The Capture of the Ark
First Samuel 4: 1b-22
No sooner did ADONAI reveal His Word to His people than the enemy showed up to attack them (to see link click Af – Isra’el and the Philistines). The Philistines are mentioned in Scripture as early as the days of Abraham (Genesis 21:32, also see 10:14), and the books mention them over 150 times. They were originally a seagoing people from the Aegean region who invaded the territory along the Mediterranean coast (Phoenicia) and sought to control all the land we know today as the Gaza strip. Relationships between the Philistines became strained almost immediately. Already in the time of the judges, the Philistines attacked Isra’el’s territory, and had occupied some of it so successfully that the tribe of Dan had to migrate to the north (Judges 18:1-31). Their aggression dominated the background and the military events during the reign of Samuel and Sha’ul. It is likely that this particular battle was Isra’el’s response to one of those Philistine invasions.112
At that time the Tabernacle was located at Shiloh (see Ae – The Tabernacle at Shiloh), with the Ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place. The Ark symbolized the Presence and power of ADONAI: yet, it seems that the Israelites had begun to treat it like a good-luck charm that would ensure them victory over their enemies. Thus, we see that they began to confuse the symbol of God’s Presence with His actual Presence. In doing so, their understanding of YHVH resembled that of their main enemy, the Philistines. Now we will see what happened when the Israelites made the rash decision to remove the Ark from the Tabernacle and take it with them into battle. We will follow the story as it moves into enemy territory and see what happened as a result. We will also examine the sad end of ‘Eli’s life and the lives of his two sons, whose wicked behavior reflected his own tragic failures.113
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