1 Samuel 4:1-22
Good morning! We are now in week 5
of our series Prophet and King. We are
going through the lives of Samuel and Saul by exploring the book of I Samuel. A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity
to give the message on the second half of I Samuel chapter 2. That message had the title “A Contrast of
Sons.” Today’s message is going to feel
like another contrast of the sons when compared to last week’s message.
We have a few different individuals in our story today.
1. Samuel is going to make only the briefest appearance in
verse 1.
2. The Philistines are enemies to Israel and subjecting the people to
oppression. This has been going on in
waves since the time of the Judges (roughly 300 years).
3. Elders of Israel have authority over the armies of Israel. There is not yet a king in Israel. These elders are likely representatives (the
heads or chiefs) of the individual tribes.
4. Eli, the former high priest of Israel.
He is 98 years old in this chapter and practically blind. He is father of Hophni and Phinehas as well
as guardian of Samuel. That’s where we
draw the contrast of sons between Eli’s biological sons and Samuel, the Lord’s
son.
5. Hophni and Phinehas who are Eli’s sons most likely listed in birth order. Our passage does not explain who was acting
as high priest (whether Eli or Hophni).
However, Eli is still acting as de facto leader of the people for a
period of 40 years.
6. The Benjamite runner who brings a message back to the city of Shiloh
and Eli.
7. Phinehas’ wife and her newborn child Ichabod, as well as the midwife
or women at her delivery also appear at the end of the chapter.
Who’s missing from this list? God
is. That makes for a bad news kind of
story, doesn’t it?
In both chapters 2 and 3, we see God’s judgment of Eli and his sons. In chapter 2, it is delivered by a man of
God. In chapter 3, the message comes
from God directly to Samuel. In chapter
4, we will see the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy. And so, we will see a rather bleak picture in
today’s passage.
I don’t think anyone is eager to listen to sad stories or bad news. And yet, God allows the truth to be told in
His Scriptures. We don’t get a
sanitized, polished version of behavior.
The Bible tells us like it really was.
This week, I saw a news story saying that movie producers wanted to try
and do away with the label “faith-based” when applied to movies. There were several reasons given and a few
counterpoints mentioned. One of the
counterpoints about the “faith-based” genre of movies was there are movies that
get made where people appear too perfect.
I’m not really interested in unpacking that particular critique, but the
reason that I bring it up is to say that God’s Word does not suffer from a lack
of reality. The Bible is not
sugar-coated. This is a good thing
because in it we see truth, we see cause and effect, we see consequences, we
see failure and restoration. We see our
need, and we see the Savior who can meet our needs.
Let’s pray before we get into our passage …
Lord God, You do not tell us things simply that our itching ears want to
hear. Thank You that You do not seek to
appease us. Thank You that You want us
to know You and have a relationship with You.
Teach us through this passage today.
Let us follow You more closely, we pray.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
I Samuel 4:1 …
And Samuel’s word came to all
Israel.
As I mentioned, this is our only glimpse of Samuel in chapter 4. Based on the closing of chapter 3, Samuel has
now reached adulthood. In chapters 2 and
3, we read about how Samuel ministered before the Lord. This has now changed to include teaching or
preaching. Samuel has begun to instruct
“all Israel.” His ministry to the people
of Israel is increasing.
Meanwhile, with Eli and his sons …
Now the Israelites went out to
fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the
Philistines at Aphek. The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and
as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about
four thousand of them on the battlefield. When the soldiers returned to camp,
the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before
the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD’S covenant from Shiloh, so
that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
So the people sent men to Shiloh,
and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is
enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were
there with the ark of the covenant of God.—I Samuel 4:1-4
The Philistines have been in this area for a long time. Genesis 21:34 speaks of Abraham living among
the Philistines. According to Joshua 13:2, the Lord said that the area of the
Philistines remained to be captured, so God did not intend that the Israelites
and Philistines would still be fighting one another at this time. As a result of the Philistines not being
removed from the land, the people of Israel began to worship their gods. Throughout the book of Judges, God allows the
Israelites to be subjected to the Philistines.
