The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
(1 Samuel 6:1-9 ESV)
This lesser-known historical account is not one many kids know from growing up in Sunday School. And there is a reason for that. It involves not those who claimed to be God's people; it is an outside look into what happened when the Ark of the LORD was "away on vacation." The offering which was recommended was fitting, as many scholars believe the plague God sent on them was much like the bubonic plague - spread by mice or rats. The key phrase in it all is found in the core of the paragraph: "give glory to the God of Israel." God will be glorified one way or another. If His own people turn from Him and His glory departs (chapter 4), He will still be glorified, even if by his opponents. These advisers err on the side of caution when they suggest the Philistine leaders learn from Pharaoh and the Egyptians: "Don't harden your heart against God. Surrender to Him." Thus the lesson we as professing believers are to learn from an event not involving us. Of all people, we should not harden our hearts, but surrender to Him.
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