1 Samuel 6:1 says, And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. The Philistines kept the Ark of the LORD for seven months, but what they thought was a symbol of triumph over God turned out to be a curse. People today may think they have triumphed over God, and even desecrate the things of God, but they will one day find out it was a curse. Verse two adds, And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. The Philistines called for their priests and diviners, those who served Dagon, to tell them what to do with the Ark. They wanted to know if they should return it to the people of Israel. People still rely on false gods to tell them what to do about the one real God. Verse three continues, And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. The priests at least gave the people some wise advice, and that was to return it. Then, they gave some not so wise advice from its motivation. They said if they returned it, to return it with a trespass offering, even though they didn't believe in God. This was more of an attempt to buy God's forgiveness than an actual trespass offering, since they didn't believe in God. God's forgiveness cannot be bought with material things though. Verse four states, Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. After asking what the trespass offering should be, the priests said five golden emerods, or hemorrhoids which they were all afflicted with, and five golden mice, according to the number of the Lords of the Philistines, since they were all involved in taking the Ark. Of course, God really had no need of golden statues, but I believe to their way of thinking, they believed this would impress God. What we need to acknowledge is that God is not impressed with material things,but only with a penitent heart. Verse five adds, Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. They were then told to make the golden emorods and mice into graven images, and offer them as a trespass offering to God. The priests said that God might take His hand off the Philistines and their gods. They acknowledged, even if without intending to, the superiority of God over their gods. Verse six continues, Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? The priests then told them not to harden their hearts as the Egyptians and their Pharaoh had done. They were at least familiar with God and His power, though they were not submitting to Him. Some people today may acknowledge the power of God and yet still serve false gods. Verse seven says, Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: The priests began to give them specific instructions on how to return the Ark. They were to put it in a new cart and have it pulled by two milk cows who had never pulled a cart before, and would be inclined to return home, since theircalves would be locked away from them. Verse eight adds, And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. They were the told to put the Ark on the new cart and put jewels in with it as a trespass offering, and then let the cows find their way to Israel. They were not to lead or drive them, but this was evidently to be a test of God's power by seeing if He would bring them to Israel. People still tempt God today by trying to prove or disprove His power. Verse nine continues, And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us. The priests then said if the cows brought the Ark back to Israel that they would know that it was God's hand that was punishing them, and not just some random misfortune. Of course, whether the cows returned the cart to Israel or not, it was still God Who was punishing them. We cannot make the existence of God be based on any criteria that we might propose, but must accept by faith that God is Who He says He is. Verse ten states, And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: Verse eleven adds, And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. The lords of the Philistines did as the priests had told them to do, including locking the calves up at home, which would have tended to make the cows go there. Like the Philistines, people often attempt to stack the deck in an attempt to prove or disprove the power of God.
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