1 Samuel 4: 1 – 22
I’m Outta Here
1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. 2 Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. 3 And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. 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 so loudly that the earth shook. 6 Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. 7 So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 9 Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!” 10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 12 Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 13 Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on 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 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. 16 Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.” And he said, “What happened, my son?” 17 So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. 21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
Does today’s topic sound somewhat confusing to you? Does my speech make no sense to you? Let me slow down this statement. It is a scary statement. These are words that we never want to hear from our Precious Holy Lord. For us who are believers in The Lord Jesus Christ, we will never hear these words. For others, especially those who lived in OT days they were definitely afraid that this could possibly happen. These words, without the Philly accent, are,’ I Am out of here!’
In the book of Psalms chapter 51 we read this, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Now that is a scary verse. Now if you turn to the book of Hebrews chapter 13, Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Now those words are good for believers.
We are going to sadly learn that because of the continual sin and denial of the One True and Holy God of Israel, the Israelites will not only be defeated in a major battle with the Philistines but the Lord’s Holy Ark of His Presence will be taken away.
The emphasis in this subsection is on the Kingship of YHWH as revealed by the Ark which is the symbol of His Kingship. Because of His people’s disobedience and sinfulness as revealed through their priesthood YHWH refuses to act to deliver Israel, and allows the Ark to be taken.
1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel’ now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.’
There can be little doubt that in this chapter we are being brought back to a period before Samuel’s full influence began to be felt. Eli was now even more infirm, and his sons were no doubt in full command. Samuel as a youth was still serving faithfully in the Tabernacle. Israel was now once again experiencing powerful pressure from the Philistine overlords who wanted to carve out an empire for themselves. The Philistines had seemingly got over their losses brought about by Samson’s martyrdom. And Israel had no one to look to but two decadent priests.
Not long after God had spoken to the young Samuel the Israelites rose against the dominance of their Philistine masters in order to cast off their yoke. This may have occurred around the time of the death of Samson, when the Philistines would be in some disarray at the loss of many of their leaders, an event which may well have stirred Israel to think that it could free itself. It is noteworthy that they did not consult the young Samuel. His reputation was not yet established. Nor did they seek to YHWH. They were acting on their own initiative. Whatever their outward profession they were not in submission to the Kingship of YHWH.
The call to the tribes would go out from the central sanctuary at Shiloh, and the consequence was that Israel gathered an army in order to gain their freedom from having to submit to the Philistines and pay tribute. But Israel had no experienced military leader and were mainly farmers gathered together to defend their lands, and worst of all at this stage, they had no one to guide them in their decisions, for the young Samuel was still developing, and Eli’s sons ruled in the Tabernacle. The Philistines on the other hand were an experienced military aristocracy who had arrived from Crete and from the Aegean a hundred or so years before and had settled in the Coastal Plain
It will be noted that there was no preparation of heart on the part of Israel, no seeking to our Great and Holy Father God, YHWH. Their priests were not the kind who genuinely sought YHWH’s guidance about anything. They simply had a vague hope that YHWH would help them, and a superstitious trust in the Ark.
The chapter divides into two parts, the first part describes the actual battle itself and the bringing into service of the Ark, followed by its capture, the second part describes the after effects on Israel.
The impression given is that the initiative was taken by the Israelites, and if this is so it would suggest that it was because they felt that Samson’s final effort had weakened the Philistines and because they wanted to avenge him. If that be the case the Philistines had therefore gathered in Aphek in order to defend ‘their’ territory. The name Aphek means ‘stronghold’. It was a favorite Philistine name for their strongholds.
Now here is something for you to take some serious thought. The place where the Israelites gathered was possibly not actually called Ebenezer (‘the stone of help’) at this time (although there may have been a number of places called Ebenezer). It was given the name later when the Philistines were defeated there (7.12). But it was used here in order to identify the site to the readers. There is some irony in it in that there was no help for them there at this stage.
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.’
Unlike the Israelites, the Philistines were trained warriors, and when battle was joined Israel were smitten before the Philistines, losing in the field about four military units of men (four eleph - the word for ‘thousand’ also means a military unit). However, they were not put totally to flight, and therefore re-gathered in their camp, deflated but not defeated, with a view to further battle.
