I Samuel 6: The Ark Goes Home

After seven months of reaping only disaster from their capture of the Ark, the Philistines are apparently ready to wash their hands of the whole thing.  They hatch a plan to put the Ark on a cart, along with a guilt offering of five gold mice and five gold tumors.  The cart is to be guided by two dairy cows who had never before been yoked and who are missing their calves penned up back home.  The Philistines watch in amazement as the cows promptly set out to return the Ark to Israel.  The Philistines realize that, rather than standing in opposition to God and bearing the heavy cost of a plague of tumors, they are farther ahead to let the Ark return to their enemies.  In this chapter, the Ark makes its journey home from Philistia to the Israelite towns of Beth-shemesh and Kiriath-jearim.