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The Ark Returned to Israel
6 The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the LORD. And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.
These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow. Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you.”
(ESV)
1 Samuel 6 Commentary
In 1 Samuel 6, the Philistines sought guidance from their priests and diviners after the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory wreaking havoc for seven months (see 1 Samuel 4 & 1 Samuel 5 for context). The question centered around how they should return the ark (1 Samuel 6:1-2). The priests instructed them to send the ark back with a guilt offering: five gold tumors and five gold mice (corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers) as a way to seek healing and deliverance from their affliction (1 Samuel 6:3-5).
They were also advised to use two milk cows who had never been yoked before to carry the ark and gold objects, and to observe if the cows would head straight for Beth-shemesh or not. This would indicate that the troubles they had experienced were indeed from the Lord (1 Samuel 6:6-9). When the cows moved directly toward Beth-shemesh without veering off course, it was confirmed that Yahweh was behind their suffering (1 Samuel 6:10-12).
The people of Beth-shemesh were out harvesting wheat and when they saw the ark, they were overjoyed. They quickly offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord (1 Samuel 6:13-15) and placed the ark on a large rock. The five Philistine rulers watched as this happened and then decided to return to Ekron (1 Samuel 6:16).
With their guilt offering, the Philistines sent back gold tumors and gold mice from their five cities, symbolizing their repentance (1 Samuel 6:17-18). However, the people of Beth-shemesh soon faced a grave consequence: God struck down seventy men for looking inside the ark, a reminder of His holiness and the sacredness of the ark (1 Samuel 6:19). In the wake of this, the people mourned and realized the weight of standing in the presence of the holy God. They sent messengers to Kiriath-jearim to take the ark away (1 Samuel 6:20-21).
The Lord Of Hosts
7 months.
7 months of terror, suffering, and death. The Philistines experienced the weight of God’s heavy hand. This was their encounter with the Living God because He will not share His glory. In a land of false religion, where men were clinging desperately to their own human creations of Him, His presence could not be constrained. Storming out of the gate like a gladiator entering the Coliseum, God confidently drew His sword against everything false in the land of the Philistines.
Sometimes we act like the Philistines. Clinching with all our strength, we grasp for our personally created security blanket. At that moment, there is a battle taking place. The Lord of Hosts enters the battlefield, ready to extinguish the flames of fallacy, even if it means letting us have what we want. In the end, the Lord will have His way. It is miserable to live life jumping from fleeting pleasure to fleeting pleasure, never finding true fulfillment or lasting peace.
It is a travesty when we only know God in this way. For many, the experience with God is a tug-of-war. He graciously and lovingly battles our sins as we clinch our hands and strain our muscles to hang on to them with every last ounce of energy. We wrestle with God.
In the end, it comes down to a choice; you can let go of your sin or you can let go of the One True God. Often, clarity is revealed amid desperation. With more than enough evidence right in front of them and a desperate situation at hand, the Philistines chose to reject the One True God from their presence.
God’s Grace Yet Again
For the people of Israel mourning their choice to take the ark into battle, 1 Samuel 6 now brings grace. How could two cows who had never been yoked together walk in a straight line back to the Israelites in Judah? How could two nursing cows be eager to walk in the opposite direction of their calves? This is God’s grace. It is a place where we see the collision of our free will and His sovereignty. The cows were mooing for their young as they were being divinely led toward God’s glorious revelation (1 Samuel 6:11-12). What an image!
“The Hebrew literally reads “along one highway,” indicating that the cows did not deviate onto any side roads. The lowing of the cattle was their plaintive crying for their calves. These cows were drawn by a strong power in the opposite direction from where their natural inclination would lead them. This would make an undeniable impression on the Philistine farmers, who knew the strong maternal instincts of cows.”
Nelson’s New Illustrated Commentary
Speaking of grace, did the people of Israel deserve to have the ark back? Did they do anything to produce such a change? We cannot overlook the unmatched grace of God that never fails to meet us in our sorrow and drive us forward toward His greater plan of redemption. He is an unchanging God who ventures beyond time and space into the impossible realm that contradicts the primal instincts of His own creation. He woos us back with His cosmic-bending, amazing grace.
Rejoicing & Sorrow
Some try to venture into that impossible realm along with the Lord. After the ark had returned, there was much joy and rejoicing. Sacrifices were made, and the ark was placed upon a rock – a fitting metaphor for God’s presence. However, some wondered about the hidden glory of God. Their prying eyes searched through God’s hidden place (1 Samuel 6:19).
Rejoicing quickly turns to sorrow. Why did this happen?
The men of Beth-shemesh violated God’s command by looking inside the ark, which was strictly prohibited. The ark was meant to be kept in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle. It was to be seen only by the high priest once a year. When transported, it was to be carefully covered. While the Philistines were unaware of these commands, the Israelites knew them. These men violated the Mosiac law (Num 4:20), and showed themselves to be presumptuous in their approach to the hidden things of the Lord.
This was not because God was distant or uncaring, but because His holiness demanded reverence and awe. The men of Beth-shemesh, by opening the ark and exposing its contents, disregarded the sanctity of God’s instructions, leading to dire consequences.
Application
This behavior is not confined to ancient Israel but can still be seen today. Many zealous Christians arrogantly venture into theological topics such as God’s sovereignty, election, free will, heaven, hell, and the book of Revelation with more confidence in their own understanding than in the humility required before God’s infinite wisdom.
Like the men of Beth-shemesh, sometimes Christians can open the “covenant box” of theology, eagerly peering inside and offering their human conclusions without recognizing that there are sacred places reserved for God and God alone. With haste, interpretations and opinions are shared, assuming they can grasp the full extent of divine mysteries. I do not think these are fruitless topics to discuss, but I do believe we must approach them with humility and reverence.
We must remember that God does not allow us to experience the fullness of divine understanding. Understanding is a natural by-product of faith. Just think of all the times the disciples didn’t understand but continued to follow Jesus. How did Jesus respond to Peter when he impulsively offered his “understanding” on Jesus declaring the necessity of His death (Mat 16:21-23)? Yet, Peter still followed, and in time, he understood.
There are places reserved for God’s wisdom, where our finite minds cannot go. Just as the ark was to be treated with reverence, we must approach God’s Word and His mysteries with humility. We can worship and love God without needing to understand everything He knows. In fact, that’s part of why we worship Him! True worship comes not from our comprehension, but from our reverence and trust in His Word, acknowledging that some things belong only to Him (Deut 29:29).
“Hophni and Phinehas thought they could win victories by trusting the ark when their lives were wicked, and God killed them. Eli died because he had not disciplined his own sons who were dishonoring the Lord. The Philistines died because they treated Jehovah like one of their own gods. The men of Bethshemesh died because they presumptuously looked into the ark. It does not pay to trifle with God.”
Warren Wiersbe
