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The
Day
1 Samuel verses 4:12-22
11
T
rone
A Study of the Manifest Presence of God in 1 Samuel 4:12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” 17 He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 As soon as he
mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.! 19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. 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 and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 21 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. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
The messenger had run a distance of about twenty miles. The dirt on his head and the tearing of his clothes are signs of grief. This messenger is grieving, and he brings grievous news to those who are waiting at Shiloh. Eli was not waiting comfortably inside, but rather the text shows us he is sitting beside the road anxiously waiting. His main concern is not for his sons, or whether the army has met victory or defeat. Eli’s main concern is for the ark of God. Verse 13 tells us that his heart trembles as he waits for news about the ark.!
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As the messenger gives the news to the city a cry arises. Eli’s ears are good, and he hears the cry of mourning though his 98 year old eyes are failing. The messenger makes his way to Eli and delivers the bad news of what has happened. “The messenger’s pitiable report contains four parts building in a climactic fashion. First, the Israelite army has been put to flight before the Philistines. Then he reports the news of heavy casualties. Third, Eli’s own sons are both dead. Finally, the ark of God has been captured. We are not told of Eli’s reaction to the first three pieces of news. But at the mention of the ark’s capture, he falls, and because of his advanced age and great girth he does not survive the fall. The narrator intends us to understand that Eli is practically unaffected by the news of his son’s deaths, supposing that he has given up on them as hopeless.” (Bill T. Arnold, ! 1 & 2 Samuel)!
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Hannah names her son in chapter 1,“she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.” The coming of Samuel signaled hope and great joy for his family. Verses 19-22 detail out the birth of another child. His birth comes as his mother hears about the death of her husband, the death of her father in law, and the capture of the ark of the covenant. The mother, in her grief and despair names her child, Ichabod, which means “The glory has departed from Israel!” H. L. Ellison, writing about this text, says this about Phinehas’ wife, “she was wrong. The glory of God had indeed departed, but not because the ark of God had been captured; the ark had been captured because the glory had already departed.”!
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Today’s passage ends with great sadness.“The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” The birth of Samuel ushers in a new era of prophet. The birth of Ichabod closes a dark era of ungodly leadership in Israel. The death of Eli and the priesthood that he represents brings an end to Shiloh as the central place of worship for the people of God. The loss of the ark, the loss of the priests descended from Eli are consequences of sin and judgement upon Israel.