I Samuel 4:1b-22
“… Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.” (I Samuel 4:1b-2)
The Philistines were one of the groups Israel had never been able to completely drive out of the land. For a thousand years, since Abraham’s time, they had been a loose federation of independent city states. When Israel first took over the land they were still very independent with individual kings and chiefs leading comparatively small forces. Samson had been able to hold them at bay without unifying Israel. In the forty years or so since Samson’s death, they had become much more strongly united and developed a more centralized government. They were able to field and army sufficient to defeat Israel, killing four thousand Jews the first day.
“And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
So 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. And 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.” (I Samuel 4:3-5)
The Ark of the Covenant held the stone tablets with the terms of Israel‘s covenant or contract with God. The lid, called the mercy seat, represented the throne of God in heaven. When God spoke to the high priests it was usually from the mercy seat. The entire Ark was intended to focus their attention on God.
Over the more than five hundred years since building the Ark, Israel had begun to worship the Ark in God’s place as evidenced by the statement, “it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” When the ark was brought into the camp, Israel was excited that it would give them victory.
Unfortunately, like Israel, Christians can begin to idolize the very thing that was intended to teach them about God. Some idolize various religious leaders such as Calvin or Luther, or some modern leader, while others idolize a particular church or group such as the Catholic church. Some have begun to idolize the King James version of the Bible. It doesn’t matter what they idolize, it is idolatry, detracting focus from God to something else. It is sin.
“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. 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.
Woe 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. Be 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.” (I Samuel 4:6-9)
Remembering how God had given Israel victory for the last five hundred fifty years, when they heard God had been brought into Israel’s camp, the Philistines were panicked. Pride wouldn’t let them back down but they were sure they would be defeated if God was involved. They vowed they’d give their best and die fighting rather than give up.
“And 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. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.” (I Samuel 4:10-11)
Instead of just killing four thousand the second day, the Philistines killed thirty thousand. Israel’s army was routed, and the Ark was captured. In the process, Eli’s two sons were killed, fulfilling the prophecy in I Samuel 2:34, “And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.” Both Eli and Israel were being judged for not putting God himself first.
“And 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. 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.
And 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. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
And 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?
And 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.
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.” (I Samuel 4:12-18)
Eli’s eyesight was failing but he was worried about what would happen to the Ark, because he knew it wasn’t God, but just a symbol. When the messenger told what had happened the people of Shiloh set up a cry and Eli heard them, demanding to know what was going on.
Shocked and horrified at the news of his sons’ deaths and the capture of the Ark, Eli fell off his seat backward. Being ninety nine years old, his bones were quite brittle and since he was pretty heavy, the impact broke his neck, killing him and fulfilling the prophecy that there would not be an old man in the family.
“And 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. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast borne a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.” (I Samuel 4:19-22)
The shock of the news trigged premature delivery of Phineas’ wife’s baby, resulting in her death, although the baby survived. Just before she died, she called him Ichabod, ‘The glory is departed,’ meaning literally God was gone because the Ark had been taken away.
Throughout history people have quit the church because a certain leader died or was left. Others stopped going to church because the church they had attended close down or changed in some way. It always indicates a form of idolatry. God does not depend on a particular person or organization. If the church begins to teach false doctrine, it may prove necessary to dissociate from it, but that does not excuse turning away from him.
“… Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.” (I Samuel 4:1b-2)
The Philistines were one of the groups Israel had never been able to completely drive out of the land. For a thousand years, since Abraham’s time, they had been a loose federation of independent city states. When Israel first took over the land they were still very independent with individual kings and chiefs leading comparatively small forces. Samson had been able to hold them at bay without unifying Israel. In the forty years or so since Samson’s death, they had become much more strongly united and developed a more centralized government. They were able to field and army sufficient to defeat Israel, killing four thousand Jews the first day.
“And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
So 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. And 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.” (I Samuel 4:3-5)
The Ark of the Covenant held the stone tablets with the terms of Israel‘s covenant or contract with God. The lid, called the mercy seat, represented the throne of God in heaven. When God spoke to the high priests it was usually from the mercy seat. The entire Ark was intended to focus their attention on God.
Over the more than five hundred years since building the Ark, Israel had begun to worship the Ark in God’s place as evidenced by the statement, “it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” When the ark was brought into the camp, Israel was excited that it would give them victory.
Unfortunately, like Israel, Christians can begin to idolize the very thing that was intended to teach them about God. Some idolize various religious leaders such as Calvin or Luther, or some modern leader, while others idolize a particular church or group such as the Catholic church. Some have begun to idolize the King James version of the Bible. It doesn’t matter what they idolize, it is idolatry, detracting focus from God to something else. It is sin.
“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. 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.
Woe 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. Be 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.” (I Samuel 4:6-9)
Remembering how God had given Israel victory for the last five hundred fifty years, when they heard God had been brought into Israel’s camp, the Philistines were panicked. Pride wouldn’t let them back down but they were sure they would be defeated if God was involved. They vowed they’d give their best and die fighting rather than give up.
“And 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. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.” (I Samuel 4:10-11)
Instead of just killing four thousand the second day, the Philistines killed thirty thousand. Israel’s army was routed, and the Ark was captured. In the process, Eli’s two sons were killed, fulfilling the prophecy in I Samuel 2:34, “And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.” Both Eli and Israel were being judged for not putting God himself first.
“And 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. 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.
And 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. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
And 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?
And 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.
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.” (I Samuel 4:12-18)
Eli’s eyesight was failing but he was worried about what would happen to the Ark, because he knew it wasn’t God, but just a symbol. When the messenger told what had happened the people of Shiloh set up a cry and Eli heard them, demanding to know what was going on.
Shocked and horrified at the news of his sons’ deaths and the capture of the Ark, Eli fell off his seat backward. Being ninety nine years old, his bones were quite brittle and since he was pretty heavy, the impact broke his neck, killing him and fulfilling the prophecy that there would not be an old man in the family.
“And 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. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast borne a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.” (I Samuel 4:19-22)
The shock of the news trigged premature delivery of Phineas’ wife’s baby, resulting in her death, although the baby survived. Just before she died, she called him Ichabod, ‘The glory is departed,’ meaning literally God was gone because the Ark had been taken away.
Throughout history people have quit the church because a certain leader died or was left. Others stopped going to church because the church they had attended close down or changed in some way. It always indicates a form of idolatry. God does not depend on a particular person or organization. If the church begins to teach false doctrine, it may prove necessary to dissociate from it, but that does not excuse turning away from him.
Well put about how subtle idolatry creeps in, even clothed with Christian trimmings. You summarized my thinking about leaders such as Luther, or people who claim certain Bible translations are the only inspired Bible. We're missing the point, and we've shifted our faith at least in part from God alone to God plus whatever catches our fancy.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a serious issue in the modern church. I have written several books a bout various topics in hopes of stimulating people to study frther and see what God really said. My greatest fear is that people will accept them as fact and not bother to study further.
ReplyDelete