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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 4. 1 Samuel chapter 4, this section 
4, 5, and 6 deals with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. 
In chapter 4, Israel loses the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord 
to the Philistines. They then take it to their country 
and it wreaks havoc upon the various cities in Philistia. And then they plan to return 
it and that happens in 1 Samuel chapter 6. But I did want us 
to see how Israel treated the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord 
and how they turned it itself into an idol. There is a propensity 
or a tendency in us to take good things from God and actually 
make them idolatrous. So beginning in chapter 4 at 
verse 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. Then the Philistines put themselves 
in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, 
Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about 4,000 men of 
the army in the field. 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. 
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. 
And when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp, 
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. 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. So the Philistines were afraid, but they said, God 
has come into the camp. And they said, woe to us, for 
such a thing has never happened before. Woe to us, who will deliver 
us from the hand of these mighty gods. These are the hands, or 
these are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues 
in the wilderness. Be strong and conduct yourselves 
like men, you Philistines, that you may not become servants of 
the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like 
men and fight." 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 30,000 foot soldiers. Also, the ark 
of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, 
died. 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. 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. 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. Eli was ninety-eight 
years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. 
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? 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. 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. Now his daughter-in-law, Phineas' 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. And about the time of her death, 
the women who stood by her said to her, Do not fear, for you 
have born a son. But she did not answer, nor did 
she regard it. Then she named the child Ichabod, 
saying, The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark 
of God has been captured, and because of her father-in-law 
and her husband. And she said, The glory has departed 
from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured. Amen. Let us pray. Father in heaven, 
we thank you for this written word. We pray now for the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit who gave us this word. We pray that you would 
help us to see, help us to appreciate something concerning the nature 
of idolatry. Help us, God, to see in our own 
hearts, in our own context, in our own church, not to seek to 
manipulate God to get the things that we want. Certainly, that 
is the sin, that is the issue going on here in 1 Samuel chapter 
4. And may we learn from this, and may we love You for who You 
are, and may we glorify You, and may we praise You, and may 
we be subject to You in all of Your doings on our behalf. Do 
forgive us again for our sins, we pray, and we ask in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, this is certainly 
a dark time in Israel's history. As I said, in chapter 4 we see 
the capture of the Ark of the Covenant. One man, a commentator, 
David Samura, says this is as if the author or narrator aims 
to remove Eli and his family before concentrating on Samuel. 
Samuel is mentioned in chapter 3. He doesn't come back until 
1 Samuel chapter 7. Again, not that he's unimportant, 
but as this man says, I think it is to get Eli and his sons 
out of the picture so that the focus can then be specifically 
on Samuel. Samuel says, all these things 
resulted in the capture of the ark of the Lord, the symbol and 
guarantee of the divine presence. Such a disaster had never happened 
in the history of the covenant people of Israel. Certainly, 
this was one of the darkest times for them. This also gives the 
background for Samuel's success. So that's a bit of the context. 
We can't spend a whole lot of time developing that. But notice 
specifically, we see in the first place the defeat of Israel in 
verses 1 to 11. And then we see the death of 
Eli in verses 12 to 18. And then finally, the departure 
of the glory of God in verses 19 to 22. Now, Eli is an interesting 
character. His sons, obviously, are interesting 
characters as well. They fare in chapters 2 and 3. 
And essentially, what you have with Hophni and Phinehas is wretched 
men. They did not know the Lord. They 
functioned as priests in a way that was absolutely contrary 
to the truth of God's Word. They stole sacrifices when people 
came to offer those sacrifices, and they themselves lay with 
women outside of the tabernacle and engaged in sexual perversion. 
These men were godless. Their root problem was, according 
to 1 Samuel 2, is that they did not know the Lord. So Samuel 
gets a word from the Lord and indicts Eli. God says to Eli 
that judgment is going to come upon him and his household because 
Eli knew what was happening and he did not restrain that. So 
on the one hand, in this particular chapter, we see God's word come 
to fruition or come to fulfillment in the death of these two priests. 
But as well, we see that it caused great turmoil in Israel, or there 
was great turmoil in Israel. Notice in the first place, with 
reference to the defeat of Israel, the situation in verses 1 to 
3a. Verse 1 says, the word of Samuel 
came to all Israel. Now, the New King James places 
that with chapter 3, and it seems like it doesn't go with chapter 
4. I think it does go with chapter 4, and I think it exacerbates 
the elders' response and shows how they had departed. In verse 
3, they concoct this idea to fetch or trot out the Ark of 
the Covenant in order to gain victory. They didn't seek the 
Word of the Lord. They didn't seek to know the mind of God. 
