What appeared as a great victory for the Philistines turned out to be a disaster. All the time they had possession of the ark, they suffered from tumors and the ravaging of their land with rats. When they decided to return the ark, they did so with a gift and in a way that would verify all these troubles came from the God of Israel. They made five golden tumors and five golden rats representing the five lords of the Philistines where they were suffering. They put the ark on a new cart with the offering, attached it to two milch cows with their calves locked up behind them. They said: “Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.” (9) The cows went straight to Beth-shemesh in spite of their calves being locked up demonstrating it was God who had done this. Even when His people fail to honor His presence, God will always defend His great name so He will be honored!