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.
Introduction: Context of 1 Samuel 4
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
The Defeat of Israel
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,
Israel's Situation and Failed Response
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,
Ignoring God's Word in Crisis
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.
The Ark as Idol and Magic Talisman
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.
God's Judgment on Israel
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,
The Slaughter and Capture of the Ark
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.
The Death of Eli
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.
The Departure of God's Glory
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.
Application
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.
Closing 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.