THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED

1 Samuel 4:1b-22
Key Verse: 22 

She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

Introduction:
This passage shows the reason why the Israelites were defeated badly from the Philistines. Through this passage we learn how to fight the good fight for God’s glory. One of the most repeated phrases throughout the passage is “the ark of the (Lord’s) covenant.” Let us think about the meaning of the sentence “the ark of the Lord’s covenant has been captured.” In our lives inevitably we keep losing one thing after another. But the bottom line is that we must not lose the living word of God in our hearts that is our holy ground and intimate personal connection to the Lord. In this passage the elders misguided the Israel people into miserable defeat at war. May the Lord help us to learn of what God wants through their critical mistake in this passage.

1.  Read v. 1b-2  Who goes out to fight against the Philistines? (1b) Who were the Philistines? (Ge10:14; Jos13:2-3; Jdg3:1-4) What was the result of the battle? (2)


1-1) Read v. 1b-2

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.  attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.


1-2) Who goes out to fight against the Philistines? (1b)

Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. Like the time of the Judges, there was no super power nation such as Assyria yet.

So, Israel's battles were against her neighboring countries, such as the Moabites, the Ammonites, or the Philistines.


1-3) Who were the Philistines? (Ge10:14; Jos13:2-3; Jdg3:1-4)

Ge10:14*Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

Jos13:2-3* “This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites: 3 from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron—that of the Avvites);

Jdg3:1-4 *These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivitesliving in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%203&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-6572a" a] Hamath.4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.

The Philistines were an immigrant people from the military aristocracy of the island of Crete (Amos 9:7, Jeremiah 47:4).

The Philistines had much influence from the Greek and had many advanced weapons
such as helmets, shields, swords, and spears.


1-4) What was the result of the battle? (2)

     The battle ended in disaster: Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed
        about four thousand men.



2.  Read v. 3-5  How did the elders of the Israelites respond to their defeat? (3a) What was the Israelites’ plan for defeating the Philistines? (3b-4, Jos 6:7-14) What do you think may be a problem with the choice they made?  When the ark came into the camp, how did the Israelites respond? (5)


2-1) Read v. 3-5

3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the LORD’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.


2-2) How did the elders of the Israelites respond to their defeat? (3a)

    3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines?

         
2-3) What was the Israelites’ plan for defeating the Philistines? (3b-4, Jos 6:7-14)

“Let us bring the Ark of the Covenant it may save us from the hand of our enemies”

The elders of Israel, after the battle with the Philistines, decided the next battle could be won if they took the Ark of the Covenant with their soldiers.  

The Ark of the Covenant was the representation of the throne of God (between the cherubim) among the people of Israel.

Kept in the most holy place of the tabernacle, it was never seen by the people. In that most holy place, only the high priest would enter and see the ark, and only once a year.

Yet, they wanted to take this representation of the throne of God out of the holy of holies with the assumption that it would give them victory.

The ark had gone into battle before. The ark went in front of the Israelites who were marching around the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:6-8).

Moses also told the priests to lead the ark into battle against the Midianites (Numbers 31:6).


2-4) What do you think may be a problem with the choice they made?

The elders of Israel were right in seeing they needed help from God to win the battle. But they were wrong in the way they went about getting help.

Instead of humbly repenting and seeking God, they turned to methods that God never approved.

They believed the presence of the ark would make God work for them. Their idea was that “God should be forced to fight for them.”  

This was the very thing Satan encouraged Jesus to do in His wilderness temptation, trying to "force" God into a miracle by suggesting Jesus to make stone breads and jump off of the top of the temple.

Their belief is really only superstition. They regard the ark as the ultimate “lucky charm.”

Notice their words: “that it may save us from the hand of our enemies”. They are looking to the ark to save them, not the LORD Himself.

Two sons of Eli have forsaken the LORD, but they were with the Ark of the Covenant of God.


2-5) When the ark came into the camp, how did the Israelites respond? (5)

All Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook: Someone passing by Israel's camp would have thought something tremendous was happening.

Certainly, this would have been considered a great church service, and many would think they were really trusting in God. Despite all the appearances, it was really nothing.

All their noise and excitement meant nothing because it wasn't grounded in God's truth.

The Israelites probably felt they were better than the Philistines because the Philistines were pagans, worshipping false gods.

Yet the Israelites were thinking and acting just like pagans, thinking they could manipulate God, and force Him into doing what they wanted Him to do.


3.  Read v. 6-11. How did the Philistines react to hearing the uproar? (6-8) What did they say to encourage each other? (9) What was the result of the second battle? (10) In particular, what happened to the ark and two sons of Eli? (11, 2:31)


3-1) Read v. 6-11

6 Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. 9 Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.


3-2) How did the Philistines react to hearing the uproar? (6-8)

6 Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert.


3-3) What did they say to encourage each other? (9)

9 Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”


3-4)What was the result of the second battle? (10)

10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.


3-5) In particular, what happened to the ark and two sons of Eli? (11, 2:31)

11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

1 Samuel 2:31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line



4. Read v. 12-22.  Who brought the news? (12) What did Eli’s heart fear for? (13a) What did the messenger tell Eli? (16-17)  What happened to Eli when the ark was mentioned? (18) What may Eli have been reminded of before he died? (2:30-34) What happened to his daughter-in-law? (19-20) What did she name the boy and say? (21-22)


4-1) Read v. 12-22

12 That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.
14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”
The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%204&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-7316b" b] Israel forty years.
19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women.” 21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured


4-2)  Who brought the news? (12)

a Benzamite -  maybe a young Saul?


4-3) What did Eli’s heart fear for? (13a)

He heart trembled for the ark of God: Eli anxiously waited at the tabernacle for news of the battle and more concerned about the fate of the Israelites due to their superstitious attitude to the ark.

So Eli knew that he had let the ark go on an unwise, superstitious errand, and his conscience made him fear that it would end in disaster.


4-4) What did the messenger tell Eli? (16-17) 

16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”


4-5) What happened to Eli when the ark was mentioned? (18)

18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led[ HYPERLINK "http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%204&version=NIV1984" \l "fen-NIV1984-7316b" b] Israel forty years.


4-6)What may Eli have been reminded of before he died? (2:30-34)

30 “Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and your father’s house would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. 34 “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day.

4-7) What happened to his daughter-in-law? (19-20)

19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women.”

4-8) What did she name the boy and say? (21-22)

She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured


In conclusion: It is very important for us to honor God in the right way. We often times made a mistake to force God to do something for us. God wants us to learn of his sovereignty through this passage. Today’s passage is the sound reason for us to get into the word of God deeply and live according to his way, not ours. In this way God’s glory may be revealed in and through us.

One word: God’s glory!

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