1. Send an offering (1-6)

The Philistines had been afflicted terribly, so they decided to send the ark of the Lord back to Israel. But they had a question about how to accomplish this. Their pagan priests advised them to send it back with a gift as a guilt offering to the Lord. They knew the history of the Lord and his people. Though they were idol worshipers, they acted out of reverent fear when the Lord made his Presence known.

2. Two cows (7-21)

The Philistines took two cows that had never been yoked, separated them from their newborn calves and hitched them to the cart with the ark. A mother cow would never submit to this, but not only did these two cows both proceed to pull the ark, they took it straight up to the Israelite town of Beth Shemesh. The Lord showed himself holy. There were some in Beth Shemesh who did not honor God and were struck down. The men of Kiriath Jearim however took the ark and treated it with respect.