The chapter starts with what seems to be a general statement, or maybe, the first phrase should have been at the end of the previous chapter. It seems that it is connected with God giving Samuel the words to say. I don’t think that Samuel told Israel to go into battle against the Philistines because Israel was defeated. In fact, tradition says that the Philistines started the battle (v1,2)
Many of the Philistines had migrated from the Island of Crete and had military arms from Greece. They had been around from the time of Abraham but had increased in number and military prowess in later years. We find that throughout the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, the Philistines were a constant enemy of Israel and had become quite powerful. Israel was defeated here and lost around four thousand men of the army in the process.
The elders of Israel asked why The LORD had defeated them. They were blaming God for the defeat (v3,4). They needed to come up with a way to win their battles – better weapons? Better training of the troops? No! Superstition, and even bringing God into it! What could the solution be? What better than the presence of God?
The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. It was kept in the most holy place in the tabernacle. Only the High Priest entered, thus only he saw it once a year. The ark contained the two tablets of stone on which were the ten commandments, Aaron’s rod which budded, and the pot of manna. It was wooden box, covered in pure gold, with a lid covered in pure gold on which sat two cherubim with wings outstretched and touching. It is said that God spoke from between the two cherubim. It had gold rings at the four corners, through which poles were to be inserted for carrying when they moved from place to place. It had been constructed according to the pattern given by God through Moses when the people were encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai around one year after leaving Egypt.
They decided that they would bring it into battle with them so that it would give them confidence, supposing that God was with them. They sent word to Shiloh, where the tabernacle was, to bring the ark to them for them to use as a good luck charm when they fought any battles. You may recall that it had been carried when they marched around Jericho (Joshua 6:6-8) and when they fought the Midianites (Numbers 31:6), so, why not do the same now? They said that it may save them. They realised that they needed God’s help, but this was not the way. They were thinking that God would have to help them, rather than coming before him in repentance and seeking His way. They were looking to the ‘ark’ to save them, and not to God Himself.
We are told that Hophni and Phinehas were at Shiloh with the ark. They should have known better, but we know that they were ungodly men.
Israel thought that this was a wonderful idea because when it arrived, they shouted so loudly that the earth shook (v5).
We might make lots of noise in our religious gatherings, but that is no proof that we are worshiping God or that He is with us. God is looking for true worship in faith and humility. We must ensure that all we do is God ordained and grounded in His truth, and sometimes we need to be quiet, still and even silent.
When the Philistines heard the noise, they were afraid (v6-9) when they heard that the ark of God had come into the camp of the Israelites. They worshiped idols and icons, and the ark would seem to them to be a similar thing, when in fact, it was of no use to Israel in the circumstances. What they needed was the actual presence of God in their repentance and humility.
Many religions have idols and icons, which they worship or use in their rites and ceremonies. As Christians we do not need such things, we come to Almighty God, having access through His Son our Lord Jesus Christ by His indwelling Holy Spirit. We need no more than this.
The Philistines recognised that the God of the Israelites was powerful, even though they did not worship Him. They knew how God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt and kept them in the wilderness and given them the Promised Land. They equated God with their gods or the gods of other nations. They knew about God, but did not know Him, just like many today. They thought that they could still overcome by being strong – ‘conduct yourselves like men and fight.’
The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, losing 30,000 foot-soldiers. So much for having the ark with them, but even worse, the Philistines captured the ark and Hophni and Phinehas died (v10,11). It seems that Eli’s two sons came with the ark from Shiloh and were killed together probably in charge of the ark. Israel may have thought it was a good idea and it would be easy with having the ark with them, but the defeat was far more devastating than before. The very thing which they thought would bring them victory had not materialised. Idols and icons are mere superstitions and God does not bless such things. Remember that of the items inside the ark were the tablets containing the Ten Commandments, and two of those commandments related to no other gods and making idols. Yet they had brought it here precisely as an idol and an icon. Little wonder they had no success. God was greater than the ark and even though it had been captured, God was not captured.
God had spoken through Samuel that both of Eli’s sons would die on the same day (2:34) and sure enough it happened in the judgment of God.
Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle to Shiloh with clothes torn and dirt on his head, and Eli was sitting by the wayside. It seems that he was waiting for news of the ark in the battle. He was uneasy and when the man told the news, all the city was in mourning, Eli, on hearing the outcry, he asked what it meant. He was 98 years old and could not see. He asked what had happened and the man told him that there had been a great slaughter, his two sons had been killed, but worst of all the ark had been captured by the Philistines. He probably regretted allowing the ark to go for this purpose, and thus, was anxious. When he heard about the ark, Eli fell backward off his seat, broke his neck and died. We are told that he was overweight and also being old, he died, having judged Israel forty years (v12-18). God’s prophecy through Samuel did not say that Eli would die on the same day, but he was so distraught about the ark that he died.
That, however, was not the end of the tragedy, for in v19-22 the news spread to Eli’s daughter-in-law who was pregnant and near her due date. When she heard the news of the ark and her husband’s death and the death of Eli, her labour pains came on quickly and she bore a son. The friends around her must have thought she was dead, her grief seemed to be so great that she gave up living because she showed no emotion for the child, except she named him Ichabod, which means, ‘The glory has departed from Israel’ (v19-22). One commentator suggests that ‘The glory of God had indeed departed, but not because the ark of God had been captured; the ark had been captured because the glory had already departed.’
We are told in Psalm 78 and elsewhere in Jeremiah 7 and 26 that the Philistines went on to destroy the city of Shiloh.
We might think that God was being cruel, but the problem lay with the people who had rejected God. God often brings good and shows His glory out of tragedies. This was indeed a tragedy, but God was going to show Himself and bring good out of it.