This kind of drama is repeated by the people of Israel with a number of
idol worshiping people groups throughout the Old Testament.
The Israelites are fighting against the Philistines here again. We don’t get the back story of what triggered
this particular conflict. There are
large numbers of soldiers involved as there were 4,000 casualties in this first
battle. In response to the loss, the
elders of Israel come up with a plan to achieve victory.
In part, it is a good plan, at least they see that they don’t have the
Lord “on their side.” However, they
don’t “inquire of the Lord” as David would do regarding what they should do
next. In fact, they blame God for their
defeat. Then, they just decide that they
get God on their side simply by bringing the Ark to the battle.
The only other time that the Ark is found at a battle was at the battle
of Jericho. They carried the ark around
the city each day for seven days, then on the seventh day, they went around the
city seven times with the Ark. Then, the
walls fell outward. The Israelites then
stormed the wide open city for a great victory.
Joshua had specific instructions directly from the Lord of what to do
with the Ark at Jericho.
That is not the case here in I Samuel.
The elders of Israel have made a plan to pull out a game-changer. It’s even strange how they say, “Let us bring
the ark of the LORD’S covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.” They don’t appear to be thinking about the
Lord. They just think the Ark itself
will save them. In contrast, King
Hezekiah would directly take a threatening letter from the King of Assyria into
the temple and spread it out before God and ask what God would do. (II Kings
19:14-37)
Apparently, there was no one around who thought that was a bad idea. This is one of those moments when you wonder
what could have happened if Samuel had a chance to speak truth into the lives
of these elders. Would it have been
possible to avoid what comes next? We
don’t know. They’ve brought the ark to
the battlefield, so let’s read on.
When the ark of the LORD’S covenant
came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.
Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the
Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the ark of
the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come
into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened
before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They
are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. Be
strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they
have been to you. Be men, and fight!”—I Samuel 4:5-9
So, remember that the Ark of the Covenant is essentially a big box. It is the storage place for the stone tablets
on which God wrote the Law with His own hand.
There was also a jar of manna which the Israelites ate during their time
in the wilderness. Finally, Aaron’s rod
was in the ark. This was the rod which
budded and produced flowers and almonds as a sign of God’s endorsement of the
Levites as those responsible for the Tent of Meeting and all its utensils and
articles as well as the sons of Aaron as the priests of God.
The ark is made of wood, but covered entirely with gold. The ark has rings on the sides into which
poles are inserted so that it can be carried.
The poles are wooden and also covered with gold. It is designed to be carried without being
touched. The poles are to stay in the
rings all the time. In fact, in Exodus
37, it explains that the guy who made the ark, Bezalel, put the poles in the
rings. If the people of Israel followed
this instruction in the handling of the ark up to this point, then the poles
have been in place for more than 300 years.
In addition, when it is to be transported, it is to be wrapped in the
separating curtain of the Holy of Holies so that it cannot even be seen. It was only to be uncovered inside the
tabernacle, and then by the priests, not even the other Levites. The cover of the ark served always as the
separating curtain between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place where the
altar and the incense and the lamps were kept.
Then, the priests would cover the curtain with leather wrappings, and
finally a blue cloth was laid over that.
(Numbers 4:5-6) So we likely
shouldn’t imagine a bright gold box with angels on top shining in all its
brilliance. Instead, if they handled the
ark properly, this is a covered box being carried with gold overlaid poles.
There is a replica of the Tabernacle using non-Biblical materials located
in the Timna Valley Park today, so it is primarily for tourists to see as
reference to the scale. This park is way
down in the Arabah at the point of Israel that touches the Red Sea at the
northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. For
reference, the courtyard is less than the quarter the size of a football field. The tabernacle itself is around 700 square
feet.
I said before that the Ark wasn’t really used in battle other than at
Jericho which is true. At the same time,
Numbers 10 tells us that Moses had a particular saying whenever the Ark was
moved.
