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I Samuel 4-8
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A really lame battle plan (I Samuel 4:1-11)
1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. ¶ Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.
2 Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.
3 And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”
4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 ¶ And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook.
6 Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.
7 So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.
8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
9 Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!”
10 ¶ So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.
11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
Samuel is now the judge over Israel and leads them into battle against the Philistine occupation of Israel; this battle takes place within the tribal allotment of Ephraim approximately 20 miles west of Shiloh, and these Hebrews get soundly trounced with a loss of 4,000 soldiers. The Israeli army decides they could prevail if they sent back for the Ark of the Covenant (located in Shiloh) and have it brought to the battle front. What a crazy idea! The Philistines are alarmed at its arrival, but attack anyway, wipe out a bunch of Israeli soldiers (30,000) and capture the Ark. Eli's two sons are killed, but remember, they had it coming according to the prophecy back in I Samuel 2:34 (see notes).
I suppose it made sense to the Jews to take the Ark of the Covenant into battle; God had commanded them to use it as such in the early conquest of Canaan back in Joshua's day. You will also recall that it played a prominent role in the conquest of Jericho back in Joshua 6 (see notes). However, the difference in these two occasions is the decree of God. Joshua was commanded to take the Ark into a God-ordained battle; this time a less-committed-to-God bunch of Hebrews decide (as a matter of superstition) to take it with them into battle. Here's the lesson for them and for us: With God, it's not what you do; it's why you do what you do.
Incidentally, you will notice in verse 8 that the Philistines had no understanding of Israel's monotheism, their relationship with THE one true God, Jehovah. As far as they are concerned, Israel is a polytheistic nation just like all of the other surrounding nations, but with more powerful "gods" at their disposal. According to the notes in the Jewish Study Bible, "The Ark of God was captured, in keeping with the ancient custom of taking the statue of the god of the defeated people as booty."
Eli has his worst day in 98 years (I Samuel 4:12-22)
12 ¶ Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
13 Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on 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.
14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli.
15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see.
16 ¶ Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.” ¶ And he said, “What happened, my son?”
17 ¶ So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.”
18 ¶ Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19 ¶ Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it.
21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
Eli the priest was a little concerned about the Ark being gone from the Tabernacle. This 98 year-old overweight man is sitting in his chair next to the road when he gets the word from a grief-stricken Israeli soldier who had escaped that the Ark has been captured and both his sons are dead. He immediately falls over in his chair and breaks his neck, ending his forty-year tenure. Then his daughter-in-law (wife of Phinehas, who was killed) hears the bad news which induces the birth of her son; she dies in childbirth. In her dying breath, she gives the child a really tough name, "Ichabod," a compound Hebrew word meaning "no glory." To her, that just summed up the day when Israel lost the Ark, her husband, brother-in-law and father-in-law die unexpected deaths, and she realizes that she is dying in childbirth. How would you like for your name to mean that the glory has departed from your country? Ichabod's did.
Eli had reason to be concerned that day as Israel carried the Ark into battle. He probably recalled the word from the Lord that Samuel had received when he was a child back in I Samuel 3 (see notes). Per that prophecy, Eli's household was due to be harshly judged, and this turned out to be the day it happened.
Hey! Philistines! How do you like the Ark now? (I Samuel 5)
1 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.
3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again.
4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it.
5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
6 ¶ But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.”
8 Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” ¶ And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away.
9 So it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them.
10 ¶ Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!”
11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.
12 And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
The Philistines set the captured Ark of the Covenant up next to Dagon, their man-fish-looking idol back in the city of Ashdod. The Ark (a 4'x3'x3' gold-covered and lined box) apparently abused Dagon - knocked him over the first day and again the second day at which time Dagon lost his fish-looking head and hands in the fall. Wait! There's more! The men of Ashdod started getting some ugly "tumors" and many died. The Philistines even acknowledge that Israel's God had beaten up their god (verse 7). They unanimously cry out, "Let's move this thing!" To Gath it goes where the Philistine men there are plagued with "tumors in their secret parts." Ooooo! That's gotta hurt! They then decide to move it a third time to Ekron; the Philistines of Ekron know it's bad news as it enters their city and cry out in protest. They call for the Philistine leaders to come give them some relief, but not before "there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there" (verse 11). But it didn't stop there according to verse 12, "the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors." After seven months, the Philistines are really, really anxious to be rid of the Ark!
How do you return a stolen Ark? (I Samuel 6)
1 Now the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”
3 ¶ So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”
4 ¶ Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” ¶ They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords.
5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.
6 Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?
7 Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them.
8 Then take the ark of the LORD and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go.
9 And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.”
10 ¶ Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
11 And they set the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors.
12 Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 ¶ Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the LORD.
16 So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 ¶ These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
18 and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the LORD, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 ¶ Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20 ¶ And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”
21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up with you.”