They simply responded with the best possible idea they had. 
That is never a good idea. We are to reflect upon God's 
Word. We are to do soul searching in light of God's Word. And so, 
therefore, we need to appreciate they operated apart from that 
Word. Now, the Philistines had been 
subjugated by Samson, according to Judges 14 to 16. Obviously, 
they were not completely decimated. Obviously, they had come back. 
And now, obviously, they pose a threat. And in verse 2, we 
read that they best Israel in battle. Verse 2 says, the Philistines 
put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they 
joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed 
about 4,000 men of the army in the field. And that brings us 
now to consider their solution. And this is where I think we 
should spend a bit of time to see how Israel treated the tabernacle, 
the Ark of the Covenant of God, and the temple. To see that what 
Stephen is doing in his defense in Acts 7 is not hypothetical. It's not theoretical. It's not 
out there. But their own history had demonstrated 
that they took the good gifts of God and made those idols. Now, the ark obviously was the 
symbol of God's presence among them, but it wasn't God himself. Just because it symbolized his 
presence did not always mean or guarantee the presence of 
God. God is not contained in a box. God is not locally present in 
that particular situation. And that's what these men failed 
to recognize. Now, notice in verse 3 their 
question. It says, the people had come 
into the camp, the elders of Israel, or when the people came 
into the camp, the elders of Israel said, why has the Lord 
defeated us today before the Philistines? That's right. They 
understood. The horse is prepared for the 
day of battle, but victory is from Yahweh. Proverbs 21, 31 
tells us that. So we can conclude as well that 
defeat is from Yahweh. And so they understand theologically 
correctly that God ultimately orchestrated this defeat of Israel. Now notice their particular issue. 
They come and they reflect on this situation and they fail 
to seek the Word of God. Notice in verse 3, let us bring 
the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us. They 
don't even wait for an answer to the question. Why has this 
defeat come? Turn back for just a moment to 
Leviticus chapter 26. The Word of God speaks to that 
very issue. The Word of God speaks to that 
very question, but they did not avail themselves of it. They 
ask the question, why has this defeat come? They don't ponder 
the answer, but rather they go right to their own proposed solution, 
and that solution is going to get them in more trouble. But 
notice in Leviticus 26, 16, I will also do this to you. I will even 
appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever, which shall 
consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your 
seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face 
against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those 
who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when 
no one pursues you. It's the Word of God answers. 
If you're not faithful in the land, if you are not conducting 
yourself in a manner that is consistent with the Word and 
Law of God, then your enemies are going to overrun you. Now 
later on, Phidias' wife is going to say that she calls this boy 
Ichabod because the glory of God had departed because the 
Ark of the Covenant had been captured. It's probably the case 
that the Ark of the Covenant had been captured because the 
glory of the Lord had already departed. They were already living 
in a way that was inconsistent. They were living in a way that 
was condemned by Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28. They 
don't wait for a response. Why did we suffer defeat in battle? They don't wait for a response. 
They immediately act. Going back to chapter 4, verse 
3, it says, Now there's a whole lot wrong with that particular 
statement. It's not the Ark of the Covenant that's going to 
save you from the hand of your enemies. They trot it out like it's a 
holy horseshoe. They trot it out like it's a 
rabbit's foot. They trot it out as if it's a 
lucky charm, and they think the mere presence of this particular 
box is going to bring defeat upon their enemies. They are 
faulty. They are seeking to treat Yahweh 
as if Yahweh is Baal. They are trying to manipulate 
a situation to get the desired result. They're not seeking God 
for God. They're seeking God, if at all, 
for what He can give them. Again, I think this is so parallel 
to what we find in the church today. Are we consumed with God 
for God? Or are we consumed with God for 
what God gives? God in His grace gives. God in 
His grace does bless us with every spiritual blessing in the 
heavenly places in Christ. But the problem comes when we 
try to manipulate God in order to get what it is that we want. 
Now, in one sense, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord did 
go with them into battle. The Ark of the Covenant of the 
Lord was there at Jericho. The Ark of the Covenant of the 
Lord, as we pointed out this morning, was with them when they 
crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land. So on one 
hand, yes, God's visible symbol of His presence among His people, 
but they terminated on the Ark of the Covenant and not on God. 
