Returning The Ark

Returning the Ark

Q: After the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, what happened to them?

• a. They suffered a plague of tumors.
• b. They were successful in all their battles.
• c. They became followers of God.

The Philistines’ chief god was Dagon, whom they believed sent rain and a good harvest. They had other gods, too, because they thought more gods meant more protection. That may be why they wanted the Ark of the Covenant. To them it was one more assurance of success and well-being.

The Philistines placed the Ark in the temple of Dagon next to an idol of Dagon. The next morning the people found Dagon face down on the ground in front of the Ark. They put him back in his place. The next morning Dagon was on the ground again, and this time his arms and legs were broken off.

This wasn’t the only thing that happened. Everyone in and near Ashdod, where the Ark was, was struck with a plague of tumors. The Philistines moved the Ark to two more towns, but the same thing happened.

The Philistines decided to send the Ark back to Israel, hoping they would be healed. They put the Ark on a new cart and hitched it to two cows that had recently given birth. They used this as a test. If the cows followed their natural instincts and returned to their calves, the Philistines would know it was a coincidence they had the plague. But if the cows headed toward Israel with the Ark, they’d know the plague was from God. The cows headed straight to Israel to return the Ark of the Covenant to the Israelites.

Both the Philistines and the Israelites thought of the Ark as a trophy or good luck charm, not a sign of God’s presence. His desire was for the people to acknowledge him as God and to follow his rules, but they missed the point many times.

For You

God has given you a sign of his presence because he’s given you his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can help guide you on the right path if you allow him to. Just listen for his leading as he speaks to you through the Word or your conscience.

Answer: a

The LORD’s heavy hand struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors. When the people realized what was happening, they cried out, “We can’t keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer! He is against us! We will all be destroyed along with Dagon, our god.”   1 Samuel 5:6-7

(The Whole Story: 1 Samuel 5:1–7:1)