Yeah, but how do we get rid of this thing? It seems that in addition to tumors and death, mice had overrun their fields as well. So their holy men decide they need to send it back with some offerings inside - five tumor-looking-things made out of gold (YUK!) and five golden mice replicas. Recalling Egypt's experience with Israel, they make a cart for the Ark and hook it up to two milk cows for the journey home. Still not absolutely certain that their woes for the last seven months weren't just a coincidence, they figure if the cows head straight for Beth Shemesh (one of the Levite cities about nine miles east-southeast of Ekron), it must have been Israel's God that plagued them - otherwise, coincidence. The Israelites in Beth Shemesh are tickled to see the Ark coming to their town. However, the Ark is a little hard on the Hebrews back in Beth Shemesh as well; a bunch of them die also for looking into the Ark. That was a no no according to Numbers 4:20 (see notes), "But they shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die." Hey, you people in Kirjath Jearim! Please, please, please send somebody to take this Ark off our hands!
Twenty more years of disgusting idol worship (I Samuel 7:1-4)
1 Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
2 ¶ So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
3 ¶ Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.
The residents of Kirjath Jearim (about 9 miles northeast) come and take the ark off the hands of the plagued people of Beth Shemesh. Israel has the Ark, but not back in its original home, the Tabernacle back at Shiloh; it stayed in storage in Kirjath Jearim at the house of Abinadab who had sanctified his son, Eleazar, to be the keeper. The Israelites were apparently not in any spiritual state to be concerned about its absence from the Tabernacle in Shiloh; they continued with their false gods for those twenty years - slow learners. Finally, Samuel rallies the people and they pledge their allegiance to the one true God. Notice verse 4, "So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only." Though now serving God, they still do not move the Ark to its home. Notice the "Baals," speaking of the plurality of the images that they had to represent him. Baal was the head of the pantheon in Canaanite culture - their so-called god of heaven and earth. Ashtaroth was the Canaanite goddess of fertility and love. Wow...those Hebrews certainly had embraced Canaanite culture...big time! Well, at least for awhile, the Hebrews rid themselves of those disgusting idols here; they're ready to take a stand for God!
The reference to "twenty years" in verse 2 was the period of time Israel continued in idol worship before they once again sought after God. The Ark of the Covenant remained there for longer - throughout the period of King Saul's forty-year reign until the time of David's reign. He moved it from Kirjath Jearim to Jerusalem in II Samuel 6 (see notes).
Finally...they had all they could stand! (I Samuel 7:5-17)
5 ¶ And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.”
6 So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the LORD. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah.
7 ¶ Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9 ¶ And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.
10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
13 ¶ So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 ¶ And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places.
17 But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the LORD.
After they finally get rid of their false gods and admit their sin, Samuel gathers Israel together to make a sacrifice to Jehovah. The Philistines think this would be a great opportunity to attack. It's not nice to attack Israel when they are worshipping! A miracle happens. Verse 10 says, "the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day." Boooooom! The battle is over! The Philistines fall like dominoes beginning that day. Israel pursues and slays the remaining fleeing army of the Philistines, and Israel is free again! They're back with their real estate free from the oppressive Philistines. Verse 14 adds, "Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites." These Amorites were original inhabitants of Canaan. Times seem good once again for Israel under the leadership of Samuel.
How about a king! (I Samuel 8)
1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
4 ¶ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
6 ¶ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.
9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
10 ¶ So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king.
11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.
12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.
16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.
18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
19 ¶ Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us,
20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 ¶ And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.
22 So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” ¶ And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
Well...it turns out that Samuel did no better at raising his children than his mentor, Eli, had done. He makes his boys judges, and they are corrupt - so corrupt that the people of Israel call for a meeting and make a declaration in verse 5, "and said to him, 'Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.'" Yeah...a king...that would solve our problems! As you can see, however, the corruption of Samuel's own boys is what provoked the people of Israel to call for a king.
The plan up to this point was simple: Obey God, stay away from the false gods of your neighbors and Jehovah will keep you free and prosperous. Israel wanted more than that. They wanted some towering figure in their presence who would prevent them from doing wrong. They were eager to forsake their tribal/regional governments in lieu of a central government; they wanted a king!
Their desire for a king had been anticipated many generations before - back in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (see notes). The Canaan-entry plan was that the individual tribes would govern themselves without a central government. They were all to worship God, and they were to make their three annual trips to Shiloh where they would acknowledge their allegiance to God through their sacrifices there. But now they want to unite the tribes with a central government under a king - their choice - not God's.
God tells Samuel to tell Israel that a king has some baggage they need to consider in verses 10-18.
Who cares? We want a king! So God tells Samuel in verse 22, "Heed their voice, and make them a king." Let's see how this works out. The search for a king begins in I Samuel 9 (see notes).