1-Samuel 6 [1-Samuel 6:1] AND THE ARK OF THE LORD WAS IN THE COUNTRY OF THE PHILISTINES SEVEN MONTHS. [1-Samuel 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. Even though these priests and diviners served Idols they were familiar with spiritual matters.  Sometimes such people have insights only their direction of worship is the opposite of what it should be. Another point (indicated by Yehudah Kiel, "Daat Mikra") is that these witch doctors were the representatives of the national religion.  Even though the leaders and people already sensed that the Ark had to be returned for their own safety to do so would be a kind of admission of the supremacy of the God of Israel. They  therefore wanted  the permission of their own religious representatives. In this regard it is perhaps interesting that when Henry viii made his break with Rome and took England away from Roman Catholicism he did so over a theological point. In his legal wrangling with Vatican representatives Henry appealed to the Rabbinical interpretation of the Law as against the Roman one. This may have been no more than a diplomatic legal tactic but nevertheless it has significance. [1-Samuel 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. It shall be clear to you that you were afflicted because you kept His ark in your possession.  Similarly the Egyptians were afflicted for keeping His people in their land and not allowing them to go up to the Land of Canaan. [1-Samuel 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. [1-Samuel 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. There are Commentators (Y. Kiel)  that say that the plague of hemorrhoids (emerods) was caused by mice. [1-Samuel 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? The Egyptians under Pharaoh had hardened their hearts and not let the Israelites go out. They were punished for this and the ten plagues came upon them. The Philistines priests are warning their people not to make the same mistake. [1-Samuel 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: [1-Samuel 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. [1-Samuel 6:9] AND SEE, IF IT GOETH UP BY THE WAY OF HIS OWN COAST TO BETH-SHEMESH, 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 Philistines were still not sure that the disasters had befallen them because of the Ark. They set a sign that if the cattle (kine) would head straight back to Israelite territory then the God of Israel must be responsible. Incidentally the English word "kine" meaning cattle is pure Hebrew and is found as the root in the word "mikneh" also meaning cattle. [1-Samuel 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: The milking cows would usually go frantic and by blind instinct head straight for where they had nurtured their offspring. [1-Samuel 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. [1-Samuel 6:12] AND THE KINE TOOK THE STRAIGHT WAY TO THE WAY OF BETH-SHEMESH, 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  BETH-SHEMESH. [1-Samuel 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. [1-Samuel 6:14] AND THE CART CAME INTO THE FIELD OF JOSHUA, A BETH-SHEMITE, 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. [1-Samuel 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 AND SACRIFICED SACRIFICES THE SAME DAY UNTO THE LORD. [1-Samuel 6:16] AND WHEN THE FIVE LORDS OF THE PHILISTINES HAD SEEN IT, THEY RETURNED TO  EKRON THE SAME DAY. [1-Samuel 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; [1-Samuel 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 BETH-SHEMITE. [1-Samuel 6:19] AND HE SMOTE THE MEN OF BETH-SHEMESH, 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. It was forbidden for unsanctified and unqualified Israelites to approach the Ark and view what was inside it. Cf. <<BUT THUS DO UNTO THEM, THAT THEY MAY LIVE, AND NOT DIE, WHEN THEY APPROACH UNTO THE MOST HOLY THINGS: AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL GO IN, AND APPOINT THEM EVERY ONE TO HIS SERVICE AND TO HIS BURDEN: <<BUT THEY SHALL NOT GO IN TO SEE WHEN THE HOLY THINGS ARE COVERED, LEST THEY DIE>> [Numbers 4:19-20]  . 50,070 people of Israel died.  Their sin  was lack of respect, approaching God without contrition and humility, making the Holy Ark of the Almighty a kind of tourist attraction without the accompanying reverence. It was only the people of  Beth-Shemesh who had so offended but apparently once the wrath of the Almighty had been aroused it was visited upon all Israelites who had such an attitude and thus had created the environment for the offence to take place. The Commentator "Abarbanel" explained that only 70 of those who died were the actual culprits from Beth-Shemesh whereas another 50,000 were casualties from the rest of Israel.   In this case God shows us that in practice there is no difference between the Gentiles and Israelites. Both have their own duties to fulfill before the Almighty. God is harsher with the Israelites because HE is closer to them and more is expected of them. Belonging to Israel is both a merit and a liability. <<YOU ONLY HAVE I KNOWN OF ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH: THEREFORE I WILL PUNISH YOU FOR ALL YOUR INIQUITIES>> [Amos 3:2]. When the Philistines took the ARK into their temple they in effect "forced" the Almighty to be close unto them and to judge them. By "getting rid" of the Ark the Philistines  freed themselves from scrutiny and it was as if Divine Attention would be re-directed towards Israel. When the Lost Ten Tribes were exiled their membership in the legal body of Israel was suspended. Jeremiah (3;8) said "I HAD SENT HER AWAY WITH A DECREE OF DIVORCE": They were cut off. Their membership in the spiritual body of Israel, of the People of God was as if to say suspended.cf. "THEN SAID GOD, CALL HIS NAME LOAMMI: FOR YE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL NOT BE YOUR GOD" [Hosea 1:9]. Legally they were to be considered the same as 'Gentiles" (Yebamot 17) as we have explained frequently.  In a sense this was for their own good since at the individual level at that time they lacked the strength to fulfill their obligations. [1-Samuel 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? [1-Samuel 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. Samuel HOme