Now the Ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.” So they said, “If you send away the Ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.” Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?” (1 Samuel 6:1-6)
The Ark of the Covenant fell into the hands of the Philistines because of the wickedness of the sons of Eli and their belief that carrying the Ark into battle would assure victory. It did not. The campaign was lost, the sons of Eli were killed and the Ark was taken to Philistia.
The Philistines suffered much for taking the Ark, and the leaders and people of the Philistines wanted it gone, and with it, the problems it brought upon their land. In 1 Samuel 5:9, we read, “So it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them.”
First Samuel 6:4 is of interesting note. When seeking advice from the priests and the diviners of the Philistines, the leaders were told to send back a trespass offering with the Ark when they sent it back to Israel. Specifically, they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.”
This is a small indication of the inequities of the ancient times. What affected the poor and the common people often did not touch the leaders, the wealthy and the protected. God, though, does not respect the status of a man, but instead He judges them based upon their deeds.
As more and more individuals of prominence, from famous actors to U.S. Senators, to the Prime Minister of England, contract the Coronavirus, let us remember something about God and this life: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28).
God’s judgment, and His salvation, are available to all men, no matter their status, no matter their ethnicity, and no matter their wealth. Every man will meet his Maker one day. When that day comes for you, will you be ready?
