1 Samuel 4

CHAPTER 4

The Philistines Capture the Ark (4:1–11)

1–4 War broke out between the Israelites and the Philistines,²³ who had occupied the coastal areas and foothills of Canaan. In the first battle Israel was defeated (verse 2). The elders of Israel asked: “Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us?” (verse 3); they realized that it wasn’t because of the Philistines’ strength that they had lost, but because of the Lord’s displeasure with Israel.

Therefore the elders decided that to defeat the Philistines they needed the Lord to be with them on the battlefield. And they thought the way to ensure that was to bring to the battlefield the ark of the LORD’s covenant²⁴ (verse 3). They no doubt remembered that the ark had been taken into battle once before, and the Israelites had experienced a notable victory on that occasion (Joshua 6:6).

But in this case, the Israelites failed to understand that the ark was not the same thing as the Lord’s presence; the ark was only a symbol of His presence, a symbol of His throne. They were treating the ark as an idol, as a magical object; they were trying to manipulate God and make Him go wherever they wanted by simply moving the ark. Furthermore, the Lord had given no indication He wanted the ark moved from Shiloh (Joshua 18:1); the Israelites were doing this on their own, and they would soon suffer the consequences of their actions (verse 10).

5–11 When the ark arrived at the Israelites’ military encampment the people gave a great shout; the shout could be heard by the Philistines, who wondered what was going on in the Hebrew²⁵ (Israelite) camp (verse 6).

When the Philistines found out the ark was in the Israelite camp, they looked on it the same way the Israelites did: a god was present! To the Philistines, who were polytheists, this was just one more god to fight against. They had heard about the plagues the Israelite “gods” had inflicted on the Egyptians (Exodus Chapters 7–11), and they were momentarily afraid (verse 8). But they rallied themselves together, and God allowed them to inflict a terrible defeat on the Israelites. In the course of the battle the ark was captured and Eli’s two sons were killed (verse 11), in accordance with the prophecy of the “man of God” (1 Samuel 2:34). In this way God fulfilled His word to Samuel that He would do something that would make people’s ears tingle when they heard of it (1 Samuel 3:11).

One might wonder why thirty thousand men had to die for the sins of Eli’s two sons, but the Israelites themselves were not without guilt. They had worshiped false gods and intermarried with the Canaanites instead of driving them out; they too, as well as the house of Eli, were reaping the punishment for their disobedience (Leviticus 26:23–25).

The Death of Eli (4:12–22)

12–18 Meanwhile Eli was sitting by the road just outside Shiloh waiting for news of the battle. When a Benjamite with torn clothes and dust on his head (signs of mourning) arrived from the battleground, it was clear the news would be bad. When Eli heard the ark had been captured by the Philistines, he was so shocked he fell off his chair, broke his neck, and died (verse 18). He had led (judged) Israel for forty years.

19–22 Eli’s daughter-in-law, who was pregnant, went into premature labor when she heard the news that her husband and father-in-law were dead. She died in childbirth, but her son survived. Just before she died she named her son Ichabod, which means “no glory.” She understood correctly that the glory—the honor and privilege of the priesthood—had departed from Eli’s house forever; her son’s name symbolized that fact.

But there was a deeper significance to the name Ichabod. Not only had “glory” gone forever from the house of Eli but also the GLORY—the Presence—of God had gone (temporarily) from the house of Israel. God had said that the tabernacle would be consecrated by His glory (Exodus 29:43; 40:34)—that is, by His presence. And His presence would be particularly manifested above the ark between the two cherubim (Exodus 25:22; Hebrews 9:5). When the ark, the symbol of God’s presence, departed from Shiloh, God’s glory . . . departed from Israel²⁶ (verse 22). Eli’s daughter-in-law spoke more truly than she knew.