The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 156
SECT. CLVI.
THE Philiſtines having taken the Ark, they carried(a)Illa lex de non tangenda Area ad ſolos Iſraelitas ſpectavit, unde Philiſtini Arcam tangentes non dederunt poenas quia culpam non contraxerunt. Mendoz. it (undoubtedly with great Triumph) to Aſhdod (ſince call'd Azotus, Act. 8.40.) and placed it in the Temple of Dagon their God, preſenting it as a captive before their Idol, by whoſe help poſſibly they perſwaded themſelves they had overcome the Hebrews and their God; yet poſſibly they had ſome kind of reverence for it, and therefore feared to offer any violence to it, or to open it, or take forth the Tables of the Law that were in it; but however that was, they placed it near unto Dagon. The Prieſts of Dagon riſing early the next morning, and coming to ſee how the Ark and their Idol had agreed together, they found that Dagon was fallen on his face to the earth before the Ark, whereby the Lord did diſcover to them what a vain Idol their Dagon was, and that the God of Iſrael was the only true Almighty God, and that he had caſt down their Idol-god in his own Temple. The Prieſts took their Idol and ſet it up again, and no doubt uſed all their skill to faſten it, and make it ſure from falling any more. But coming again the next morning they found their Dagon fallen again upon his face to the ground before the Ark, and his head, and both the palmes of his hands (e)Gravius ſecunda vice mutilatur Dagon, ut ſic intelligerent Azotii & veri Numinis potentiam, & Idoli ſui vanitatem. Fag.cut off, and caſt at the threſhold of the Houſe, only the ſtump and lower part of him was left intire. Their Dagon being thus broken to pieces, the Prieſts could not ſet him up again, nor conceal his ruin from the people, as poſſibly before they had done; they might ſee now that it was not by any Caſualty, but by the will and power of God that he was thus thrown down. But though God had caſt the head and hands of Dagon to the threſhold, that ſo they might as it were be deſpiſed and trodden upon by thoſe that came into that houſe, yet the Prieſts and the people of Aſhdod were ſo ſuperſtitious (d)Nulla Miracula ſatis magna ſunt ad animum impium emendandum citra Dei ſpiritum. P. Martyr.(even to the time when this Hiſtory was written) that they would not ſo much as tread on the threſhold of that Temple, accounting it ſanctified by the touch of the head and hands of their Idol. And thus by the over-ruling Providence of God, even their ſuperſtition became a means to perpetuate the memory of this wonderful work of God in confounding their Idol, which otherwiſe might in ſome ſhort time have been forgotten. The Lord having thus clearly diſcovered to the men of Aſhdod that their Dagon was a vain Idol, and that the God of Iſrael (whoſe Ark they had boldly ſurprized) was the only true God, which he had ſufficiently demonſtrated, firſt by caſting down their Idol before his Ark, and at laſt by breaking it in pieces, yet notwithſtanding they continued as ſuperſtitiouſly devoted to their Idol as they were before, and were not afraid ſtill to detain the Ark of God in captivity. Therefore the Lord reſolved to puniſh them ſeverely for it, and accordingly his hand was heavy upon the City of Aſhdod, and upon the Coaſts thereof, and he deſtroyed and waſted their land by ſending multitudes of Mice among them, Ch. 6.5. and ſmote them with the Emerods, a diſeaſe not only painful, but as the Pſalmiſt intimates, (Pſal. 78.66.) diſgraceful alſo, and to many of them mortal, as appears from v. 10. The men of Aſhdod ſeeing in what a ſad condition they were, they openly ſaid, the Ark of the God of Iſrael ſhould not abide among them; for they plainly ſaw that his hand was heavy upon themſelves by inflicting this ſtrange diſeaſe upon them, and that it had been heavy alſo upon Dagon their God; wherefore they convened the Lords of the Philiſtines to conſult together what courſe was fit to be taken in this caſe. Theſe Lords agreed that the Ark ſhould be carried from thence to Gath (another of their five principal Cities, ſituate upon an hill near unto the Sea, ſee Amos 6.2.) reſolving thereby to try whither it was the preſence of the Ark that had cauſed thoſe plagues, or whither they came by any other accident. The Ark being brought to Gath, God ſmote the inhabitants thereof both ſmall and great with Emerods in their ſecret parts; hereupon they ſent away the Ark to