Whenever the ark set out, Moses
said, “Rise up, LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before
you.” Numbers 10:35
Maybe, these Israelites in our story remembered this admonition. They definitely wanted their enemies to be
scattered. The movement of the people of
Israel before they entered the Promised Land was a pretty precarious
thing. You’ve got a couple of million
people: men, women, and children as well
as all their belongings. In addition,
you’ve got all these parts of the Tent of Meeting. They needed God’s protection.
So, the Ark comes to the Israelite camp.
They rejoice and shout. They
shout so loud that the Philistines hear this.
Somehow they find out the Ark has arrived. This suddenly causes the Philistines to be
afraid. Even though we are 300 years
from the Exodus, the knowledge of this event still exists in the collective
memory of the Philistines. And yet, they
are determined to fight.
So the Philistines fought, and the
Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very
great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured,
and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.—I Samuel 4:10-11
And there was no great victory for the Israelites. They were terribly defeated. In the opening portion of the chapter, the
Israelites were driven to bring the ark because of their loss of 4,000
soldiers. Now, they have lost more than
seven times that number. In addition to
these terrible losses, they lose the ark and the two priests traveling with the
ark are killed. This is a dark, dark day
for the people of Israel.
That same day a Benjamite ran from
the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head. When
he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road,
watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the
town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.—I Samuel 4:12-13
This is a feat similar to a marathon.
Perhaps our Benjamite did not run 26 miles, but it was likely more than
20. The battle had to be ended or at
least the ark captured before he left.
He must have run the distance in a few hours. He wouldn’t have had all the day to make the
trip. The torn clothes and dust on his
head indicates an appearance of mourning or grief.
Eli heard the outcry and asked,
“What is the meaning of this uproar?”
The man hurried over to Eli, who
was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. He
told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very
day.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
The man who brought the news
replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy
losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God
has been captured.”
When he mentioned the ark of God,
Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken
and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years.—I Samuel
4:14-18
This is Eli’s worst nightmare.
He’s lost both his sons, but it is the loss of the Ark of God which
completely overwhelms him. The judgments
which we have read the last two weeks have come to pass. Eli and his sons are gone and the ark along
with them. This indeed is a moment of
which “the ears of everyone who hear of it tingle.” The judgment extended to Eli’s whole family,
so the story sadly does not end here.
His daughter-in-law, the wife of
Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news
that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her
husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her
labor pains. As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair;
you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.
She named the boy Ichabod, saying,
“The glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God
and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. She said, “The glory has
departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”—I Samuel 4:19-22
Eli’s daughter-in-law has now also died.
It is understandable amidst the stress of what has just happened. In one day, she has lost her husband and
father-in-law. It is horrible. She too is overwhelmed. Even the news of her son’s birth fails to
raise her hopes.
Her name for her son of Ichabod means literally “no glory.” It is interesting that this woman seemed to
revere the Lord. She focuses on the
capture of the ark above even the loss of her husband.
When the Tabernacle had first been constructed in the wilderness, the
glory of the Lord descended on it as a cloud. (Exodus 40:34) In both Leviticus
(9:23) and Numbers (14:10; 16:19, 42), the glory of the Lord appears to the
people at the Tabernacle. The glory of
the Lord is then associated with the Tabernacle and the Ark of the
Covenant. In fact, earlier in our
passage and throughout Scripture, the Lord is said to be enthroned between the
cherubim which refers to what is called the mercy seat or atonement cover, the
lid of the Ark. When captured, Phinehas’
wife believes that the glory of the Lord is gone along with it.
If we think about Israel as being the people, the Israelites, then I
don’t think Phinehas’ wife is incorrect.
The glory of the Lord is gone from the people of Israel. However, this came about long before the ark
was captured. We’ll see more of the
story of what happens with the Ark in the next chapters.
