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.
1 Samuel 4:6 KJV COMMENTARY https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.6.KJV
They had heard about stories of the ark, strange stories which were told them by their fathers.
They had been told that Israel had a totem 🗿, an idol shaped as an arc with two ✌️ angels.
It was made if pure gold. And it produced great victory ✌️ for Israel.
That was how Israel was rescued from Egypt and annexed canaan to themselves.
If not how else could such a feeble and weak people conquer anak and the rest of the giant nations.
Oh many a strange and terrible 😰 story had been told of this ark.
And now here the arc had been brought to the war front.
This was terrible news for the philistines.
But nevertheless they gingered themselves and trusted in their God Dagon for victory ✌️ and went out against Israel.
It was altar against altar.
As I type these words my eyes are teary 😢 as it dawns on me that this not just a story but a fact of history.
A history which remains relevant to us because today we have Israel as a nation and we have God still with us.
Oh of only we would give ourselves wholly to him. Oh what a great work he would do with us and to us and through us. https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.6.KJV
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.
1 Samuel 4:7 KJV COMMENTARY https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.7.KJV
The word of Samuel came it all Israel is an expression of how that Samuel instructed the people https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.7.KJV
And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
1 Samuel 4:11 KJV COMMENTARY https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.11.KJV
They were to guard the ark and now the philistines wanted it.
With their depravity I’m sure hophni and phinehas fled and abandoned the ark..
The philistines probably slew them in their flight.
They did not fear 😱 God, why would they stand in defence of the ark at the peril of their lives. https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.11.KJV
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.
1 Samuel 4:13 KJV COMMENTARY https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.13.KJV
Refer to notes in chapter 3 verse 17
How did Eli know that the lord had spoken clearly and it concerned something important.
How come he seemed so verseed in the things of God.
Maybe he himself use to experience same as a boy 🧒 or when he was much younger.
But now it seems as the lord had left him.
But he still knew the ways of God and of his spirit.
Eli was no carnal man as seen by what even killed him.
The news of the capture of the ark of the lord.
The glory of Israel captured by the uncircumcised philostines.
An abomination. He knew at that point thst God had abandoned them.
At that moment he died.
As terrible as thst news and incident of the ark capture was, God was still with Israel.
Indeed he was now beginning his dealing with Samuel through whom he dealt with Israel.
So sometimes in the worse of moments seemingly when God has disappeared from the scene..
He’s working something new in the background.
It was in thst same season that the kings where born.. Kings such as saul and David
1 Samuel 3:17 KJV
[17] And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
NOTE 2
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.
1 Samuel 4:18 KJV COMMENTARY https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.18.KJV
At the death ☠ of his sons his heart did not fail, God had already told him.
But at the capture of the ark he died.
Indeed this man heart was on the spiritual.
Even though he had failed God, his heart ♥ was for the lord.
The only problem was that he loved the lord but also loved the flesh and failed to correct his sons.
He knew his sons might die but for the ark of God to be captured was terrible.
This was worse than he had thought. God did not reveal to Samuel that such a terrible 😰 thing will befall Israel.
At the thought of this, he died, died knowing Israels glory had departed https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.18.KJV
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.
1 Samuel 4:20 KJV COMMENTARY https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.20.KJV
She cared more for the ark and the glory of Israel and her husband and her father in law than for this new life and hope that was coming into the world 🗺.
She named him ichabod – the whole family 👪 of Eli were very spiritual and sensitive to the things of God though rebellion was found in them.
It did not exempt them from judgements though.
And such is life somettimes, that the dark and terrible things that beset us in this life, takes away our joy and hope such that we give up and fail to appreciate the new life and hope around us.
It is one of the things we must guard against when we go through life’s dark alley, led we run the risk of the seed 🌱 of hopelessness being sown in our hearts 💕.
Such that we fail to see the new thing that God is doing.
No matter how terrible 😰 a situation is, there is hope with God.
The whole glory and power of Israel had been taken, it marked a dark time in the histou5of Israel but it was also a new dawn.
Mighty kings 👑 were going to be born who would do great and mighty exploits in the absence of the arc of God.
Because the spirit 🧚♂️ of God was still at work,evwn as he is today.
They did not know then that the God of a the earth did not need a tabernacle to dwell in to be present among his people.
Oh if only Eli had known that the God of all flesh dwells in fleshly tabernacles.
That a time was going to come that God would dwell with man – O
Immanuel
If only they knew. https://bible.com/bible/1/1sa.4.20.KJV