Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. – 1 Samuel 6:7

Today's Scripture Reading (March 31, 2022): 1 Samuel 6

It is a scientific principle that has been practiced for centuries. You make an observation, consider the possible explanations for what you have observed, and plan a test that will examine the hypothesis. In so doing, we can learn more about the world surrounding us. We have all heard the tale of a young Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree when an apple began its descent toward the scientist's head. The story is likely apocryphal, as in, it didn't really happen, at least, not that way. William Stukeley, an archaeologist and an early biographer of Newton, might have the key to what happened at the apple tree. In "Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton's Life," Stukeley relates what might be the real story of the apple tree.

"After dinner, the weather being warm, we went into the garden and drank tea, under the shade of some apple trees…he told me, he was just in the same situation, as when formerly, the notion of gravitation came into his mind. It was occasion'd by the fall of an apple, as he sat in contemplative mood. Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground, thought he to himself…"

Of course, the result of the observation was "The Theory of Gravity," and many scientists have observed and conducted many experiments to examine precisely what was happening as Newton's Apple, or any other object, fell perpendicularly to the ground. And, if we are willing to listen, we learn more and more about this force we call gravity with every experiment. We have varied the size and shape of the object and watched for any differences as the thing fell. And with every experiment, we learned a little more about the force of the earth that seems to draw everything to itself.

The Philistines are suffering under a sickness that has created tumors in the people and has killed many. The priests have observed the illness, but they don't know the cause. But they have come up with a hypothesis. The priests believe that the sickness is related to the Philistine possession of the Ark of the Covenant. But the Ark is valuable, and if it is not the cause of the illness, they don't want to lose the Ark.

So, the priests propose an experiment. They suggest that the Ark be placed onto a cart, and then two cows who have never been yoked, but have calved, be placed at the front of the cart. Then take their calves away from the cows and set them loose. Nature says these calves who have never been yoked should rebel and go nowhere. If they do go somewhere, it should be in the direction of the calves and not toward Israel, the home of the Ark. For these cows to take the Ark to Israel was going to take a miracle of God. If the cows did carry the Ark to Israel, it would only be because God decided that Israel was where the Ark needed to be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 7