 Samuel 7:1). The theological thread • Holiness demands atonement: the ark’s holy presence provokes immediate sacrifice. • Total surrender: the burnt offering prefigures the call to present ourselves “as living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). • God provides what He requires: the very animals that carry the ark become the offering, echoing Genesis 22:8, “God Himself will provide the lamb.” Takeaways for today • Respond promptly to God’s work with wholehearted devotion. • Let nothing be held back; the entire cart, the entire animal, even the stone were pressed into service. • Trust the Lord to supply what He asks of you. What arrives in your “field” may already be earmarked for worship. Thus 1 Samuel 6:14 not only echoes Levitical regulations but also fleshes out their heart: reverent, all-in dedication to the holy God who graciously makes His presence known. |
    |