4.3 ‘And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “What is the reason that YHWH has smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of YHWH to us out of Shiloh that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.” ’
Unable to understand why they should have been beaten when it was clear that YHWH had weakened the Philistines through what Samson had achieved, the elders of Israel, once the defeated Israelites had arrived back in the camp, asked themselves why it should be so. (Notice the description as ‘people’, they were not trained soldiers). Their spiritual condition comes out in that what they decided was not that they needed to examine their hearts before God, but was that it must be because they had not taken the Ark with them into battle. It was the Ark which had gone before Israel when they had travelled through the wilderness, and when it had been borne before them they had declared, ‘Rise up YHWH and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate them flee before them’ (Numbers 10.35-36). That was precisely what they wanted now. Perhaps therefore, they thought, that was why YHWH was offended, because He had simply been ignored. In a similar situation in the time of Joshua, Joshua had sought YHWH (something which the elders seemingly failed to do) and had discovered that the reason for failure had been sin in Israel, and after dealing with that sin and proper repentance he had gone forward to victory. But Israel was in such a fallen state at this time that all they could think of was some religious method of twisting YHWH’s arm. They did not consider the possibility of their own sin. This was the kind of thinking that had resulted from the ministry of Eli’s sons.
This is not to doubt their great sense of feeling about the Ark. It was to them a most sacred object. They probably really believed that with the Ark among them they could not lose. Surely God would never allow the Ark to be taken? But in that hope laid their folly, for the truth is that God Is not moved by sacred objects or rites, unless they are accompanied by true repentance and rightness of heart. And what was more, by bringing the Ark into the camp they would also be bringing among them their own ‘Achans’ (Joshua 7), for it would be borne by the two sons of Eli. And we know what YHWH thought of the two sons of Eli.
4.4 ‘So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of YHWH of hosts, who sits above the cherubim, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.’
The result was that they sent to Shiloh and brought from there the Ark of the Covenant borne by the two sons of Eli. This bearing by the priests was not unusual as at times of crisis the Ark was always borne by the priests. We can compare the situation when the Ark led the way into Canaan and was also borne by the priests (Joshua 3.3, 8). Note the emphasis on the details of the Ark. It was seen as the throne of ‘YHWH of hosts’ and the chest holding His covenant as He sat above the cherubim. It was therefore a most serious covenant object. Surely it would mean that now ‘YHWH of the armies of Israel’, their covenant God, would lead them into battle.
The use of the alternative ‘Ark of the covenant of GOD’ (instead of ‘of YHWH of hosts’) may have arisen because of the connection in the circumstances with the two blasphemous priests who had despised the covenant. In relation to them therefore YHWH was merely ‘God’. They were cut off from the covenant.
If you have never noticed this situation before I want you to take note from now on. When you use the word God out in public the majority of people do not have any problems with you. For them God could be anything. Yet if you use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in love and reverence many people will react to you negatively.
4.5 ‘And when the ark of the covenant of YHWH came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, and the earth rang again.’
At the arrival in the camp of the sacred Ark, the throne of the mighty YHWH, a great shout went up as if they were hailing a King. And indeed they were hailing a King. Now they would surely be victorious, for was this not the throne of YHWH of hosts, the great deliverer from Egypt?
4.6 ‘And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And they understood that the ark of YHWH was come into the camp.’
Meanwhile the Philistines had heard the roar in the Israelite camp and were asking what it meant. Their spies quickly informed them that it was because the Ark of the great YHWH had arrived in the Israelite camp.
4.7 ‘And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God is come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! for there has not been such a thing prior to this.’
The news of the arrival of the Ark shook the Philistines to the core. They were not used to having to fight directly against gods. They had never before experienced being actually faced by a god in battle, especially one like YHWH of hosts. They saw it as a catastrophe.
4.8-9 ‘Woe to us! Who will deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with every kind of slaughtering in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O you Philistines, that you be not servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Quit yourselves like men, and fight.’
Here we are given full details of their fears. They were aware of the history of Israel and what their God had done in the past against the Egyptians (having heard about their destruction at the Red Sea) and they wondered who could deliver them from such gods. But rather than making them desire to withdraw it made them grit their teeth all the harder and determine to face up to what was coming. Anything was better than becoming subject to the Israelites who had been subjected to them for so long.
