King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 10 notes
1And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
2And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
3And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
4So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
Look at them... after all their disobedience, they thought God was an idol to be carried around and used to do one's bidding.
5And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
6And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
They had heard about stories of the ark, strange stories which were told them by their fathers.
They had been told that Israel had a totem 🗿, an idol shaped as an ark with two ✌️ angels.
It was made of pure gold. And it produced great victory ✌️ for Israel.
That was how Israel was rescued from Egypt and annexed Canaan to themselves.
If not, how else could such a feeble and weak people conquer Anak and the rest of the giant nations?
Oh, many a strange and terrible 😰 story had been told of this ark.
And now here the ark had been brought to the war front.
This was terrible news for the Philistines.
But nevertheless they gingered themselves and trusted in their god Dagon for victory ✌️, and went out against Israel.
It was altar against altar.
As I type these words my eyes are teary 😢, as it dawns on me that this is not just a story but a fact of history.
A history which remains relevant to us, because today we have Israel as a nation and we have God still with us.
Oh, if only we would give ourselves wholly to him. Oh, what a great work he would do with us and to us and through us.
7And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
“The word of Samuel came to all Israel” is an expression of how that Samuel instructed the people.
8Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
9Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
10And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
They were to guard the ark, and now the Philistines wanted it.
With their depravity, I'm sure Hophni and Phinehas fled and abandoned the ark...
The Philistines probably slew them in their flight.
They did not fear 😱 God; why would they stand in defence of the ark at the peril of their lives?
Am sure they guarded the ark with their life, because they knew what it represented.
So there was some right in them... Some fear of the Lord, and this is where we ought to be very careful.
We might be doing some things right, i.e. in service, yet rejected by the Lord because we rejected his word to us and were selective in obedience.
Serving in his house yet walking in rebellion to his word.
Service does not equate obedience.
They stood to defend the ark from capture...
The source and tool for their sumptuous feeding and their unbridled lust.
They didn't know the Lord did not care about the capture of the ark.
He was going to use its seeming capture to make his name great again.
12And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
13And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon 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.
Refer to notes in chapter 3 verse 17
How did Eli know that the Lord had spoken clearly and it concerned something important?
How come he seemed so versed in the things of God?
Maybe he himself used to experience same as a boy 🧒, or when he was much younger.
But now it seems as the Lord had left him.
But he still knew the ways of God and of his Spirit.
Eli was no carnal man, as seen by what even killed him.
The news of the capture of the ark of the Lord.
The glory of Israel captured by the uncircumcised Philistines.
An abomination. He knew at that point that God had abandoned them.
At that moment he died.
As terrible as that news and incident of the ark capture was, God was still with Israel.
Indeed, he was now beginning his dealing with Samuel, through whom he dealt with Israel.
So sometimes, in the worst of moments, seemingly when God has disappeared from the scene...
He's working something new in the background.
It was in that same season that the kings were born... Kings such as Saul and David.
1 Samuel 3:17 KJV
And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
NOTE 2
14And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
Refer to notes in chapter 3 verse 17
How did Eli know that the Lord had spoken clearly and it concerned something important?
How come he seemed so versed in the things of God?
Maybe he himself used to experience same as a boy 🧒, or when he was much younger.
But now it seems as the Lord had left him.
But he still knew the ways of God and of his Spirit.
Eli was no carnal man, as seen by what even killed him.
The news of the capture of the ark of the Lord.
The glory of Israel captured by the uncircumcised Philistines.
An abomination. He knew at that point that God had abandoned them.
At that moment he died.
As terrible as that news and incident of the ark capture was, God was still with Israel.
Indeed, he was now beginning his dealing with Samuel, through whom he dealt with Israel.
So sometimes, in the worst of moments, seemingly when God has disappeared from the scene...
He's working something new in the background.
It was in that same season that the kings were born... Kings such as Saul and David.
1 Samuel 3:17 KJV
And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
At the death ☠ of his sons his heart did not fail; God had already told him.
But at the capture of the ark he died.
Indeed, this man's heart was on the spiritual.
Even though he had failed God, his heart ♥ was for the Lord.
The only problem was that he loved the Lord but also loved the flesh, and failed to correct his sons.
He knew his sons might die, but for the ark of God to be captured was terrible.
This was worse than he had thought. God did not reveal to Samuel that such a terrible 😰 thing will befall Israel.
At the thought of this he died, died knowing Israel's glory had departed.
It wasn't the news of the death of his sons that killed him, but that of the Lord's ark captured.
Some sons are better dead than alive.
19And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
She cared more for the ark and the glory of Israel and her husband and her father-in-law than for this new life and hope that was coming into the world 🗺.
She named him Ichabod — the whole family 👪 of Eli were very spiritual and sensitive to the things of God, though rebellion was found in them.
It did not exempt them from judgements though.
And such is life sometimes, that the dark and terrible things that beset us in this life take away our joy and hope, such that we give up and fail to appreciate the new life and hope around us.
It is one of the things we must guard against when we go through life's dark alley, lest we run the risk of the seed 🌱 of hopelessness being sown in our hearts 💕.
Such that we fail to see the new thing that God is doing.
No matter how terrible 😰 a situation is, there is hope with God.
The whole glory and power of Israel had been taken; it marked a dark time in the history of Israel, but it was also a new dawn.
Mighty kings 👑 were going to be born who would do great and mighty exploits in the absence of the ark of God.
Because the Spirit 🧚♂️ of God was still at work, even as he is today.
They did not know then that the God of all the earth did not need a tabernacle to dwell in to be present among his people.
Oh, if only Eli had known that the God of all flesh dwells in fleshly tabernacles.
That a time was going to come that God would dwell with man — O Immanuel.
If only they knew.
21And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.