6:10-12
The priests’ instructions were carried out to the letter. The cows duly went straight up to Beth Shemesh. Beth Shemesh was in a valley connecting Philistia and Israel. The cows had had no training at all, so it was a miracle that they went straight along the road to Beth Shemesh. The philistine rulers followed them as far as the border, so they knew where the Ark was heading.
6:13-16
When the Philistine towns had seen the Ark coming they were full of fear, for they expected death to accompany it. The Israelites had a very different reaction, rejoicing at the return of the Ark. The cart stopped beside a large rock in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. We have no idea who this Joshua was. They chopped up the cart and sacrificed the cows there. Bulls were the normal offering, but given the situation this seemed a reasonable thing to do. The Levites took charge of the situation, and various other offerings were made. The Philistine rulers saw all this and reckoned that they had now resolved the problem.
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