I hope you see that. That's exactly what's happening 
in this particular instance. They want this Ark to bring victory 
to them. 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. The lesson here, 
brethren, is that technique and manipulation and gaming the system 
is not the pathway to Christian blessing. Repentance, faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, humbling ourselves under the mighty hand 
of God, that is the means by which, not that we necessarily 
get blessing, but the way that we deal with God. Leviticus 26, 
Deuteronomy 28 said that if your enemies overtake you, it's as 
a result of your covenant infidelity, of your unfaithfulness as the 
professing people of God. And so these men tried to manipulate 
the situation in order to get what it is that they wanted. 
The use of the ark as a tool of magic. The use of the ark 
as a tool of magic. Again, I think this is precisely 
what is happening in the first century in Israel. And that's 
why Jesus pronounces that their house will be left to them desolate 
in Matthew 23. And then Jesus prophesies concerning 
the destruction of the temple in Matthew chapter 24. God had 
given them this good gift. God had given them this outward 
symbol of His visible presence. But they had turned that into 
God. They had turned that into an 
idol. They had missed God for the sake of that particular building. This, again, wasn't hypothetical 
in Stephen's defense, but it was a reality with reference 
to the children of Israel. Now, in terms of this particular 
abuse, listen to what John Gill says. He says that when it comes 
among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies, foolishly 
placing their confidence in an external symbol. You're all seeing 
that, right? I'm not making that up. I'm not 
importing the meaning to the text. It's exactly what they're 
doing. We got beat on the field of battle. 
Why did the Lord do this? Let's go fetch the Ark of the 
Covenant in Shiloh, trot it out to the battlefield, and certainly 
it will save us. It will save us. He goes on to 
say, foolishly placing their confidence in an external symbol 
and not in the Lord Himself, ascribing salvation to that which 
only belongs to Him, whether of a temporal or spiritual kind. And such folly and vanity are 
men guilty of when they seek to make use of and trust in anything 
short of Christ for salvation. as in carnal descent, in the 
rituals of the law, in the ordinances of the gospel, in any religious 
exercises, private or public. See, those things are, in and 
of themselves, not bad. Those aren't evil things that 
Gil is suggesting, but it's when we trust in those things for 
the blessing and benefit that God alone can give. So when he 
says carnal descent, he simply means the family into which we 
were born, the rituals of the law, the ordinances of the gospel. He's not condemning the supper. 
He's not condemning baptism. He's condemning those as an end 
rather than as a means to God. That's the issue that we see 
in the passage. He goes on to say, in any religious 
exercises, private or public, or in any works of righteousness 
done by them, in Christ alone is salvation from spiritual enemies, 
and indeed from the Lord only is salvation and deliverance 
from temporal enemies. It's not the box, not the Ark 
of the Covenant of the Lord. There was no faith, no repentance, 
no humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God, but rather 
let's fetch the Ark, let's trot it out, and it will bring us 
victory. Dale Ralph Davis says, when we 
operate this way, our concern is not to seek God, but to control 
Him. And I think as New Covenant believers, 
it's very easy for us to Monday morning quarterback, and to pontificate, 
and to say, how dare those wretched Israelites do that sort of thing, 
and miss the point. We do that sort of thing. We 
think by virtue of the amount of time that we pray, by virtue 
of the amount of time that we read our Bibles, by virtue of 
the fact that we're in church on Sunday for three hours, and 
even four if you attend the prayer meeting. I mean, come on. God 
is beholden to us. God must bless us. God must do 
for us. Think about some of the things 
that churches do. 40 days of prayer and fasting. If you want 
to pray and fast for 40 days, that's fine. But it seems to 
me, at times, to be a means or rather a technique to try to 
get stuff from God. We're never supposed to engage 
in means to try to get stuff from God. You're all looking 
at me a bit puzzled. We're not supposed to engage 
in means to try to get stuff from God. You wouldn't tolerate 
it with your children. God isn't about that with His 
children. So back to Davis. When we operate 
this way, our concern is not to seek God, but to control Him. Not to submit to God, but to 
use Him. So we prefer religious magic 
to spiritual holiness. We are interested in success, 
not repentance. Now, in terms of the fact that 
it's an idolatrous situation, I think Matthew Henry speaks 
to this well. I'm quoting a few guys here because 
I think they say it a lot better than I do. But listen to Matthew 
Henry. He says, note, it is common for those that have estranged 
themselves from the vitals of religion to discover a great 
fondness for the rituals and external observances of it. I 
think that's important in this context. They were already estranged. This is symptomatic. This isn't 
why they lost. This isn't evidence as to why 
they should have lost. The glory had departed. They 
had broken covenant. They were engaging in this sort 
of thing. So he says, it is common for those that have estranged 
themselves from the vitals of religion to discover a great 
fondness for the rituals and external observances of it. In 
other words, we're going to do the things we're supposed to 
do, again, because we're going to get what it is that we're 
seeking. For those that even deny the power of godliness, 
not only to have, but to have in admiration the form of it. 
