THEOSISTheodoret of Cyrus
Why did God discipline the Hebrew people following the return of the tabernacle? Historical accounts have made this clear. It is written: “The sons of Jechoniah rejoiced not in the men of Beosam, because they saw the ark of the Lord: and they killed seventy men in them, and fifty thousand men of the people” (1 Kings 6:19). The sons of Jechoniah, given their wickedness and idolatrous practices, were troubled by the sight of the ark and faced rightful retribution; the people were punished as well for their unwillingness to risk danger for the ark, leaving it in the hands of foreigners for seven months and failing to defend it.
Read more (150 words)
Therefore, the Sovereign God demonstrated that He had no need for their strife and highlighted the reverence shown to Him by the wicked foreigners, punishing the Israelites for their greater transgressions. However, when the men of Bethshemesh, filled with fear, sent away the ark, saying, “Who can go before this holy Lord?” (1 Sam. 6:20), and when Amminadab took it eagerly into his home, God blessed his entire household abundantly. The subsequent events bear witness to the people's wicked neglect of the ark, as the prophet Samuel prompted the Israelites “with all their heart ... to turn to the Lord, to remove ... from their midst foreign gods and sacred groves” (1 Sam. 7:3). The term “sacred groves” was translated by Aquila as Astaroth, referring to the idols of Astarte. Astarte, known as Aphrodite, received this designation from a star, as fables suggest she is associated with the morning star.