Bible Verse Synopsis 5-19-25

1st Samuel 4:

Israel is off to battle with the Philistines. This war is eternal, it happens in the Old Testament and today. The same as man’s battle with sin without Christ. Sin is always with us unless we accept Jesus. Then, we are free from the pain and suffering of sin. Israel suffers their own pain as they lose nearly 4000 men to an array from the Philistines. Verse 3 says “Let us fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” Do you see the misplaced faith? They thought the Ark was where the power resided. The power always has been through prayer that we receive it. The Ark is a sacred item but no item in the history of man has saved man from himself of others more than prayer. Is prayer your chosen vehicle or do we want to drive the less effective bus?

Israel continues down this road. And brings the Ark from Shiloh, via Eli’s two sons, to the camp where the battles were taking place. These 2 men accompanied the Ark. We know them as bad men and corrupt priests. This cannot be a good sign. Israel cheered at the arrival of the Ark, yet it was an empty symbol at this point. God was not with them even though one of His symbols was. The noise was heard by the Philistines when Israel celebrated the Ark’s arrival. Verse 8 - “ Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? These are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with the all the plagues of the wilderness.” Even the Philistines understood what it meant for God to be involved in their fight. Yet, they had no reason to fear, little did they know. The Philistines turned their heads and buckled in and defeated Israel in spite of their fears. Israel lost 30000 men that day to the Philistines. The faithful in this stanza seems to be the Philistines, even though we know they are not. The Lord uses them to smite His people and display his dissatisfaction with them. God often works in ways that we don’t understand at the time until we reflect on them. How is God influencing your life that maybe you aren’t aware of? What avenue do you seldom travel that might be the path He calls you toward?

The Ark was taken and captured by the Philistines and Eli’s sons were slain. A messenger raced back to Shiloh to share the terrible news with the people and with Eli. It is inferred in verse 13 that Eli felt something wrong - “And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the Ark of God.” Yet, Eli allowed this to happen. He could not stop his earthly notions from getting in the way of the true purpose of God and his duty to the Temple even though God was in his heart to some degree or he would not have had this feeling. Eli hears of the slaughter of the men and the loss of his sons and takes that news relatively well. But the last piece of news, that the Ark had been taken, made Eli fall off his seat and break his neck. The most tragic news of all broke Eli and he could no longer accept the news. In shock he fell. The prophecy has been fulfilled that Samuel had spoken to Eli when he was but a boy. The Lord always keeps his promises. Is there a promise you have yet to keep? Is your honour in tact in that fashion?

Phinehas’ wife was pregnant and about to deliver a baby. When she hear the news she was saddened and then began to birth the baby. This woman is going to die giving birth to the boy she would name Ichabod. When she heard that is was a boy “But she answered not, neither did she regard it.” - Verse 20. She, we do not know her name, continues on in Verse 21 - “… the glory is departed from Israel: because the Ark of the God was taken, and because her father in law and husband.” Verse 22 - “And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the Ark of God is taken.” For a mother to separate herself from her child at birth and with such reverence to what happened has to be the work of the Spirit. The joy of motherhood was out done by the sadness of the loss of God from Israel. She is the first to recognize that God has left them and they are but heathens. Are we aware of our shortcomings that may make us heathen? Has God left our lives or is the Spirit with you? We should feel his joy from more than one avenue in our lives for He is meant to be at the heart of it all.