4.10 ‘And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent. And there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty units of footmen.’
So the Philistines went determinedly into battle and fought all the harder because of the strength of the opposition, and the result was that Israel were smitten before them and fled to their homes, deserting the Ark, and at the same time losing thirty units of footmen or thirty thousand men in ‘a great slaughter’. The whole thing was a total disaster.
The statement ‘They fled every man to his tent’ could mean that they fled to their camp, but the saying is probably reminiscent of life in the wilderness so that they are calling their homes their ‘tents’. They were so utterly defeated that there was no question of regrouping, and so they fled for the comparative safety of their homes. They hoped that the Philistines would not pursue them there. They would probably be satisfied with requiring tribute from the elders.
The devastating news now comes to Shiloh of the capture of the Ark of YHWH and the deaths of the two sons of Eli. The prophecy in 2.34 had been fulfilled. It was all inconceivably dreadful for Israel. Their most sacred object, the very throne of YHWH, was now in the hands of their enemies, and that could only mean that YHWH would be humiliated before the gods of the Philistines, just as Samson had been. And at the same time both of the heirs to the High Priesthood had been killed
In this passage the main purpose is to bring out the total humiliation of the house of Eli, and the depths to which Israel had fallen because they did not seek YHWH. But the reader also sees it as in contrast with the previously described glorious rise of Samuel. He recognizes that it is the young Samuel who now ‘sees’, and that the corrupt and blind house of Eli has necessarily withered and died. And because of Israel’s folly God had allowed the Ark of YHWH to be taken by the enemy. The priests had proved themselves not to be fit keepers of the Ark. But underneath the reader is aware, not of despair but of hope. For while he sees the humiliation of the house of Eli, he knows that out of the ashes of defeat God will bring victory through the man whom He has raised up, through Samuel. He already knows that YHWH has a man available whom he has chosen. He also knows that YHWH is well able to look after the Ark.
4.11 ‘And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.’
The humiliation of the house of Eli continues. God’s judgment is being wrought upon them to the full. The Ark of God for which they were responsible is now in the hands of the enemy, and the two blasphemers are dead. The house of Eli is in total disarray because of their deep sin and blasphemy.
4.12 ‘And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn, and with earth on his head.’
Meanwhile a messenger, a man of Benjamin, flees from the battlefield and prepares to take the news of the lost battle to Shiloh. He tears his clothes and puts earth on his head so that as he approaches they will know that the news is bad. The distance from Shiloh was about twenty miles, a distance that he was therefore able to accomplish ‘on the same day’.
4.13 ‘And when he came, lo, Eli was sitting on his 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.’
As the messenger approached Shiloh the aged Eli was sitting on his usual seat outside the gate of the Temple, trembling with apprehension at what might happen to the Ark of God. He had clearly not been happy at its being taken, but had presumably been overruled. Then he heard the cries that rang throughout the city when the messenger had told them the woeful news.
4.14 ‘And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, “What does this tumultuous noise mean?” And the man ran hurriedly, and came and told Eli.’
When the blind old man heard the tumultuous cries he called out and asked what the noise meant. Meanwhile the man was making all speed to come to Eli to inform him as High Priest of the bad news.
4.15 ‘Now Eli was ninety eight years old, and his eyes were set, so that he could not see.’
The sad state of Eli is brought out in that he was now ninety eight years old and blind. His blindness was a true portrayal of his house. They were all worn out and spiritually blind.
4.16 ‘And the man said to Eli, “I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army.” And he said, “How went the matter, my son?” ’
The messenger explains to Eli that he had that very day left the army and fled from the battlefield. Trembling the old man, who in his blindness could not see his disheveled state, asked the question that was weighing so heavily on his mind. Perhaps there was still hope of something good coming out of the battle?.
4.17 ‘And he who brought the tidings answered and said, “Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.”
