I Shmuel 6: Golden Rats and Copper Snakes

The Philistines ended up with more than they bargain for. Thinking they were victorious having captured the Ark, their reward was a plague of hemorrhoids. Shifting the Ark around to different cities was not helping either. The Philistine people approach their priests and mystics and seek a plan for sending the Ark back. The decision is made to send the Ark along with five golden rat statues and five golden hemorrhoid statues (whatever that is). Why did the priests choose this set up? Ancient near eastern cultures often created models of body parts that were afflicted with disease as offerings to gods an in an attempt to heal themselves. It’s also possible that the priests were trying to copy things that they heard of the Israelites. It was also common practice for ancient near eastern cultures to assume some of the gods and practices of defeated peoples. It’s probably why the Philistines originally placed the ark in the temple of Dagon. The Philistines themselves had referenced the exodus a few times in the past few chapters, and in verse 6, so they were aware of the exodus story. In the wilderness, God afflicted the Israelites with venomous snakes. When the people complained to Moshe, God had Moshe craft a copper snake to place on a large pole. The people would look up at the snake and would be healed. Perhaps the Priests knew of this story, and that is why they had the Philistines craft these statues of the sources of the plague. The copper snake did not heal the people. It only healed them when they used it to focus on God and repent for their sins. That could be the message that the Navi has for the Israelites. After they were first routed, the Israelites thought they could win the battle by bringing the Ark to the fight. They wrongly put their faith in a golden object, and not in God. Unlike the Philistine gods, God does not reside in an object. The people do not need the Ark to go into battle with them, they simply need their faith in God to protect them.