1 Samuel 4-7

What I Noticed Today (1 Samuel 4-7)

1 Samuel 4

1 Samuel 4 is a record of tragedy.

In verses 1-11, the first tragedy is the Ark was captured by the Philistines.

• The Israelites met the Philistines in battle at Aphek (about 25 miles from Shiloh).
• Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about 4,000 Israelites that day.
• The elders wonder why the Lord let them be defeated, so they decide to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh to the battle accompanied by Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
• The Philistines recognized that the God of the Israelites had entered their camp, so the Philistines fought even harder.
• The Philistines killed 30,000 Israelites soldiers that day and captured the Ark.

In verses 12-21a, the second tragedy was death.

• Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phineas, both died.
• When news of the defeat of Israel’s army reached Eli, and he learned that his sons had died and the Ark had been captured, he fell over, broke his neck, and died.
• Eli had judged Israel for 40 years.
• When Phinehas’ pregnant wife heard the news about the death of her husband and father-in-law and the capture of the Ark, she went into labor and died in childbirth. She named the boy Ichabod (meaning “there is no glory”).

In verses 21b-22, the third tragedy was the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel:

• When Phinehas’ pregnant wife died in childbirth, her last words were, “The glory of God has departed from Israel because the Ark of God has been captured” (1 Samuel 4:22).

1 Samuel 5

1 Samuel 5 recounts the travels of the Ark of the Covenant through Philistine lands.

• The Philistines took the Ark to Ashdod (50 miles southwest of Shiloh) and placed it in the temple of Dagon (the Philistine god).
• The statue of the Philistine god, Dagon was found the next day fallen over before the Ark
• The Philistines put Dagon back on his pedestal, and the next day he was found fallen over with his head and hands broken off.
• The Lord sent plagues against the people of Ashdod in the form of tumors.
• The Philistine rulers decided to move the Ark to Gath. The Lord’s hand came against the people of Gath in the form of tumors.
• The Ark was moved once again to Ekron. The Ekronites said the Ark must be returned to its people. Once again, the hand of God was against the people of Ekron.

1 Samuel 6

In 1 Samuel 6, the Ark is returned to the Israelites.

In verses 1-12, the Philistine elders made the decision that it was best to send the Ark back to the Israelites.

• The Philistine priests and diviners told the elders to send the Ark with an offering of five golden tumors and mice representing the five Philistine rulers. They told them to give glory to God and not harden their hearts like the Pharaoh in Egypt did.
• The men prepared a new cart pulled by two milk cows. They loaded the Ark onto the wagon along with the offering and sent it off.
• The cows took the Ark directly to Beth-shemesh, an Israelite village about 15 miles west of Jerusalem.
• The Israelite people were overjoyed to see the Ark return.
• They cut up the cart, built a fire, and sacrificed the cows on it.
• A number of Israelites looked inside the Ark (v. 19), and the Lord struck down 70 men (See Numbers 4:15).
• The men of Beth-shemesh sent messengers to the men of Kiriath-jearim telling them the Ark of the Lord had returned and to come and get it.

1 Samuel 7

In 1 Samuel 7, the Ark is restored in Israel.

In verses 1-17, the men of Kiritath-jearim came and took the Ark to Abinadab’s house, where they consecrated his son Eleazer to take care of the Ark.

• Levites from Kiriath-jearim came to Beth-shemesh and took the Ark home, and all of Israel began to seek the Lord (1 Samuel 7:2).
• But Samuel warned them if they really wanted to return to God, they needed to repent, get rid of their foreign gods and idols, and worship the Lord only!
• They did, and Samuel prayed to God as they fasted.
• When the Philistines came up against the Israelites, God himself caused a panic among the Philistines. The Philistines retreated and never tried to invade Israel again.
• The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines throughout the life of Samuel.
• The Israelites regained land from the Philistines and had peace with the Amorites.
• Every year Samuel would go from Bethel to Gilgal and Mizpah as he judged Israel. Then he would return home to Ramah, where he had built an altar to the Lord.

Hophni and Phineas had rejected God when it suited them and their lifestyle, but when they were in trouble, they wanted God to save them. Had they and the people of Israel repented and turned back to God, perhaps God would have given them victory over the Philistines.

The Philistines had God in their midst for seven months and clearly understood that all the bad things that were happening to them were happening because God was against them. Yet they never repented and turned to God. What an incredible opportunity to be with God, and it was lost!

Finally, after learning the lesson the hard way, the Israelites heeded Samuel by repenting of their sin and turning back to God with all their hearts.

Some thoughts for further consideration:

• My how these situations are reflected in our lives today! For some, we lead our lives the way we want and wonder why God doesn’t save us, as though He is there for our convenience! Or there are people who see the power of God all around them, yet stubbornly hold to their false beliefs and reject the one true God. And yet, for those who repent and return to Him, God is gracious to forgive and allows us to restore our relationship with Him!

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: 1 Samuel 8-11