The one who brought the news did not mince matters. He knew that things could hardly be worse. He informed Eli that Israel had fled before the Philistines, and that there had been a great slaughter. That Hophni and Phinehas were dead, and that the Ark of God had been taken. It was the worst of all possible news. All was lost. Note the order in which the information is given. For Eli each blow was worse than the last, and the last was the worst of all. Judgment had come on his house to the full, and the Tabernacle was bereft of its most sacred object, the very symbol of their covenant with YHWH.
4.18 ‘And it came about that when he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell from his seat backwards by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died. For he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.’
When the old man heard the news about the Ark he fell backwards at the side of the gate, and because he was an old man and heavy he broke his neck and died. He had judged Israel for ‘forty years’, that is, for over a generation
4.19 ‘And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to the time of delivery, and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and bore her child, for her pains came on her.’
When the pregnant wife of the dead Phinehas heard the news that the Ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, it was all too much. She went into premature labor and bore a son. She had lost everything she had lived for at one go. But the nature of the birth was such that it killed her. She survived just long enough to name the child.
4.20 ‘And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it.”
The women around her tried to encourage her. They pointed out that she had borne a son, the dream of every Israelite woman. But she was so traumatized that it meant nothing to her. She was totally unmoved.
4.21 ‘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.
Her last act was to name the child ‘Ichabod’ which means ‘no glory’ or ‘where is glory?’ declaring that the glory was departed from Israel. This was for a threefold reason.
First - because the Ark of God was taken.
Second - because the High Priest was dead.
Third - because her own husband was also dead.
Here is another name that needs to be added to the list of names that you do not give to your son or daughter. Can you think of some more names?
4.22 And she said, “The glory is departed from Israel,” for the ark of God was taken.’
The writer then draws attention to what was for Israel the most dreaded news of all. She had said ‘the glory is departed from Israel’- because the Ark of God was taken. The ‘glory’ of a nation indicated its most treasured possessions and it had lost its most treasured and revered possession. Israel must have been stunned at this news. It was now clear that YHWH had deserted them. He had preferred to go with the Philistines. All was lost.
Have you thought of the question why? Why has our Holy Father God removed the Ark from Israel? Surely it is because the priesthood, who gained such prestige from the Ark and the worship related to it, had proved to be unworthy.
When you read the book of Judges over and over again we read that ‘people did what was right in their own eyes.’ The people had incorporated the gods of the foreign nations into their practices. Once in a while they thought about Adoni Yahweh. I remember asking a guy who showed up at church on Christmas and Easter as to why he picked to attend on these dates. His answer is funny yet also sad to see his spiritual state. He said, ‘In case it is all true.” Our Holy God and I am glad of His defense of His Wonderful Holy Name does not put up with junky attitudes towards Him. YHWH has removed the Ark from Israel as an indication that He is no longer their King because of their evil ways, while being at the same time about to demonstrate to the Philistines His essential superiority as Lord over all.
Our Great Master will eventually replace it with another symbol of His presence, the mighty prophet Samuel. The glory has not departed. It is growing up amongst them.
We see the same thing happen to Israel around the time of our Lord Jesus physical presence into the world. As you know the Romans had taken over control of the nation of Israel. They issued a declaration of taking away the right of the nation toward capital punishment. To Jews this news was devastating. They felt that God had abandoned them. Since most of them had drifted away from reading the Scriptures they had taking their minds off the fact that the Holy Father was now at that very moment in Bethlehem sending His Messiah.
Our Holy Ruler YHWH will also restore the Ark to Israel shortly in order to demonstrate that His offer to be their King is still open, awaiting its due time, although it will be put into suitable storage until that time comes.
For Samuel will eventually be followed by the true king of Israel, archetype of the coming everlasting King. It is thus only once Samuel has brought the people back to God and to true faith in YHWH, and when the true archetype of God’s future blessing is on the throne, that the Ark will be reinstated for public worship. Meanwhile it will still be the symbol of YHWH’s Kingship over His people, demonstrate practically by the Spirit anointed deliverers that He will provide for them.
We will also see how our Everlasting Majestic Holy and Blessed Trinity will accomplish many other things even though all seems at an end. The Lord of Hosts, Jehovah Sabbaoth, wants to bring home to the Philistines the terror of His Presence with the Israelites. This terror must have shaped their attitude towards Israel and its God for a long while to come.