Ekron, another of the principal Cities of the Philiſtines; when it was come thither, the Ekronites cry'd out, they have brought the Ark of the God of Iſrael to us to bring upon us the ſame plagues that they have been plagued with becauſe of it. And it fell out accordingly; for immediately there was a deadly deſtruction throughout the City, (poſſibly ſome mortal contagion reigned among them) and the men that died not of that plague were yet ſmitten with the Emerods, ſo that the cry of the city went up to heaven; hereupon they alſo convened the Lords of the Philiſtines, and deſired them to ſend away the Ark to its own place, viz. to the land of the Iſraelites, that they might not be deſtroyed by reaſon of it. But theſe Lords being very loth to part with ſo glorious a Trophie of their victory, deſired yet to try a little further, and therefore ſent it after this to Gaza and Askelon (as appears Ch. 6.4, 17.) which Cities felt the ſame plagues by reaſon of the Ark which the other had done. Thus the Ark of the Lord was in the Country of the Philiſtines ſeven months (a)Miru… hic ſtupor quod tam diu in ſuo conſilio pertinaces haereant & tot hominum funere ſuam inſaniam tueri vellent. Sanctius.; but they being at laſt convinced that the keeping of the Ark among them was the true cauſe of their preſent calamities, they reſolved to ſend it back, and thereupon called for their Prieſts and Diviners to adviſe them in what manner they ſhould do it, that they might appeaſe the wrath of the God of Iſrael, and that he might heal their land, and remove their plagues. The Prieſts adviſe them that if they did reſolve to ſend it back, they ſhould not ſend it without ſome gift or preſent, or treſpaſs-offering, becauſe they had treſpaſſed againſt the God of Iſrael by carrying away his Ark captive, and had not given it that honour and reſpect that was due to it. And then (ſay they) ye ſhall be healed, if his hand has been upon you by reaſon of your detaining his Ark; but if it were upon you for any other cauſe, it will be upon you ſtill after the Ark is ſent home. Thus the alwiſe-Providence of God cauſeth theſe Idolatrous Prieſts (who were enemies to him and his true Worſhip) to give ſuch counſel as tended to his honour, and the ſhame of their Idols, and falſe worſhip. The Philiſtines ask their Prieſts what Treſpaſs-offering they ſhould ſend? They anſwer, five golden Emerods, and five golden Mice, according to the number of the Princes of the Philiſtines, and the five principal Cities, with their villages that were under their command. For one and the ſame plague was on them all, (ſee v. 17, 18.) even on all the land of the Philiſtines which extendeth unto the great ſtone of Abel, that is, mourning, (ſee v. 19.) ſo called from the peoples great lamentation for the ſlaughter God made among them, upon an occaſion which we ſhall ſpeak of afterwards. By theſe preſents they acknowledged that the God of Iſrael brought upon them thoſe plagues of the Emerods and Mice for their detaining his Ark, and ſo by them they gave glory to his great name, ſee Joſh. 7.19. 'Tis poſſible Satan might inſtigate theſe Diviners to ſend ſuch abſurd and ridiculous gifts as theſe with the Ark in contempt of God; but if it were ſo, that which Satan intended as a diſhonour, the Lord by his over-ruling Providence ſo diſpoſed of as tended to his glory, ſeeing the Philiſtines themſelves were made to ſend into the land of Iſrael ſuch things which would there remain as perpetual Monuments and Memorials of thoſe ſhameful puniſhments wherewith God had humbled them. However this is the courſe theſe Prieſts adviſe them to take at this time, and peradventure (ſay they) God will hereupon lighten his hand from off you, and from off your Gods; ſo that it ſeems not only Dagon, but ſeveral other of their Idol-gods were thrown down, and broken to pieces by a ſecret hand of God in all their Cities whither the Ark was brought, as 'tis probable the like was formerly done in Egypt, ſee Exod. 12.12. and Numb. 33.4. But though many of the Philiſtines were for ſending back the Ark preſently, yet it ſeems ſome of them were of a contrary judgment, and ſtiffly oppoſed it, wherefore the Prieſts blamed them for thus hardning their hearts againſt the means which God had afforded them to convince them of their ſin; why will you (ſay they) retain the Ark after you have ſuffered ſuch great and grievous puniſhments by it, herein reſembling Pharaoh and the