**The Return of the Ark: A Story of Divine Justice and Reverence**
The Philistines had held the Ark of the Covenant for seven long months, but their triumph had turned to terror. The hand of the Lord had been heavy upon them, bringing devastation to their cities and afflicting their people with tumors. The rulers of the Philistines, desperate for relief, gathered in the city of Ekron to seek counsel. “What shall we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?” they asked one another, their voices trembling with fear. “It cannot remain here, for His wrath is upon us.”
The priests and diviners of the Philistines, men versed in the ways of the gods, offered their advice. “If you intend to send the Ark back to Israel, do not send it away empty,” they said. “You must make a guilt offering to the God of Israel. Perhaps then He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.” They recalled the story of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, how their stubbornness had brought plagues upon them until they released the Israelites. “Do not harden your hearts as the Egyptians did,” they warned. “Return the Ark with a gift, and see if His wrath subsides.”
The rulers agreed and instructed the people to prepare a guilt offering. “What shall we send?” they asked. The priests replied, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, one for each of the Philistine rulers and their cities. For the same plague has struck all of you and your rulers. Make images of the tumors and the rats that have ravaged the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, your gods, and your land.”
The Philistines followed the priests’ instructions, crafting five golden tumors and five golden rats, each meticulously detailed, a stark reminder of the suffering they had endured. They placed these offerings in a chest beside the Ark of the Covenant. Then they prepared a new cart, one that had never borne a burden, and harnessed it to two milk cows that had never been yoked. Their calves were taken away and penned up, leaving the cows to low plaintively for their young. The Philistines placed the Ark and the chest of offerings on the cart, their hands trembling as they did so.
The rulers watched as the cows were led to the road that led to Beth Shemesh, an Israelite town near the border. “If the cows take the Ark up the road to Beth Shemesh, then it is the Lord who has brought this great disaster upon us,” they said. “But if they do not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us, but mere chance.” The people held their breath as the cows were set loose, their lowing echoing in the stillness.
To the amazement of all, the cows went straight up the road toward Beth Shemesh, neither turning to the right nor to the left. They plodded steadily, their heads low, as if guided by an unseen hand. The Philistine rulers followed at a distance, their hearts filled with awe and dread. They watched until the cart crossed the border into Israelite territory, then turned back, their faces pale with fear.
Meanwhile, the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. They looked up and saw the Ark approaching on the cart, drawn by the two cows. Their hearts leapt with joy, and they ran to meet it. The cows came to a stop beside a large rock in the field of Joshua, a man of Beth Shemesh, and the Levites who were present lifted the Ark and the chest of offerings from the cart. They placed the Ark on the rock, and the people offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord, giving thanks for the return of His holy presence.
But their joy was short-lived. Some of the men of Beth Shemesh, overcome with curiosity, looked into the Ark of the Lord. This act of irreverence provoked the Lord’s anger, and He struck down seventy of them. The people mourned deeply, crying out, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom shall the Ark go from here?”
They sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.” The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the Ark to the house of Abinadab, a man who lived on a hill. They consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the Ark, and it remained there for many years, until the time of King David.
Thus, the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Israel, a testament to the power and holiness of the Lord. The Philistines learned that no nation could stand against the God of Israel, and the people of Beth Shemesh were reminded that the Lord must be approached with reverence and awe. The story of the Ark’s return became a lasting reminder of God’s justice, His mercy, and His unchanging holiness.
