1 & 2 Samuel

1 Samuel Chapter 4

The Philistines Capture the Ark

1Samuel 4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

What is recorded here is chapter 4 is what the Lord revealed to Samuel in 1 Samuel chapter 3. The judgment upon the house of Eli is taking place just as the Lord said. We do not get by with sin and departing from God especially when we know better. The sons of Eli are killed in battle, Eli dies after hearing the news and his daughter in law even dies in childbirth. A sad situation but warned about previously by God speaking through Samuel. God sends warning first. If those involved do not repent, the judgment comes.

1Samuel 4:2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

There was no way Israel could have been defeated if they would have been faithful to God. No way.

God promised them:

Leviticus 26:8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

Yet if they rebel and forsake God's good way:

Leviticus 26:14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Nations and leaders of nations that forsake God and do evil open themselves up to defeat eventually. God is merciful and He gives warning first but it will eventually happen if the nation continues in evil. Some nations such and Israel, the United States, England and a few others have been given the gospel. They should know better than other nations that have not yet heard the gospel of Jesus. Some do not even have the printed word of God given freely to them.

1Samuel 4:3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.

Religious symbols without repentance and a genuine return to God is vain and will do no good. Outword religious rituals and ceremonies are also a waste of time, if our hearts are not right with God. This is why God sends prophets, preachers and teachers to show us the truth and keep what happens here from happening. God is good; it is we that fail many times, not Him.

1Samuel 4:7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

Amazing that they knew all about God defeating the Egyptians with miracles and signs years before this and God's people forgot about it. It's amazing but sad. God's people didn't realize that God was bringing judgment because they forsook Him and started worshipping idols. The spirit behind idols are evil and influence those that worship them into child sacrifice and many other abominations. God will give us power over these influences if we abide in Him and seek Him continually. Otherwise we have no power over sin. It had been over 400 years since the deliverance from Egypt's bondage and they had no Internet or television.

Speaking of child sacrifice. In the United States before God was ruled unconstitutional in public schools and abortion became legalized ten years later, the public would have been appalled at what is going on in the Unites States now. In some states abortion is legal up to the point in which the baby can survive if allowed to be born alive. A couple of states even allows the baby to die after it is born alive. The body parts are sold and used for transplants or medical experiements. The fetal cells are used in some vaccines. Surely God will not allow this to gone on forever without judgment.

When the Supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, the conscience of many were so hardened against God and mistakenly thought it was a threat to freedom to lose the power to murder their babies. All the court did was put the abortion issue back to the states to decide what they wanted to do. This is what the constitution requires since there is nothing in the constitution that says anything about abortion. In that case where the constitution is silent, all things must be decided by the states.

1Samuel 4:9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

Since Israel had forsaken God, they had no power to resist the Philistines when they rallied themselves into a fighting mode.

1Samuel 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

This is a direct fulfillment of the prophecy of the man of God that visited Eli which was written in chapter 2:31-34 of 1 Samuel. Also this prophecy came to Samuel which was written in chapter 3. The Ark was taken also for the first time. The story of what happened when the Philistines had that ark will be in chapters 5 and 6.

The Death of Eli

1Samuel 4:12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

The news of his sons being slain and Israel being defeated by the Philistines was so hard to bare for Eli but he would have been expecting it since it was told him previously. Hearing the news of the Ark of God being taken though caused him to fall backward and break his neck. Very sad. He was a judge 40 years.

1Samuel 4:19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

No happy endings here for sure. It would seem as if our emotions and reactions to events can cause even childbirth to end badly. He was named by the women who delivered the baby. Ichabod means, "No Glory". The glory of God departed from Israel at that time but we see later that God has mercy. -DC

1 Samuel Chapter 5