The Trespass Offering

And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the Lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your Lords. 1 Samuel 6:3‭-‬4 KJV

It is very significant to note that when people live together, they tend to copy each others culture. There is a popular oha soup that was originally of the Igbo’s in the south east of Nigeria, Today, by a simple cultural diffusion, the soup is a favourite of the south south as well. There was the same cultural diffusion in religious practices with Israeli neighbours. The concept of trespass offering was an old testament practice. Here is how an author describes it: ” The trespass/guilt offering was required when a person unintentionally violated some of the Lord’s holy things. “Holy things” would normally refer to things that had been dedicated to the Lord—anything from the sanctuary itself to the portion of the offerings that were normally reserved for the priests”. So it was not necessarily a Phillistinian religious practice. When they were affected by the presence of the ark, they made the attempt to return it with a trespass offering. They acknowledged that they crossed the line by taking away the ark. When there are battles you can’t fight, ask for the help of God. The fact that they used animals who wouldn’t leave their calves is a clear indication that the driver was God. What has the enemy stolen from you? They won’t just return it, it will be accompanied by a trespass offering, in Jesus Name.