They laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart— The excess of their wickedness, says a sensible writer, provoked the Almighty to deliver the Israelites into the hands of the Philistines, who not only overthrew them, but, to complete their misfortune, took from them the ark of God. Now this, in appearance, was a fatal stroke to the cause of religion; for the Israelites, we may conclude, would soon abandon the worship and service of God, when departed from them; nor could the Philistines have any veneration for him, whom they now looked upon in the contemptible light of a vanquished captive to their own tutelar deity. In this state of things, may we not expect that God would interpose in some extraordinary manner, as well to vindicate his own authority, as to recover the ark to his despairing people? It is natural to expect it; nor are we left to expect it in vain; for when the Philistines had carried away the ark in triumph, and placed it by Dagon as a monument of his victory, behold, the next morning they found their God prostrate before it; an evident token of his subjection and inferiority; but evident as it was, his deluded votaries were yet blind to it: the succeeding day, however, brought them clearer evidence; for when they saw him again in the same posture of humiliation, dismembered of his head and hands, they could no longer doubt that his fall was owing to that Being whom he had neither policy nor power to withstand. And now, perhaps, they thought it adviseable to detain the ark as a means of drawing over this superior deity. But God soon convinced them that he chose not to reside amongst them, for he smote them with plagues till the ark was dismissed, and shewed the concern he had for its return, by restraining the natural affections, and directing the steps of those beasts which were harnessed to the carriage; causing them in a miraculous manner to take a particular road, and to stop at a particular place; at Bethshemesh, which was a city of the priests. See Dr. Owen on Scripture Miracles.
REFLECTIONS.—In haste to get rid of the ark, they immediately prepare the offering of golden hemorrhoids and mice, put them in a little coffer, and, with the ark, send them away on the new cart, drawn by two milch-kine.
1. No sooner were they yoked in, than, wonderful to behold! though unaccustomed to draw without a driver, the way quite strange to them, and the strong attractive of their calves behind them, lowing with parental instinct to leave them, yet without the least mistake or reluctance, they pursue the straight road to Beth-shemesh, whilst the lords of the Philistines, who followed them, were fully convinced from whose hands their plagues came.
2. Little thought the men of Beth-shemesh what an invaluable present was sent them. They were reaping when the ark arrived; and, with a transport of wonder, laid down their hooks to run to welcome it. Note; (1.) Though industry is highly commendable, it becomes sinful selfishness, when it makes us neglect the most needful work of prayer and praise to God. (2.) The return of God's presence, and the revival of his pure worship, is matter of unspeakable delight to every faithful soul.
3. They immediately remove the ark and coffer with the jewels of gold, and place them on a great stone, in the field of Joshua, near which the kine had stopped, as at their journey's end; the Levites (among whom might be priests also), to whom this city belonged, take it down; and as the case was so extraordinary, they think themselves authorized to offer sacrifices before the ark, though out of the instituted way. The cart serves for fuel, and the kine which drew it, though females, are offered up for a burnt-offering: besides which, they add other sacrifices, in token of their thankfulness for the mercy. Note, If, in extraordinary cases, a man moved with zeal for God's glory steps out of the instituted way of worship, we ought not to be severe censurers of the irregularity.
4. The stone whereon the ark rested, with the coffer containing the mice and emerods, to which every city under each of the five lords seems to have contributed, long remained a memorial of Philistia's shame, and of the glory of Israel's God.