The Glory is Departed From Israel
I Samuel 4
Faith in the Ark vs. 1-5
The Philistines had been oppressing Israel for 40 years. Between the preaching of Samuel and the beginning exploits of Samson, it gave Israel the courage to face the Philistines vs. 1.
Unfortunately, the first battle was lost, with 4,000 Israelites slain.
The solution for the people was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield as a good luck charm.
Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas oversaw the Ark.
When it arrived at the war camp, the Israelites began to shout. They so associated the Ark of the Covenant with the presence of God, that they assumed it would automatically bring the presence of the Lord.
Fighting Stirred in the Philistines vs. 6-11
When the Philistines heard the shouting, they inquired about its meaning. Then they realized the Ark of the Covenant was in the Israelites camp. They remembered all they heard about God. This ended up stirring them up to fight against the Israelites quickly. In this battle, 30,000 Israelites died, including Hophni and Phinehas. To make matters worse, the Ark was taken.
Fretting of Israel vs. 12-22
A messenger came back to Eli at Shiloh to report the battle. Eli was already upset that the Ark of the Covenant was taken to the front, and when he heard the Philistines took it, it crushed him. He fell over and broke his neck.
His daughter-in-law gave birth and named her child Ichabod, for the glory of the Lord departed from Israel.