What will you do with the Presence?

God afflicted the people of Ashdod and everyone in the surrounding area with a plague of tumours because the Ark was in that town. The people of Ashdod responded to the outbreak of the plague by saying that the Ark must not stay in their town because of the devastation caused to the people and their god Dagon. Therefore, they called an urgent meeting with the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?” The Philistine rulers moved the Ark to Gath, where there was also an outbreak of tumours. Then they sent the Ark to Ekron. As the Ark entered Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out that the Ark of the God of Israel had arrived to bring death and destruction. So they called all the Philistine rulers together and said, “Send…