I don’t mean to say that all the people of Israel turned away from
God. I am confident that there were many
believers among the people. Looking at
the behavior of Eli and his sons as well as the leaders of the people (the
elders), the glory of the Lord is no longer among those who lead. Over the past weeks, we talked about their
attitudes. They no longer revere or fear
the Lord. They do things which make them
contemptible to the Lord. There are
flagrant sins even against worshipers of God.
In today’s chapter, we see their attitude that they can conjure up God
to fight their battles. How can God draw
near to people who behave in such a way?
It reminds me of Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape if we ignore such a
great salvation?” Then, in Hebrews 4:2,
“For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the
message they heard was of no value to them because those who heard did not
combine it with faith.”
The capture of the Ark does not mean that God has left and it certainly
does not mean that God Himself has been captured. In Jeremiah 3, God reveals a surprising
perspective on the Ark speaking of the Messianic age:
In those days, when your numbers
have increased greatly in the land," declares the LORD, "people will
no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will never enter their
minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. At that time they will call Jerusalem The
Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name
of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. –Jeremiah 3:16-17
The Ark is a symbol of God’s presence, but it is not God’s dwelling
place. When Jesus has come, then the Ark
simply becomes irrelevant. The Ark is no
longer relevant because there is a new high priest who is also a
sacrifice. He is our defender and our
redeemer. And we can look forward even
until the end of the age to the Jerusalem which is the eternal Throne of the
Lord as told in Revelation 21 …
Then I saw "a new heaven and a
new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and
there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's
dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will
be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will
wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or
crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated
on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said,
"Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." –Revelation
21:1-5
We started the message with a cast of characters. Let’s go back briefly and see how they acted
and reacted to their circumstances.
Let’s consider some questions based on their behaviors …
1. Samuel’s word came to all Israel (As we read way back in verse
1). How are our words? Are we consistent proclaimers of the good
news of God?
2. The Philistines were Israel’s enemies and a superstitious people. We’ll hear more of them their idol worship
and superstitions in the weeks to come.
Are there things that we are believing (like superstitions) which are
contrary to faith in God?
3. The Elders of Israel made the decision to bring the Ark of the Lord to
the battle without actually seeking the Lord’s direction. Do we jump in and call on God as an
afterthought or only when something “goes wrong” according to our plan?
4. Eli continues to sit back and not take a stand. He’s waiting to see if the Ark is okay. It seems unlikely that he tried to prevent
the Ark’s departure. Do we take a
passive stance when danger comes to someone near to us?
5. Hophni and Phinehas continue in their sins unaware of the impending
judgment of God. Do we take God
seriously? Do we revere the Lord?
6. The Benjamite runner brought the message about the Ark’s capture. Are we faithful messengers even when it is
difficult?
7. Phinehas’ wife and her newborn child Ichabod and the midwife appeared
at the end of the chapter. The midwife
wanted Phinehas’ wife to see good news in the birth of her son. Phinehas’ wife was fixed on the loss of the
Ark and her husband and father-in-law as the departure of the glory of the Lord
from Israel. How do we respond to bad
news or even terrible news? Do we still
look to God even at those moments?
8. God -- Do we remember Him and
that with Him is victory, without Him it’s just noise only?
We’ll close there. I don’t mean to
imply that all these questions or even any of them apply to specific
individuals. I mention them as a chance
for the Spirit to prompt you. You may
have thought of other questions different from the ones which I listed. It is our desire that these messages offer us
the chance to understand Scripture, and much more that we would learn and live
out what we’ve heard. Today’s passage
was a lot more about stumbling blocks and sins which we should avoid.
Let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us walk in the truth and avoid
stumbling.
Lord, thank You. You are the only
one who can keep us from stumbling and make us stand in Your presence blameless
with great joy (Jude 1:24-25). Please
use today’s passage to teach us and help us walk closer with You. I pray that You would give us faith in the
hard times. Help us to encourage one
another. Proclaim Your Word through us,
we pray. All this we ask in Jesus’
Name. Amen.
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