He says, the temple of the Lord is cried up. We're going to see 
this as we move through that section in Acts chapter 7. Jeremiah 
the prophet preaches a sermon in Jeremiah chapter 7. And he 
tells the people, don't trust in deceptive words. The temple, 
the temple, the temple. What is Jeremiah telling them? 
Your trust is in the building. You have forgotten the living 
and true God. You think that by virtue of the 
fact that the temple is still standing, that everything is 
okay with your soul. Jeremiah says everything is not 
okay with your soul. You have turned the Lord's house 
into a house of a den of thieves. This is what Jesus is quoting 
when he enters into Jerusalem and he cleanses the temple. It's 
from the prophet Jeremiah. It's not that the temple is bad. 
It's not that the temple is wicked. It's that man is bad. Man is 
wicked. Man takes the good gifts of God, 
and he twists it, and he distorts it, and he sees it as an end 
rather than as a means to the worship and service of God. So 
back to Henry. The temple of the Lord is cried 
up, and the ark of the Lord is stickled for with a great deal 
of seeming zeal by multitudes that have no regard at all for 
the Lord of the temple and the God of the ark. There's all this 
concern for the temple and the ark, but there's no concern for 
the God of the temple. There's no concern for the God 
of the ark. He says, as if a fiery concern for the name of Christianity 
would atone for a profane contempt of the thing. And yet indeed 
they did but make an idol of the ark and looked upon it to 
be as much an image of the God of Israel as those idols which 
the heathen worshiped were of their gods. You know, it's very 
intriguing that when they actually bring the Ark of the Covenant 
of the Lord out into the battlefield, how do the Philistines respond? 
The Philistines respond the same way the Israelites were responding. 
That should tell you something. The Philistines were pagans. 
The Philistines were idolaters. In the next scene, they're going 
to part the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord in the temple of 
their god Dagon. Now, the temple of their god 
Dagon, Dagon falls down. They're the sort of people that 
have to go and pick their god up and prop him back up. They 
have to get super glue and paste his hands back on. They're not 
good theologians. So when they respond to the presence 
of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord in the same manner that 
the Israelites did, you know that there's a defect in Israelites' 
theology. Does everybody get that? Because 
the Philistines freak out at the concept that the Ark of God 
is there among them. No, let's look at that. Notice 
the judgment, verses 4 to 11. The ark is taken from Shiloh, 
and then the ark is accompanied by two apostate priests. Notice 
in verse 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. No one thought this was a bad idea. No one thought 
that priests who stole sacrifice, priests who lay with women outside 
the tabernacle, no one thought for a moment, hey, maybe it's 
not the best idea to have these two guys as the couriers for 
the very Ark of the Covenant of God. In fact, as we move through 
the narrative, Eli seems to have a sneaking suspicion that not 
everything has gone well. He is waiting with bated breath 
to hear about the Ark of the Lord. He doesn't fall off of 
his perch at the news that his sons died. He doesn't fall off 
his perch at the news that Israel is defeated in battle. He falls 
off his perch and dies at the news that the ark of God has 
been captured. Perhaps Eli had some semblance 
of a clue to realize, not a good thing to send my sons on that 
particular mission. especially in light of the fact 
that he had received the prophetic word from Samuel that his sons 
would be terminated, that his sons would be executed, that 
his sons would be dead. So Eli, at least to some degree, 
shows at least a bit more understanding than the rest of the people at 
this particular time. Now notice again the response of the Philistines, 
verses 5 to 9. And when the ark of the covenant 
of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly 
that the earth shut. Now, when the Philistines heard 
the noise of the shout, they said, what is 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. So the Philistines 
were afraid, for they said, God has come into the camp. You see, 
we get that with pagan Philistines. We understand that they think 
that this container actually holds their God. They do it in 
the next chapter with reference to Dagon. But no Israelite worth 
his weight in salt should have ever thought that a box contained 
God. It was never intended to convey 
that. It was never meant for them to 
worship the box as if it was somehow God. That was to miss 
the point tremendously. The pagans, we expect it, we 
shouldn't expect it, with reference to Israel. 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. 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. 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. The Philistines are raised up for battle at this particular 
juncture. They say, the gods of the Israelites are here amongst 
us. We need to be of good courage, 
and we need to fight, and we need to stop them, and we need 
to defeat them. That is their particular response. Now, notice the actual judgment 
of God in verses 10 and 11. So the Philistines fought and 
Israel was defeated and every man fled to his tent. That doesn't 
mean he went back for some food and some rest and a little bit 
of R&R. It means that was it. He ain't 
going back out to the battle. He isn't gonna face those Philistines 
anymore. They decimated them, 30,000. 