Egyptians who held the people of Iſrael in cruel bondage, notwithſtanding Gods hand was ſo heavy upon them, till at laſt going on in their ſin their whole Army was drown'd in the Sea? If you would avoid the like heavy Judgments, do not imitate them in their ſin. Now therefore take our advice, make a new Cart which hath never yet been put to any common uſe, and take two young heifers on which there hath come no yoke, and faſtning the Cart to them, ſhut up their Calves at home from them, and take the Ark and put it into the Cart, and put thoſe Jewels of Gold, viz. thoſe Golden Images of Emerods and Mice (which ye return for a Treſpaſs-offering) in a little Coffer by the ſide thereof, and ſend it away that it may go, and by this experiment ye ſhall diſcern whither the God of Iſrael hath inflicted theſe puniſhments upon us or no. If theſe young heifers untamed, and untrained quietly bear the yoke, and carry the Ark directly in the way that leadeth to Bethſhemeſh (a City belonging to the Prieſts†Joſh. 21.16. of Judah), and if the kine do carry the Ark thitherward, not offering to go out of the way, or to return to their ſucking Calves ſhut up at home, it will then be evident that their natural love and affection to their young ones is reſtrained by a Supernatural power, and that the kine would never have done it, if Gods hand had not been in the buſineſs, and ſo we may conclude that it was he that ſmote us whilſt we kept the Ark. But if things happen otherwiſe, then we may conclude that it was not his hand that ſmote us, but it was only a chance that happened to us. The Philiſtines agree to do as their Prieſts directed them, and all things being prepar'd, the Kine went directly to Bethſhemeſh, as if they had been ſent thither by God to deliver the Ark into their hands, to whom it belonged to take care of it. But yet by a natural inſtinct they ſometimes lowed after their Calves left behind them, but notwithſtanding went on directly in the way towards Bethſhemeſh, not turning to the right hand or left into any croſs, or by-ways, being moved to go on with the Cart, and to carry the Ark thither, by the all-powerful Providence of God. And the Lords of the Philiſtines went after them unto the borders of Bethſhemeſh to obſerve the iſſue of this experiment, and then returned home, v. 16. The men of Bethſhemeſh were at this time reaping their Wheat-harveſt *Wheat-harveſt in that Country uſed to be in our May at the Feaſt of Pentecoſt, Lev. 23.16. whence we may gather that the Ark was taken about November before, ſeeing it was ſeven months in the cuſtody of the Philiſtines., but lift up their eyes to their great aſtoniſhment and joy, they ſaw the Ark coming towards them; and the Cart came into the Field of Joſhua a Bethſhemite, and ſtood there where there was a great ſtone, and the Prieſts who were of the Tribe of Levi came and took down the Ark of the Lord, and the Coffer that was with it, and ſet them on the great ſtone, and they clave the wood of the Cart and offered the Kine as a Burnt-offering to the Lord.
'Tis true, the Law did command that only males ſhould be offered in Burnt-offerings, Levit. 1.3. but this ſeems to be an extraordinary act of devotion whereunto the Prieſts were led by reaſons grounded upon this ſtrange and extraordinary work which God had wrought, and perhaps by a ſpecial inſtinct of his Spirit, and is not therefore to be judged of according to the rules of ordinary Burnt-offerings. They conſidered poſſibly that theſe Kine had been given up by the Philiſtines to the ſervice of the Lord to bring home the Ark, and having been imployed in ſo ſacred a ſervice, it was not fit they ſhould be imployed to any other uſe, and therefore they reſolved by this way of an extraordinary Burnt-offering to give them up to the Lord. And beſides this Burnt-offering of the Kine, the men of Bethſhemeſh brought their own Oblations to the Prieſts, who offered Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings to the Lord that day for them, as an expreſſion of their thankfulneſs to God for the return of the Ark. But it ſeems ſome of the men of Bethſhemeſh were ſo preſumptuous as to open the Ark and to look into it, whereas it was not lawful for any but the Prieſts (no not for the Levites themſelves who carried it) to look upon it bare and uncovered, ſee Numb. 4.20. yet it ſeems theſe bold Bethſhemites not only took liberty without any fear or reverence to gaze and ſtare upon it, but