1 Samuel 4

Intro:

With the arrival of the Sea Peoples around 1200 , all of the major powers were either wiped out or neutralized

Moving into the Iron Age, the power stalemate was replaced by a power vacuum.

The absence of major powers vying for control of the region allowed for the smaller states to test their strength, develop and build regional “empires.”

The Philistines were able to take advantage of this early in the period.

Then David and Solomon were able to build a substantial empire in Syro-Palestine without needing to be concerned about political powers in Mesopotamia, Anatolia or Egypt.

The group of Philistines that are well known through the narratives of Judges and 1 and 2 Samuel came into the Palestine area with the migration from the Aegean region of the Sea Peoples about 1200 b.c.

They had epic battles with the Egyptians in the Syrian region that included Israel and pushed into Egypt, toppling the Hittite empire

Following the repulsion of the Sea Peoples from Egypt, the tribe that came to be known as the Philistines settled on the southern coast of Palestine.

There they established their five capital cities of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron (Tell Miqne), Gath (Tell es-Safi) and Gaza.

Read 1 Samuel 4:1-4

I. Defeat at the Hands of the Philistines vs. 1-4

vs. 1a God Speaks thru Samuel

As we saw in the last chapter, all of Israel saw Samuel as a prophet

We don’t know how much time has passed between chapters or how old Samuel is, but whatever Samuel says is reaching all of the people

Like water to dry ground and food to an empty stomach, God has sent Samuel to speak and lead the people

The Word of the Lord has been restored and God is turning things around

Before the transition can be completed God needs to clean up a few issues

vs. 1b-2 4,000 defeated

In the spring, armies used to go out to war

For nations like Philistines, who were more sailors than farmers, this was necessary

They would raid nations like Israel for food at harvest time

Israel would go out to war to push them back and assert religious superiority

The problem is that Israel doesn’t have anymore military leaders that are anointed by God

God has used people like Joshua, Gideon, and Deborah to defeat enemies much larger

This time they go out and suffer the loss of 4,000 men

Two reasons I can think of that caused the loss for Israel

First, they didn’t seek the Lord before they went to war

Maybe they thought with Samuel in charge, victory was ensured

Second, They hadn’t consecrated themselves after all of the defilement of Eli’s sons

God is not going to give us victory with sin stained hands

I lean towards the second one because of their actions after defeat

vs. 3-4 Let us bring the ark

Someone gets the idea to bring the ark

Like some kind of spiritual lucky charm which will bring them good fortune

Ark

The Ark of the Covenant was the representation of the throne of God in Israel.

Kept in the most holy place of the tabernacle, the people never saw it. Only the high priest entered and saw the ark, and only once a year.

The ark was a wooden box, open at the top, approximately three to four feet in length and two and a quarter feet in both width and height, based on eighteen inches a cubit.

It was overlaid inside and out with sheets of the finest gold.

Four rings (also gold covered) were attached to the sides for the insertion of two gold-encrusted poles, which were used to carry the ark and protect it from the touch of all but the high priest.

A golden cover, decorated with two winged cherubim, sealed the ark.

The primary function of the ark was to store the tablets and to serve as a “footstool” for God’s throne, thereby providing an earthly link between God and the Israelites

Cherubim. Winged creatures mentioned occasionally in Scripture

They belong to a supernatural created order along with the seraphim and angels.

It was a symbol of God’s presence and promises

The elders wanted to take this representation of the throne of God out of the holy of holies (it could be moved when the tabernacle was to be moved), cover it, and bring it into battle with them.

They hoped it would give confidence that God was really with them.

They bring the ark from Shiloh with Eli and Phineas

They should’ve never taken the ark out of the tabernacle

II. The Ark is Captured vs. 5-11

vs. 5 A Mighty Shout

As soon as the ark enters camp Israel gave a might shout

It was so loud that the earth shook

The Philistines could hear it in their camp

Nearly every army in the ancient Near East included priests and diviners , prophets and portable sacred objects

In this way, the god(s) could be consulted on the battlefield or invoked to lead the soldiers to victory.

The ark, as Yahweh’s standard, represents the Lord as clearing the way before the Israelites and leading the armies into Canaan.

vs. 6-9 Woe to us

The noise rocks the Philistine camp

They learn that the ark has entered the camp and they become afraid

In their mind a God has entered the camp

They start to freak out

Nothing like this has ever happened

Thoughts of the stories of when Israel was in Egypt

In the end, the ark has the opposite effect Israel had hoped for

It motivated the Philistines with courage and drove them to victory

Sometimes the actions of Christians motivate the enemy

vs. 10-11 The Ark Captured

The Philistines fought with off of their might because they were afraid they were going to become slaves

Israel is defeated and the army fleas the battle

30,000 men fell

Worse yet, the ark was captured

Israel’s greatest possession was taken from them

Foolish acts lead to destruction

Yet God used it for his purposes

Eli and Phineas were killed in the battle

God’s judgment fell on them and His word was fulfilled

Eli’s house would be destroyed

III. Eli’s Death vs. 12-18

vs. 12 dust on the head.

vs. 10 tells us that men fled to their houses

A man from Benjamin was on his way home and stopped by Shiloh

His clothes were torn and dirt on his head

The dirt could’ve been from fighting, but it more likely from mourning

Putting dirt, dust or ashes on one’s head was a typical sign of mourning throughout the Old Testament and into the New Testament period.

It is a practice also known from Mesopotamia and Canaan.

Many mourning rites function as a means for the living to identify with the dead.

It is easy to see how dust on the head would be a symbolic representation of burial.

Eli was sitting on his seat by the road

He was nervous for the ark

How he let it go was beyond me

When the man comes into the city and told everyone the new, everyone cried out

Eli is old, blind, and fat

He wasn’t able to go to the man so the man came to him

Eli asks how the battle went

There was a great defeat

His two sons were dead

The ark of God had been captured

Notice it wasn’t until the ark was mentioned that he fell over?

When Eli heard the fate of the ark he fell over backward and broke his neck

As the high Priest, who was almost 50 years past his service time, the ark being captured was what he would answer for

He knew his sons were wicked and that was part of God’s judgment Samuel said

IV. The Glory Departed? vs. 19-22

vs. 21 The giving of names in the ancient world was a significant act.

A name was believed to affect a person’s destiny; so the person giving the name was exercising some degree of control over the person’s future.

Often the name expressed hopes or blessings.