Previously it had been 4,000, now it's 30,000. The Philistines 
did busy work with reference to vanquishing the threat of 
the Israelites at this particular juncture. There was a very great 
slaughter and there fell of Israel 30,000 foot soldiers. Also the 
Ark of God was captured and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas 
died. Matthew Henry again says, now 
they are made to reflect with the utmost regret upon their 
own rashness and presumption in bringing the ark into the 
camp and so exposing it. Imagine how this felt. Do you 
ever do that when you read your Bible? Do you ever imagine what 
it must have been like? I hope you do. When you read 
a story, when you read a book, when you read something, you 
wonder what it was like to be there. I wonder what it was like 
to be in Israel to watch the Ark of the Covenant be captured 
by the Philistines. Those filthy pagans were putting 
their hands on the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. The Lord 
God Most High forbade, except for a handful of priests, anyone 
from touching the Ark of the Covenant of God. You remember 
that instance in 2 Samuel 6, when Uzzah reaches out his hand 
to steady the cart, to steady the ark so that it doesn't fall 
into the mud. What does God do? Does God say 
in the language of R.C. Sproul, thank you, Uzzah, I'm 
glad you steadied that so that it wouldn't fall into the dirt? 
No, he killed Uzzah, because Uzzah was unauthorized to touch 
the ark of the covenant of God. The mud isn't bad, the dirt isn't 
bad, mud and dirt does what mud and dirt is supposed to do. It's 
sinners and their filthiness, touching things that God says 
don't touch. That was the problem, and that's 
why God destroyed Uzzah. Now the Ark of the Covenant of 
God is in the possession of the Philistines. Now you might say, 
well, but you said that's not God. It isn't God, but it was 
that which, by God's appointment, was the visible symbol of God's 
presence among Israel. On the one hand, you weren't 
supposed to worship it, you weren't supposed to treat it as an idol, 
you weren't supposed to trot it out as if it was a holy horseshoe 
to help you win the battle, but on the other hand, you were supposed 
to esteem the reality that God the Lord appointed this, God 
the Lord sanctioned this, and God the Lord authorized Israel 
to have this and to certainly not let it go into the hands 
of their enemies. Now, if you've never read 1 Samuel 
chapter 5, you should. You really should, because the 
Philistines get to the point where they're throwing the Ark 
of the Covenant of God out of their country. Everywhere it 
goes, it brings damage. The old King James, I love it. 
He afflicted them with emeralds. with emrods, tumors in the new 
King James, cleans it up a little bit. But that Ark of the Covenant 
of God, the glory of God may have departed from Israel, but 
the glory of God never departs from God. And this is precisely 
what you see in chapter 5. But back to chapter 4, notice. Matthew Henry says, they are 
made to reflect with the utmost regret upon their own rashness 
and presumption in bringing the ark into the camp, and so exposing 
it, and wish a thousand times they had left it where God had 
fixed it. I don't think he's kidding. I'm sure they had a 
lot of people saying, you know, we probably should have left 
it in Shiloh. Enough times where persons were 
saying, I know what we should have done. You know, woulda, 
shoulda, coulda, the worst words in the English language. Those 
are never positive words. Should have never a positive 
word. I should have always implies 
failure on your part. I should have done this. And 
I did it. I should have done that. And I did it. I think he's 
right. They wished a thousand times 
they had left it where God had fixed it. Now they are convinced 
that God will not be prescribed to by vain and foolish men and 
that though he has bound us to his ark, he has not bound himself 
to it. but will rather deliver it into 
the hands of his sworn enemies than suffer it to be profaned 
by his false friends and countenance their superstition." That is 
poignant, that is powerful, and that is something you need to 
get your mind wrapped around. God would rather see the symbol 
of his visible presence among Israel in the hands of filthy 
Philistines than for Israel to profane themselves by treating 
it as an idol. That's what God does in this 
passage. Now, notice the fulfillment of 
God's Word in 11b. Also, the ark of God was captured 
and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. If you want 
to look later, it's in chapter 2, 25, chapter 2, 34, chapter 
3, 12 to 14. The death of Hophni and Phinehas 
was ordained by God, or at least announced by God that it was 
going to happen. It was ordained. before the foundation of the 
world according to God's decree. But this was a blessing. You 
say, well, Butler, that's a stretch. The fact that the Ark of the 
Covenant of God was taken is not a blessing, but the death 
of false priests is a blessing. It's a mercy from God. It's the 
grace of God. You know, there's times when 
we might pray, Lord God, any church that doesn't preach the 
true gospel, shut them down. People might think, well, you 
know, that's not very inclusive. That's not very kind. That's 
not very tolerant. That's not very nice. You know, 
that's not the way we should approach things. If they're not 
preaching the gospel, shut them down. There's enough social clubs. There's enough entertainment. 
