Bible Talks

From: Messages of God's Love: 1954

1 Samuel 4:4-22⁴So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. ⁵And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. ⁶And 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. ⁷And 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. ⁸Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. ⁹Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. ¹⁰And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. ¹¹And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. ¹²And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. ¹³And 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. ¹⁴And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. ¹⁵Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. ¹⁶And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? ¹⁷And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. ¹⁸And 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. ¹⁹And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. ²⁰And 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. ²¹And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. ²²And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. (1 Samuel 4:4‑22).

The Israelites then sent to Shiloh and brought up the ark of the Lord, with the two sons of Eli as priests. They thought they were sure to be victorious while the ark was in the camp, and so when it was brought in, the people gave such a mighty shout that the earth echoed and rang with the cheers. Oh, how people like cheering and boasting!

When the Philistines heard what had taken place they really trembled, for they knew what God had done for His people in delivering them out of Egypt, and they feared what would happen to them. Nevertheless they strengthened their hands and decided to fight with all their might. The children of Israel were confident too, so it was a fierce battle, ‘but alas, Israel was defeated and put to flight. Thirty thousand of them were put to death, among them the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. Worst of all the ark of God was taken and carried away by the Philistines. Oh, how foolish for Israel to think that the ark would deliver them when they had forsaken the Lord. Surely it is like Christendom today, which boasts of its enlightenment, but alas, God is being left out of all their plans and schemes. To call themselves Christian nations, and yet set aside the authority of God’s Word, and sink into open sin, is serious indeed. Yet there is a false confidence seen, like Israel in our chapter, which is soon to be followed by the most solemn judgments. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them... and they shall not escape.” 1 Thess. 5:3³For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3). If a careless professor, who is not saved, should read these lines, may it be a warning to you, for position and privilege are of no avail apart from the possession of divine life in the soul.

One feels there is also a danger of boasting of a scriptural position today, while we fail to walk in the practical truth of it. Israel’s position was surely one of privilege, and it was a marvelous thing to have the ark of God among them, but this in itself did not keep them—it only made them much more responsible. This is deeply solemn, for a right position will never keep anyone, any more than the ark delivered Israel at this time. May we know more of keeping the Lord’s Word and not denying His name (Revelation 3:8⁸I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8)), in the spirit of true humility. Boasting today would be like Israel’s shout when the ark came into the camp, entirely out of place; but when there is confession, and an acknowledging of the ruin, while valuing the position that is according to truth, how the Lord delights to encourage such. (See Haggai 2:3-5³Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? ⁴Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: ⁵According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. (Haggai 2:3‑5).) May we be real before Him!

The message was carried to Shiloh of this defeat at the hand of the Philestines, and when poor Eli heard that the ark of God was taken, he fell over backward in his seat and died. Phinehas’ wife, too, gave birth at this time to a son, and called him Ichabod which means “there is no glory,” for she said, “The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.” Then she herself died. Truly we can say that “there is no glory” was then written across the nation of Israel. It is because of this that Samuel is spoken of as the first prophet (Acts 3:24²⁴Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. (Acts 3:24)) to announce the coming of Christ. He alone will bring in the promised day of glory for Israel.

ML 05/02/1954

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