B. Israel's great anguish
at the loss of the Ark
1. (1 Sam 4:12-18) Eli
hears the loss of the Ark of the covenant and dies.
Now a man of Benjamin ran
from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and
dust on his head. When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road
eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the
man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out. When Eli heard the
noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the noise of this commotion
mean?" Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety-eight
years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see. The man said to Eli,
"I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the
battle line today. And he said, "How did things go, my son?" Then the
one who brought the news replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines
and there has been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,
and the ark of God has been taken." When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli
fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he
died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.
A man of Benjamin ran from
the battle line and came to Shiloh: The distance from Ebenezer to Shiloh was probably not more than
twenty miles, a distance a swift runner could easily run and arrive the same
evening. According to Rabbincal tradition, the messenger was Saul, who snatched
away from Goliath the two tablets of the Law taken out of the Ark of the
covenant in order to save them and fled away on foot.
His clothes torn and dust
on his head:
These were the usual signs or mourning (see Joshua 7:6, Job 2:12 and Ezekiel
27:30). And they were by the messengers that the news they carried was one of
sorrow and bad tidings to the people.
Eli was sitting by his
seat...his heart was trembling for the ark of God: Eli anxiously
waited back at in Shiloh for news of the battle. Eli is rightly more concerned
about the fate of the ark than the fate of his sons. Why is he so nervous?
He might have been as foolishly confident as the soldiers of Israel were when
the Ark of the Covenant came into their camp (1 Samuel 4:5) to allow the Ark to
be taken into battle. Eli knows he has let the ark go on an unwise,
superstitious errand, and his conscience makes him fear it will end in disaster.
What does the noise of this commotion mean?: Eli, being old and blind, was sitting along the road probably surrounded by priests and Levites who ministered to Eli, who was the high priest and judge. With torn clothes and dust sprinkled on his head, these signs would have become visible as the runner draws closer and closer to Shiloh. A wave of wailing would have erupted throughout Shiloh as more and more people see the runner clothed with the signs of disaster and hear the news he carries. The word translated commotion is the Hebrew word "hamown" which better translates as a murmur made by a multitude of people. It expresses the babel of voices which Eli would have heard as the townspeople started clamoring in distress when they heard the news the messenger carries.
How did things go, my son?: The news Eli is about to receive goes from bad to worse. There is a crescendo of bad news, with each blow heavier than the preceding one. Israel has fled before the Philistines (bad news) and there has been a great slaughter among the people (really bad news), and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead (really, really bad news), and the ark of God has been taken (Oy vey! The worst news of all!!!).
Eli fell off the seat backward: Eli has been plagued with much bad news in his life; yet, he always seems to be able to handle the calamities. Eli bears the announcement and degradation of his family line; he could endure the Word of the LORD coming to another person, Samuel as a boy, an act which signified God preferred Samuel over Eli who was the high priest and judge. Eli could bear to hear about the defeat and ruin of a nation which he had so long ruled and which he loved. Even the news of the deaths of his sons, Eli could listen to with sad resignation. But, when Eli heard the Ark of God was taken, his heart broke. This final piece of news was too much for Eli. Despite all his faults, Eli was still a servant of God.
God had promised that Eli's two sons were to die on the same day as a sign of judgment on the house of Eli (1 Samuel 2:34), but God had not announced the promise that Eli would also die the same day. God tells us much in prophecy, but not everything. Some of it is only seen in its fullness after it has already happened.
2. (1 Sam 4:19-22) More tragedy for the house of Eli
Now his
daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and
when she head the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law
and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came
upon her. And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to
her, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she
did not answer or pay attention. And she called the boy Ichabod, saying,
"The glory has departed from Israel," because he ark of God was taken
and because of her father-in-law and her husband. She said, "The glory has
departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken."
Phinehas's wife: The wife of Phinehas
seems to have been a person of piety. Her dying regret was for the loss of the
Ark of God and for the departure
of the glory from Israel. Poor, poor
girl! My heart aches for Phinehas's wife. Being pregnant and about ready to
give birth, she hears of the death of her husband, her brother-in-law, her
father-in-law, a slaughter among the soldiers of Israel, a lost battle, and the
capture of the Ark of the Covenant all on one day! The anguish is too great for
her, and she gives birth.
And she called the boy Ichabod: For a Jewish woman, news that a son had been born was wonderful news. But not for the wife of Phinehas on this day. To reflect her anguish, and the national tragedy upon Israel, she names the child Ichabod, which literally translates "no glory". In great sorrow for the loss of the Ark, Phinehas's wife names her son after this great tragedy.
The glory has departed from Israel: The glory of God, displayed by His presence in the Ark of the Covenant, had departed from Israel. The Philistines now held it. But had the glory of God truly departed? In one sense, yes. The glory left when Israel stopped repenting and trusting God and started superstitiously trusting in the Ark itself. The glory of God had already departed, but not because the Ark of God had been captured; the Ark had been captured because the glory had already departed.
Tragically, the same could be said of many churches, many ministries, and many Christians--the glory has departed. There are still priests, there is still a place of worship, but God is not enthroned in glory among them. Many churches are like the church at Laodicea. They are neither hot or cold but lukewarm. And God promises to vomit them out of His mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). Furthermore, God is standing outside the church, knocking, wanting to come in! "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). You could write Ichabod across many churches, many ministries, many individual Christian lives!
How could God allow something so terrible like the capturing of the Ark by the Philistines to happen? First, He allowed it as a righteous judgment upon Israel as a nation and the family of Eli. They simply received what they deserved. Secondly, God allowed it as a correction to the nation--so they would not trust in the Ark of God, instead of trusting in the God of the Ark. Finally, though it seemed terrible to man, was it all that terrible to God? At this moment, was God wringing His hands in heaven, worried about how things would turn out? Worried about His own reputation? Worried about the Philistines and their gods? Looking at it this way, the glory had not departed at all. God was just beginning to show His glory.
Many circumstances and situations we regard as a calamity, but God uses these events to glorify Himself. Israel was right to be sad at the loss of life and the Ark on that day. But they should have had confidence, knowing God was well able to take care of Himself and would again reveal His glory both to the nation of Israel and the world.
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