There is enough of everything that a church who's not preaching 
the gospel is offering already offered. Why do we need to try 
and baptize entertainment? Why do we want to baptize heresy? 
Why would we want to baptize some offense and say, oh, but 
that's okay. We want to be inclusive. No, 
shut them down. It's a mercy to people when they 
don't have to be subject to heretical teachers. It was a mercy to Israel 
that God had Hophni and Phinehas killed. Davis says, indeed, though 
in fulfilling this word, he acts in judgment, he nevertheless 
acts in grace. For in his judgment, he is removing 
false shepherds who cause his people to go astray. I don't 
think we reflect on that ever. I mean, I think sometimes we 
might read a polemic blog and go, wow, yeah, it's bad. You 
know, these kind of guys are out there teaching. There's bad teaching 
out there. Like, really bad teaching. And 
there's the sort of conduct that it engaged in by off the Infidious. 
And a guy, a pastor was recently fired from his church. Turns 
out, I mean, this guy was living high on the hog on the backs 
of his people. Persons in the church are now 
getting wind of this, saying, can I have my tithes back from 
the last 5, 10, 15, 20 years? I didn't think I was paying for, 
you know, a mansion for this pastor. So in terms of that, 
that's happening. Sexual profligacy, sexual perversion, 
sexual indiscretion, that happens among the professing leaders 
in the Church of Jesus Christ. We're not a lot different than 
what we see in Hophni and Phinehas. And again, I think the root problem 
is 1 Samuel 2. They did not know Yahweh. That was the fundamental concern. 
And because they didn't know Yahweh, stealing sacrifice and 
laying with women was like chump change. That was nothing. That 
was a walk in the park. That was symptomatic of the greater 
problem that they weren't in a saving relationship with God 
Almighty. See brethren, that's why when 
it comes to the examination of men for Christian ministry, do 
you know what's most important? Are you born again? Are you saved? Are you in a relationship with 
the Lord Jesus Christ through faith? And then, of course, qualifications. Are you everything Paul says 
in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and in Titus chapter 1? Do we ever ask 
that? Are you saved? Are you born again? 
Do you have, you know, graces indicating genuine Christian 
experience, to use an Al Martin-ism? Is that a reality in your life? 
Because if not, you don't belong in a Christian pulpit. I mean, 
where do we get to this point where, you know, it's not the 
best and brightest that are preaching the gospel. It's the opposite. Guys who couldn't define justification, 
guys who couldn't give an explanation of the Trinity. That's not the 
way it ought to be, so it was a blessing that Hophni and Phinehas 
died. Now notice the death of Eli quickly, 
verses 12 to 18. The report comes through the 
messenger in verse 12. Eli is the priest, the whole 
city gets the report, the defeat of Israel by the Philistines, 
the defeat of Hophni and Phinehas, and the capture of the Ark. Now, 
the mention of the Ark again is what affects Eli. Look at 
the text. When Eli heard the noise of the 
outcry, he said, verse 14, What does the sound of this tumult 
mean? And the man came quickly and told Eli. Eli was 98 years 
old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. 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? 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. Now 
notice verse 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. It wasn't the death of his sons. 
