20140323 Sunday, March 23 2014
1 Samuel 06: The Return Of The Ark

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"The Philistines have brought again The Ark of the LORD"

The Philistines captured The Ark (see Exodus 37: The Tabernacle Furnishings and Turning The Tables) after the Israelites wrongfully removed it from the Tabernacle (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Tabernacle) and took it into battle (see 1 Samuel 4: The Capture Of The Ark). The Israelite battle loss was brought about by the LORD for their disobedience to His Command and to fulfill the prophesied fall of the house of Eli (see 1 Samuel 2: The Prophecy Of The House Of Eli). The Philistines themselves however soon experienced the wrath of the LORD because they had taken The Ark (see 1 Samuel 5: Why Did The Philistines Want To Return The Ark?).

When the Philistines had enough, they pleaded to their "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"?

"6:1 And the ark of the LORD [Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God] was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 6:2 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.

6:3 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.

6:4 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. 6:5 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. 6:6 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?

6:7 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: 6:8 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. 6:9 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." (1 Samuel 6:1-9 KJV)

The Divine Will signs then happened. The two Philistine cows, who had never been hitched to a cart before, freely left their bellowing calves that had been taken away from them and went straight to where they had never been before - to the Israelites.

"6:10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 6:11 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. 6:12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.

6:13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 6:14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. 6:15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings [see also Leviticus 1: The Burnt Offerings Of The Ancients] and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. 6:16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

6:17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 6:18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite. 6:19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 6:20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

6:21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you." (1 Samuel 6:10-21 KJV)

Fact Finder: Despite its return to Israel, why wasn't The Ark ever returned to the Tabernacle?
See The Parting of The Ark and The Tabernacle and 1 Samuel 2: The Prophecy Of The House Of Eli