proceeded further even to look into it; poſſibly to ſee whether the Philiſtines had taken any thing out of it, or put any thing into it; which they ſhould not have done, but only the Prieſts. Hereupon God ſmote ſeventy (a)v. 19. Textus ſic ſe habet percuſſit de populo 70 viros, 50 millia virorum, i. e. percuſſit de populo in quo erant viri 50 mille, viros 70. Syr. & Ar. legunt 5 millia & 70 viros. Sic pro chamiſhim legunt duntaxat chamiſh. q. d. percuſſit de populo Bethſhemitico (in quo erant 5 mille) viros 70. ut ſenſus ſit Deum, pro indulgentia ſua noluiſſe in omnes reos animadvertere, ſed in partem tantum eorum. Ergo ſupplenda eſt foreign ante foreign & reddenda (ſi ſequamur Syr. & Ar.) quin que mille. Quis enim creda… ex oppido non admodum copioſo 50 millia mortuos eſſe, & plurimos relictos qui eorum funera lugerent. Secundum aliquo… ſenſus loci eſt illos 70 viros tales fuiſſe ut a quipararentur 50 millibus de plebeiis, vide 2 Sam. 18.3.of them, (who it ſeems were moſt preſumptuous) though there were many thouſands of them that had adventured to look upon it uncovered. He ſmote of the people (the Text ſays) that were fifty thouſand, (or as the Syriack and Arabick read it five thouſand †Theſe were not all probably the inhabitants of Bethſhemeſh, but many of them ſuch as …ooked from the neighbouring Countries to ſee the Ark when returned.) ſeventy perſons. And the Bethſhemites bewailed this ſad ſlaughter God had made among them in a complaining manner, they ſaid, Who is able to ſtand before this holy Lord God, who manifeſteth himſelf from between the Cherubims! and to whom ſhall the Ark (which is the ſign and pledg of his Preſence) go up from us? Intimating that people would be afraid to entertain it, ſeeing ſuch direful things following of it. So they went to the Inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim (a City in the Tribe of Judah not far from them) to deſire them to fetch the Ark thither, pretending poſſibly it was a place of much more ſafety for it to be in than their City was. The men of Kirjath-jearim were ſo far from oppoſing the bringing of the Ark to their City, notwithſtanding the ſad calamity that had befallen ſo many of the Bethſhemites, that they themſelves fetched it thither, and undoubtedly with much joy, (the Prieſts of Bethſhemeſh carrying it) as believing that it was not the preſence of the Ark among the men of Bethſhemeſh, but their irreverent carriage in gazing upon it, or looking into it, that was the cauſe of their miſery. When they had brought it to their City they placed it in the houſe of Abinadab a Levite, and a man (as 'tis like) of ſingular holineſs, whoſe houſe was on a hill (and poſſibly fenced in, and called Gibeah, 2 Sam. 6.3.) a place of ſtrength and ſafety for the Ark to be kept in. Having carried it into his houſe, they ſanctified Eleazar his Son to keep it, that is, they choſe him to be ſet apart to this holy imployment, to give continual attendance upon the Ark that he might keep others from coming near to pollute or defile it, and they cauſed him to prepare himſelf for this Sacred charge by waſhing his garments, and other ſuch like Ceremonies of Legal purifying. It may ſeem ſtrange that they did not carry the Ark back to the Tabernacle in Shiloh, but it ſeems the Lord would ſhew his indignation againſt the former wickedneſs of that place by not ſuffering the Ark to be carried thither again. So he forſook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, &c. Pſal. 78.60. And the Ark being thus ſeparated from the Tabernacle, they continued divided for ever after; for 'tis ſaid that David prepared a new Tent for it, 1 Chron. 15.1. and it remained at Kirjath-jearim twenty years (d)This cannot be meant of the whole time of the Arks remainning at Kirjath-jearim; for tween the death of Eli (ſhortly after which the Ark was brought to this place) and the beginning of Davids reign when it was removed thence, 2 Sam. 6.2, 3. there muſt needs be forty years allowed for the Government of Saul and Samuel, Act. 13.21. all which time the Ark continued in Kirjath-jearim, unleſs when it was for a while carried forth into the Camp in the War againſt the Philiſtines, Ch. 14.18.before the people could be won to that ſolemn repentance and converſion recited in the following verſes. But though the Ark was at Kirjath-jearim, yet the Tabernacle and publick worſhip of God was at Shiloh.
1 Sam. Ch. 5. wh. Ch. Ch. 6. wh. Ch. Ch. 7. ver. 1, 2.