He knew that was coming. I'm sure that was nevertheless 
bad news. I mean, even if your sons are terrible, your parents 
love them, right? I mean, it's hard to not love 
your kids. I'm sure Hitler's mom loved him, 
right? I mean, we can't fathom that, 
but she loved it. Terrible people in the history 
of the world have been loved by their parents. So I'm sure 
Eli had some filial affection toward his sons, but that's not 
what caused him to fall and to die. It was the knowledge that 
the Ark of the Covenant of God had been captured. He knew the 
significance of that. He knew the gravity of that. 
He knew the weight of that. And then it tells us, he fell, 
his neck was broken, and he died. For the man was old and heavy, 
and he had judged Israel 40 days. Now, look at the departure of 
Yahweh in 19 to 22. This is a very sad and pathetic 
scene, isn't it? It's one of those sections where 
you kind of tug at your heartstrings a bit. You tear up a little bit, 
because it's not her fault she married him. It's not her fault. I mean, I guess it is, but in 
the grand scheme of things. But it is the case that this 
is a sad event in the life of this particular woman. Now his 
daughter-in-law, Phineas' 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. And 
about the time of her death, the women who stood by her said 
to her, Do not fear, for you have born a son. But she did 
not answer, nor did she regard it. And 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. And she said, the glory has departed from Israel for 
the ark of God has been captured. Davis says, probably she taught 
more theology in her death than Phineas had done in his whole 
life. She understood the ramifications. She knew what was happening. 
She theologized with reference to the naming of her son, Ichabod. Well, brethren, in conclusion, 
in the first place, I would underscore, as we ought to always underscore, 
the importance of the Word of God. If you've got issues in 
your life, search the Scriptures. If you're being defeated by the 
Philistines, ask, why is this happening? And go to the scriptures 
for the response. You need the word of God. You 
need it vitally in your life to understand why things are 
happening. And it's not a book like a fortune 
cookie, or it's not a, what do they call those balls, the balls 
that tell you thing, what is it? Crystal ball. That's right. It's not like that. You're not 
going to find a Roman 17 that says, well, you have this problem 
on Thursday, Jim, because you did. No, no, it's not that way. 
You got to use wisdom. You got to have some insight. 
You got to rely upon the Holy Spirit. You need to ask the questions 
of Scripture. But then as well, what is the 
pathway to restoration? The pathway to restoration in 
this instance was not trot the Ark of the Covenant of God out 
as if it was a holy horseshoe, but rather to humble ourselves 
before the mighty hand of God and in due time let him lift 
us up. Faith and repentance, humility before God. James is 
a wonderful book. James chapters 4 and 5 are great 
in terms of how believers who are going through issues can 
ask questions and then find proper answers in terms of restoration. As well, we need to appreciate 
the idolatry of Israel, again, was not a hypothetical for Stephen. 
Stephen knew the history. The council knew the history. 
Stephen is pressing his point. Stephen is invoking their history 
and invoking their scriptures to show the reality that not 
everything was good in Israel back then. And in Stephen's defense, 
he's saying not everything is good in Israel right now. The 
council, the Sanhedrin, have been acting consistently, not 
with the godly in Israel, not with the faithful in Israel, 
but with the unfaithful, with the idolaters, with the sorts 
of people that would say, let's take the Ark of the Covenant 
out and it will deliver us from our enemies. And then thirdly 
and finally, and this is just a place where I get to quote 
one of my favorite quotes of all times outside of the Bible. Actually, that's not why I'm 
preaching this, but this is certainly a happy benefit. The attempt 
to manipulate God. This is where you need, you know, 
ask God tonight, tomorrow, Thursday, whenever, Lord help me in light 
of 1 Samuel chapter 4 to see where it may be the case that 
I'm like those people in Israel at that time. Show me, Lord, 
where I'm in error trying to manipulate you, trying to use 
you, trying to secure benefits by doing something or engaging 
in something simply as technique. J. Gresham Machen wrote an excellent 
little book. Well, it's probably a collection 
of essays or addresses. It's called, What is Faith? recommend that book higher. It's 
one of the best books, you know, anything Machen writes is fantastic. 
