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1SAMUEL
CHAPTER 6

1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 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.

For seven months the Philistines tried to move the ark around and get away from the inevitable fact that this was God's hand of discipline upon them. Finally they called for the "diviners" -- or religious men -- and asked what to do.
Why is it that people will always seek a physical answer before a spiritual answer?

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. 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. 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 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?

These religious men may not have been saved, but they sure had a good answer. Their reply was to send the ark home, and send a trespass offering with it.
A trespass offering would admit guilt and request forgiveness.
The trespass offering suggested was five golden mice, and five golden images of the "emerods."
Also, the religious men suggested that they HURRY, because just as God had wrought disease and death in Egypt, so He was doing here.
Note the urgent call to repentance in verse 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: 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. 9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-she'mesh, 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.

A plan of action was also suggested. Place the ark on a cart (with the golden images as a trespass offering). The cart was to be drawn by two couws which had just had baby calves.
This was using nature contrary to itself. If the cows went away from their lowing calves, they would KNOW that it was God Who was causing it.

10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 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. 12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-she'mesh, 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-she'mesh.

The elders/leaders of the Philistines did as requested. And the cows went straight for Bethshemesh leaving their crying calves behind.

13 And they of Beth-she'mesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 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. 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 Beth-she'mesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.

There were Levites in Bethshemesh. They took the ark and placed in on a great stone with the golden offering the Philstines had sent. Then they sacrificed the two cows to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving.
They also offered other sacrifices and offerings to the Lord (verse 15).

16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 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; 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.

The five elders/leaders of the Philistines had evidently followed the cart. When they saw what was done, they were satisfied and went home.
It is interesting to note the names in verse 18. Abel is the stone of "sacrifice" upon which the Levites placed the ark of the covenant. And the field of Joshua is the "filed of praise."

19 And he smote the men of Beth-she'mesh, 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. 20 And the men of Beth-she'mesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-je'arim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

The people of Bethshemesh must have had a conference and decided to look into the ark. Not good! God struck 50,070 men DEAD!!
These people acted irreverently toward God's symbol of His Presence and the carrier of His Word.
According to Numbers 4:17-20, only the High Priest and his sons were to care for the covering and cleaning of the ark. The Levites were only to CARRY the ark, and then only on two "staves" or long poles. It was also commanded that they should not "touch" the ark (2Samuel 6:6-7).
Now the people of Bethshemesh are anxious to get rit of the ark as much as the Philistines before them.
People who are insincere, and treat God's wonders (such as the Bible and church) with disrespect are quite ready to be separated from the Bible and church!!

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."(1John2:19)