How did the Philistines learn that things do not happen by chance (1 Samuel 6:9)?

To be rid of the burdensome Ark was now the desire of the Philistines after retaining it for seven months. They seek the advice of their priests and diviners, who wisely suggest that it should not be sent away empty, but be accompanied by a trespass offering, in order that it may be known by their being healed from the plagues why the hand of God had been upon them. This advice is strictly followed. A new cart was prepared to carry it, and two milch kine on which yoke had never been laid were harnessed to it. The trespass offering, consisting of five golden mice and five golden tumours, images of the plagues with which they had been chastened, were placed in a coffer by the side of the Ark on the cart, and the kine left to themselves as to their course.

It was a most ingenious test. The two kine were tied to the cart and their calves shut up at home. If the kine took the way to Bethshemesh, on the coast of Israel's territory, "then God has done us this great evil," they said, "but if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that smote us, it was a chance that happened to us." God condescends to submit to this test, and the kine with no driver visible to human eyes turn not to their shut-up calves, but contrary to all natural instincts, take the straight road to Bethshemesh, lowing as they went; "and turned not aside to the right hand or the left, until they came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite." Thus God directed His creatures, and the lords of the Philistines who had followed the cart all the way, returned to Ekron satisfied with the proof that it was the hand of God that had been upon them, their gods, and their land. The Lord might allow His people to become subject to their enemies because of their unfaithfulness, but He does not give them up. He even says, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." (Amos 3:2.) But He also says, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." (Isa. 40:1.)

Though fully purposed to return the ark to Israel, the Philistines know nothing of God's ways as to this, and resort to the natural expedient of sending it back to Israel on a new cart. Of course they might have invited the Jews to come and take it back to their land by means of the priests carrying it, as was God's order. But God makes no issue of this with the Philistines. The cows they chose to pull the cart were not accustomed to this, and also were milk cows having new-born calves. They propose to give them no driver, but let them go as they will. With their calves locked up at home, their natural bent would have been to return directly to them. The images of gold were put in a coffer beside the ark.

This was to be the one last clear evidence to the Philistines of whether or not it was God who had plagued them because of the ark. If the cattle would go straight toward Beth-shemesh in Israel (the most direct route), then they would know that this affliction had been from God's hand: if not, they would consider that only chance had been involved in the whole ordeal. Even though the previous evidence had been very clear, men are extremely slow to give God the honor that is rightly His.

But God allows no slightest question to remain. The cows take the straight road toward Beth-shemesh, in spite of their natural aversion to doing so, protesting all the way by lowing for their calves. The rulers of the Philistines followed them all the way to the border of Israel to make sure they did not turn back.

Of course the men of Beth-shemesh, busy at the time of harvest, were astonished and joyful to see the ark. The cows turned into a field of a certain man named Joshua and stopped beside a great stone. Levites came and removed the ark and the coffer of golden jewels from the cart to the stone, then cut up the wood of the ark and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. As to the five rulers of the Philistines, it is said only that they witnessed this and returned to Ekron. No mention is made of whether or not the plague was immediately eased in their land.

They turn for advice to their diviners, for which the Philistines were famed (Isa. 2:6). The diviners, apparently, discern that in these judgments Jehovah is maintaining His own glory, and they counsel the Philistines to give glory to the God of Israel; to return the ark to Israel accompanied by a trespass offering. Moreover, they suggest that the ark should be returned in a way that would clearly demonstrate that what had happened was from the hand of God, and no mere coincidence.

Accordingly the ark is placed upon a new cart drawn by two milch kine, their calves being taken from them. Contrary to nature the kine leave their calves and, without any promptings from man, take the ark to Beth-shemesh, lowing as they go, thus giving proof that they acted by some power above the instincts of nature. Thus God stoops to meet these heathen in their distress, and at the same time vindicates His glory in the sight of His enemies. God makes manifest that the victory of the Philistines over transgressing Israel was no victory over Him. Their trespass offering, however ignorantly made, is a recognition that the capture of the ark has only brought judgment from a God whom they now seek to propitiate.

"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: 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. 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" (1 Sam. 6:7-9).

It was a most severe test; nothing but the power of God could cause the cows, contrary to nature, to go as they did straight on to Beth-shemesh, the nearest Israelitish town, some nine or ten miles distant. Everything was against the ark's getting safely out of the land; the cattle were unaccustomed to the yoke; they knew not the road to Beth-shemesh; no driver nor overseer had they to guide them; they had the strongest instinct of animals — love for offspring — to turn them back; and what is common to domestic animals, an inclination for home. Yet they "took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went," showing thus that they were impelled by the unseen, irresistible power of their Creator. "And the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh." Thus, "those that thought to triumph over the ark, were made to go like menial servants after it," as Matthew Henry remarks. Yes; "in the thing wherein they dealt proudly, He was above them!"

And so the kine with their precious burden go on their way, unwilling enough as far as nature is concerned, lowing for their absent calves as they went, but not for a moment turning aside; and the lords of the Philistines who follow them are constrained at last to admit that God has vindicated His honor and manifested the reality of His own presence and His own care for His throne. They follow and see the ark deposited upon a great rock, may we not say, type of that unchanging Rock on which rests the throne of God, the basis of all sacrifice and of all relationship with Him, even Christ Himself? And here we leave the Philistines, who return to their home, glad, no doubt, to be well rid both of the plagues and of Him who had inflicted them.*

The Philistines are obliged to acknowledge the power of the God of Israel, whom Israel could not glorify. His judgments suggested a means to their natural conscience which, while proving that the influence of the almighty power of God is felt even by creatures devoid of intelligence, causing them to act against their strongest instincts, manifests also that it was indeed Jehovah, the Omnipotent God, who had inflicted the chastisement under which they were suffering.

On a new cart, and with two milch kine, whose calves had been taken home, the ark was sent on its way to Bethshemesh. This was to prove whether the judgments had come from God, or whether "it was a chance" that had befallen them. Nature would have caused the cows to return for their calves, but guided by the God of Israel they took their way straight before them "lowing as they went." The five lords of the Philistines followed after, right to the border of Bethshemesh, and having seen all that took place, returned to Ekron, no doubt convinced that the God of Israel had indeed been dealing with them, and glad to have His ark no longer in their midst.

The latent unbelief in the heart of the Philistines is seen in the way they took to restore the ark to the land of Israel. Who would have thought of taking two heifers who had never known the yoke, and harnessing them to a cart without drivers? Would not this insure the destruction of the ark? And to accentuate the difficulty, the calves of these cattle were left behind, so that all nature was against the ark ever reaching the land of Israel. May we not well believe there was a latent hope in the hearts of the people that it would turn out differently from what they were constrained to believe? "If it goeth up by the way of its own coast to Beth-shemesh, then He hath done us this great evil; but if not, then we shall know it was not His hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us." Truly, if the living God Himself were not directly concerned in it all, if it were not absolutely His hand that had inflicted the blow on account of the presence of His ark, if it were not His will to restore His throne again to His people, no better means could have been taken to manifest the fact.

These Philistines then propose a new cart and "kine, on which there has come no yoke," as a test of the Lord. "Take the ark of Jehovah," say their advisers, "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. And see, if it goes up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he has 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." And the Lord deigned to meet them on their own test. Surely this was very gracious; and shows what a God we have to do with, not only for ourselves, but even for those that know Him less. "And the men did so: and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:" that is, that the cry of the calves and the natural instincts of the dam might lead it to go forth towards its young. Instead of that, the kine leave their young, go in a totally opposite direction, and take a course that they had never taken before, contrary to all the instincts of their nature in the brute creation. "And they laid the ark of Jehovah upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 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 to the border of Beth-shemesh."

Thus God met the thought of the heart where there was but the working of conscience, without the light of revealed truth, not the knowledge of God, but the instinctive feeling of His hand, in order that there might be a voice in their conscience. If they hardened themselves against it, or forgot it, so much the worse would it be for them. "And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 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 to Jehovah. And the Levites took down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to Jehovah. And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day."

1 Sam. 6. Good sense in the priests. They sent back the ark, with the thought that the God of the ark was more powerful than the affection of the cows for their calves. God could overrule nature; otherwise, that which had happened to them was mere chance. When David brought back the ark, he had not the good sense of the priests of the Philistines.