1 Samuel 6

         Verses 1-6: The ark of the covenant is in the hands of the Philistines for seven months. (v.1) As described in the previous chapter, the men of Ekron summon their lords and beg them to send away the ark because of the plague of boils that has come upon them. The Philistine lords summon their priests and diviners and ask them for the best way in which to send the ark back to the Israelites. (v.2) The fact that the priests instruct the lords to offer up a trespass offering (v.3) doesn’t mean that they truly believe in the God of Israel. All the cultures of the ANE at this time are very superstitious, and whenever a catastrophe of this magnitude comes upon them, they automatically assume that the gods are angry with them. Naturally, the only way to appease the gods is to offer up some form of sacrifice, and that’s what the Philistine priests and diviners are telling the lords to do here.
            It is possible, however, that God did reveal to the heathen priests in some way that a trespass offering is needed, though He clearly did not instruct them on what exactly that type of offering is supposed to be. This is evidenced by the instructions of the priests to the Philistine lords in verses 4-6. Since gold is extremely valuable, and since almost every form of idol worship in the ANE at this time involved gold and silver in some way, the priests naturally believe that that is what the God of Israel would deem acceptable as a trespass offering.
            The fact that the priests exhort the lords to “…give glory unto the God of Israel…” so that “…He will lighten His hand from off you…” is further evidence that God very likely communicated to these priests, just he did with Balaam and the king of Gerar. (Genesis 20:3-4, Numbers 22:12) This is also further proof that God had very likely revealed Himself to all of the nations of the promised land in this manner at some point before the arrival of Israel. Thus they had no excuse for the righteous judgment that God inflicted upon them for their rebellion and unbelief. The priests even cite the plagues with which God cursed the Egyptians for their refusal to free the Israelites. (v.6) Once they let the Israelites go, the plagues ended.
            Many Biblical scholars and historians – Martin Luther among them – believe that the disease described in these chapters is the bubonic plague, as represented by the five golden mice. Mice and rats are the primary source of that plague, and it’s very possible that this was revealed to the priests by God when they sought Him for a solution to this problem.
 
            Verses 7-12, 16-18: The priests instruct the Philistine lords to build a cart on which to put the ark of the covenant and hitch it to two cows who have never been yoked before. (v.7-8) The cows should be new mothers whose calves are separated from them and locked away in the barn. (v.10) The reason for this is that the cows’ natural instinct would be to return to the barn to be with their calves. But if they instead begin walking towards Beth-shemesh, then the lords can be certain that it was God that brought this plague upon them and their people. And that is exactly what happens as soon as the ark and the trespass offering of the golden mice and emerods is placed on the cart. (v.12, 16) Beth-shemesh is the closest inhabited Israelite city to Ekron, located in the Sorek valley. (See Figure 1 from chapter 5.) Each Philistine city in this region is ruled by one lord,  making them a total of five. (v.17-18) Hence the reason for five golden mice and five golden emerods.
 
            Verses 13-15, 19-21: When the ark arrives in Beth-shemesh, it’s reaping season. The men are in the fields, harvesting their wheat, and the particular field where the cows arrive belongs to Joshua. (v.14) The cows stop at a great stone near his field, and the men of Beth-shemesh rejoice at the return of the ark. (v.13) The Levites remove the ark from the cart, as well as the trespass offering, and then use the stone as an altar upon which to sacrifice a burnt offering to the LORD. (v.15) The two cows are the substance of that offering. (v.14)
            Had they stopped there, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh would not have suffered the wrath of God. But sometime after the arrival of the ark and the burnt offering, either the Levites or other men of that city dare to violate the sacredness and holiness of the ark of the covenant by opening it and peering inside. (v.19) The law of Moses had clearly dictated how the ark was to be handled and transported and only the Levites are allowed to do this. But even the priests are not allowed to physically touch the ark, nor is anyone allowed to open it. Because of this grievous and heinous violation of God’s holiness and His law, He strikes down 50,070 of the people of Beth-shemesh.
            Does that number seem rather large for a small Israelite village or town? Sure. But is that what is clearly stated in this passage? Yes. The KJV 1611 Bible is the perfect, inerrant word of God, and therefore we should not question that number. Scripture clearly says what it says, period. It is 50,070 men and women that die as a result of the egregious sin of only a few men. Because of this, the survivors send a desperate plea to the men of Kirjath-jearim, letting them know of the ark’s return and begging them to send some men to fetch it. (v.20-21)