But there's a particular chapter where he says something in this 
vein. He says, we value God solely 
for the things he can do. We make of him a mere means to 
an ulterior end, and God refuses to be treated so. Such a religion 
always fails in the hour of need. If we have regarded religion 
merely as a means of getting things, even lofty and unselfish 
things, then when the things that have been gotten are destroyed, 
our faith will fail. You see, if we're mercenaries 
and we get what it is that we want, and then they are gone 
or taken or destroyed, the faith will fail. He says, when loved 
ones are taken away, when disappointment comes and failure, when noble 
ambitions are set at naught, then we turn away from God. We 
have tried religion, we say. We have tried prayer, and it 
has failed. Of course it has failed. God 
is not content to be an instrument in our hand or a servant at our 
beck and call. He is not content to minister 
to the worldly needs of those who care not a bit for Him. Let that sink in, brethren, because 
I think, again, there's a lot of parallels to modern evangelicalism 
and, dare I say it, the Reformed faith that feels a lot like we're 
trying to get from God, like we're trying to manipulate, like 
we're trying to game the system. Ralph Davis, a contemporary, 
says it this way. Contemporary believers must be 
aware of thinking they are immune from this rabbit-foot faith. 
You all know that when I say holy horseshoes, a horseshoe 
is supposed to be a good luck thing. They say when you put 
one up, make sure the tines go up, because if you put it upside 
down, all the luck runs out. It's kind of like the Philistines 
teaching us theology proper. It's just really bad. So horseshoes, 
rabbit's feet, rabbit's foot. I remember when I was a kid, 
they used to have them on key chains. How sick is that? Putting 
a rabbit's foot in your pocket? Because it's lucky? So that's 
what some of you younger people, you're probably going, rabbits 
feet and horseshoes? What's with Butler? What's with this feet 
reference? They're lucky charms. Was it a four-leaf clover? That 
was the other lucky charm. If you find a four-leaf clover, 
boy, you're going to have a lucky day. Again, that's just sick 
on a whole host of levels. I mean, come on. So back to Davis. He says, "...contemporary believers 
must beware of thinking they are immune from this rabbit-foot 
faith. What is behind a church's 24-hour 
prayer vigil? Is it a desire to be in earnest 
with God, to plead with Him in some matter? Or is there some 
thinking that if we simply organize and orchestrate such coverage, 
God will be forced to grant whatever we are praying about?" See, again, 
there's subtleness here. It's not bad to have the Ark 
of the Covenant. It's bad to think that the Ark of the Covenant 
is going to give you victory over the Philistines. It's certainly 
not bad to pray. It's certainly not bad for a 
church to have a 24-hour prayer vigil. I myself prefer sleep, 
at least some of those 24 hours, but if you want to, knock yourselves 
out. It's bad when we think that by 
the doing of the thing, we're going to get what it is we're 
after. You have to see the Baalism in 
that. You have to see this approach 
is more technique-oriented and more manipulation-oriented than 
it is with reference to the worship of God. He says, perhaps individual 
Christians have observed that, quote, things go better with 
prayer, end quote. But what then is the drive behind 
their daily devotional exercises? Is it delight in meeting with 
God or with things going better? Whenever the church stops confessing, 
thou art worthy, and begins chanting, thou art useful, well, then you 
know that the ark of God has been captured again. I say this 
because I think it is a legitimate concern. I think 1 Samuel chapter 
4 is as relevant to the church today as it was with reference 
to the children of Israel then. This technique, this manipulation, 
this desire to get from God under the guise of piety or religiosity. Again, acts of piety, acts of 
religiosity, good. The people of God should pray. 
The people of God should read. The people of God should attend 
to the services of the church. But when the people of God use 
those as means to get what it is they're really after, then 
the people of God are guilty of 1 Samuel chapter 4, thinking 
that they can do such and such in order to get the desired results. That's the lesson that you and 
I need to take from this passage. And please don't go home and 
say, well, I'm not going to pray. I'm not going to read. I'm just 
going to lay on the couch. Don't do that. Pray, read, but 
don't trust in the praying and the reading to get you the stuff 
that you're after. Commune with God. Machen goes 
on to say that God is the best. God is the most glorious. Communion 
and fellowship with God trumps everything else. Whatever it 
is you're after, the presence of God in your life is far more 
excellent than whatever it is you're after. Well, let us close 
in a word of prayer. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word. We thank you for this Lord's Day, the Sabbath, that 
we can rest together and gather together as the people of God 
to worship the God of heaven and earth. We ask that you would 
go with us now, that you would cause your face to shine upon 
us, that you would help us to know your peace and God do watch 
over us each and every day. We ask that you would bless again 
our brothers and sisters struggling with trials and afflictions and 
physical ailments. We just pray that they would 
know relief and they would know peace and they would know joy 
from on high. And we ask this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen.