Bd – The Birth of Ichabod First Samuel 4: 19-22

The Birth of Ichabod
4: 19-22

The Birth of Ichabod DIG: How was Phinehas’ wife different from her husband or father-in-law? Why didn’t she respond to the birth of a son? Compare Hannah’s naming of her child with that of Phinehas’ wife. Why did the glory depart from Isra’el? What is the Sh’khinah glory? What eventually happened to the Ark?

REFLECT: What is the purpose of God withdrawing His blessing (not your salvation) from you, as a result of violating His commandments? What is God’s proof of His grace for those who have fallen away? When have your sins cried out “Ichabod?” What did you do about it? How can we move from Ichabod to Immanuel?

The Sh’khinah glory of the LORD departed from Isra’el; no longer her strong defense and sure ally.

The chain of tragic events in ‘Eli’s family was not yet completed. ‘Eli’s daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was pregnant and was about to give birth (4:19a). She had more spiritual insight than her father-in-law (‘Eli), her husband (Phinehas), and her brother-in-law (Hophni) put together. The two brothers used the Ark as a good-luck-charm, and ‘Eli was only concerned with the safety of the Ark, but she was burdened for God’s glory.¹²⁴

The dark beginning of a new era: When she heard the news that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead (to see link click Bc – The Death of ‘Eli), she went into premature labor, bent over and gave birth. That sudden delivery proved fatal to her, and realizing what was happening, the mid-wife standing by her tried to console her, saying: Don’t be afraid, because you have given birth to a son. To a Jewish woman, bearing a son was the high point of her life. But she was not consoled. She didn’t respond or pay attention, because she was preoccupied with the divine judgment that had fallen on Isra’el (4:19b-4:20).¹²⁵

She named the child Ichabod [without glory]. One cannot help but note the contrast between Hannah’s naming of her child and Phinehas’ wife. One child was named with hope and gratitude because “I have asked ADONAI for him” (1:20b), while the other with apathy and despair, for the glory has departed (4:21a).¹²⁶ However, the fact that the child lived is a reminder to us that ‘Eli’s family was not entirely wiped out at this time (1 Sam 2:31-33 and 36). There are further references to ‘Eli’s family in First Samuel 14:3 (also see 1 Sam 22:9; 2 Sam 19:11; 1 Kings 2:27). The death of the grandfather is balanced by the birth of a grandson, but the cheerless event brought no hope because, as these references show, the family failed to prosper.¹²⁷

Phinehas’ wife declared, “The glory has departed from Isra’el,” because the Ark of God had been captured, and because of the death of her father-in-law and husband (4:21b). The term glory represents the visual manifestation of the glory of God, dwelling (Hebrew: skn) in the Tabernacle (Psalm 26:8; Exodus 25:8 and 29:44-46), giving rise to the Hebrew term s’kina, which is referred to as the Sh’khinah glory. Hebrews 9:5a clarifies the connection between the Ark and the divine Presence.¹²⁸ Above the Ark were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the Mercy Seat (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace). With tears flowing down her face, she cried, “The Sh’khinah glory of Isra’el has gone into exile, because the Ark of God has been captured” (4:19b-22).

After the Tabernacle was initially set up at Mount Sinai, His glory filled the Sanctuary (see the commentary on Exodus Hh – The Glory of the LORD Filled the Tabernacle), and the cloud covered it (see the commentary on Numbers Bk – The Pillar of Cloud and Fire). When King Solomon dedicated the Temple, the Ark was brought in and the glory of God returned from exile (see the Life of Solomon Bo – Fire from Heaven). However, before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the prophet Ezeki’el saw the Sh’khinah glory leave the Temple and the City (Ezeki’el 8:4, 9:3, 10:4 and 18, 11:23). The glory of ADONAI didn’t return to this earth until the birth of Yeshua Messiah, the Savior of the world (Luke 2:8-112; John 1:14). Today, God’s glory dwells in His people individually (First Corinthians 6:19-20) and His Church collectively (Ephesians 2:19-22). Ezeki’el also saw the future Messianic Temple and return of the glory of God (Ezeki’el 43:1-5).

The capture of the Ark was so tragic that Asaph, the psalmist, included it in one of his psalms (Psalm 78:60-61). But he tells us much more happened than the capture of the Ark by the Philistines, for ADONAI also abandoned the Tabernacle at Shiloh (see Ae – The Tabernacle at Shiloh) and allowed the enemy to destroy it (Jeremiah 7:12-24, 26:6 and 9). The Philistines eventually returned the Ark and it remained first in Beth-Shemesh and then Kiriath Jearim (First Samuel 6:13-21). The priests must have constructed some kind of Tabernacle at Nov, (First Samuel 21:1), but in Solomon’s day, it was a Gibeon (First Chronicles 21:29). Eventually, Solomon incorporated the Tabernacle layout into the Temple which he built (Second Chronicles 5:5). The wicked sons of ‘Eli thought their scheme to bring the Ark onto the battlefield against the Philistines would save God’s glory, but it only took it away.¹²⁹

In an important sense, Phinehas’ widow was right, for the Ark was gone and God’s judgment was falling heavily on the Israelites. But in a greater sense, the glory of ADONAI had not truly departed. The LORD had given great promises to Isra’el that could never be broken: I will take you as My people, and I will be your God (Exodus 6:7). Likewise, the Word of God declares to us: I will never leave you or abandon you (Hebrews 13:5, quoting Joshua 1:5); it testifies that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Messiah Yeshua our Lord (Romans 8:39). Yeshua Himself declares: I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:28). Therefore, just as subsequent events would reveal that YHVH had not finally abandoned His people, we, too, always have access to the glory of God, even in the darkest night, by holding fast to His Word on our lips and in our hearts. For, Paul concludes: If you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Our challenge during trials, then, is to believe the Word that is in our mouths and in our hearts. If this challenge can be met with faith, then we will have strength to endure any trials that come our way.¹³⁰

When the glory departs: As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on 1 Samuel, still, the loss of the Ark to Isra’el’s enemies did signal a time of divine discipline. The dying woman spoke the truth when she wrote Ichabod over the scene she was leaving. For ADONAI was temporarily removing His blessing and protection from the people. Shiloh would soon be destroyed, and the Philistines would once again place Isra’el under their hated yoke. The TaNaKh shows that when God’s people persist in rebellion, walking in ways of wickedness and bowing down to the idols of the world, Ha’Shem will inevitably withdraw His glory – that is the power and blessing of His Presence – from His people. The greatest instance of God’s glory departing was not the loss of the Ark in ‘Eli’s time, but rather the removal of the Sh’khinah glory before the fall of Jerusalem over four hundred years later. The prophet Ezeki’el saw a vision of the Sh’khinah glory, the visual manifestation of the glory of God, departing from the Temple. Now the glory of ADONAI left the doorway of the Sanctuary and halted above the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted up their wings and rose off the earth . . . and they paused at the entrance to the east gate of the Temple compound, with the glory of the God of Isra’el over them (Ezeki’el 10:18-19). As ADONAI’s glory departed from Jerusalem, the word “Ichabod” was written all over her doomed walls. Now there was nothing to protect God’s people from the Babylonian army, and shortly afterward the City and Temple were destroyed and the people who were not slaughtered were sent off in chains (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule).

What causes Ha’Shem to remove His glory? The example of ‘Eli and his sons shows that YHVH is angered by the sins committed by His people, as the wicked sons stole from the Peace Offerings brought to the LORD (see Ar – ‘Eli’s Wicked Sons), and committed sexual sins at the entrance to the Tabernacle (First Samuel 2:12-17 and 22). Isaiah would later level a similar charge against the worship in Jerusalem, “The people draw near Me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me” (Isaiah 29:13). Rather than allow His own people to despise His holy Presence in corrupt worship, ADONAI sent the Ark into the hands of the Philistines to be despised by pagans instead. Therefore, false worship that despises God’s holiness was a cause for the removal of God’s glory.

Around a hundred years ago, mainline churches concluded that the Bible is not really God’s Word and began teaching the heresies of evolution and secular humanism in place of the Gospel. As a result, the Lord wrote “Ichabod” across liberal churches, so that their spiritual power evaporated. Today, we may wonder whether the same thing is happening to the evangelical movement, which once spoke and acted with such power from God. We witness great spiritual vigor elsewhere on the globe, with masses of converts and holy boldness in withstanding persecution. Meanwhile, in the West, not only is our cultural influence waning, but evangelical believers are not even persuading their own children to remain in the faith. A recent study by the Southern Baptist Convention showed that 88 percent of evangelical children abandon the Church after age eighteen. It is hard to account for such a failure with a removal of God’s Presence because of worldliness, heresy, idolatry, and sin. How urgent is the need of the Church in the West to repent of sin, to return to the truths of the Bible and to regain a burning passion for Messiah and His Gospel.¹³¹

From Ichabod to Immanuel: This leaves a final question about God’s departed glory. Once the Lord has written “Ichabod” over a nation or church, or even an individual, is there anything we can do to see a return of God’s glory and power? The answer is given through the prophet Zechariah, “Return to Me, says the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies, and I will return to you (Zechariah 1:3). ADONAI’s purpose in withdrawing Himself, causing His glory to depart, is to spur His people to seek His glory once again. That is what subsequent events will reveal in First Samuel. Jeremiah wrote something similar to the Jews who had gone into the Babylonian Captivity, assuring them of God’s returning grace if only they would seek His face in true faith. “When you call to me and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you seek Me, you will find Me, provided you seek for me wholeheartedly; and I will let you find Me,” says ADONAI. “Then I will reverse your exile. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you,” says ADONAI, “and bring you back to the place from which I exiled you” (Jeremiah 29:12-14).

The greatest instance in the TaNaKh of God’s removing His glory was the fall of Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah (see Jeremiah Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem). But a later and greater instance when the dreadful name of Ichabod might well have been spoken, furnishes proof of God’s saving grace for those who are lost; the death and resurrection of Yeshua Messiah on the cross. John explains Yeshua’s coming in these words: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us; and the Word was with God, and we have seen the glory of the one and only Son of God who came from the Father; and the Word was God, full of grace and truth (John 1:1 and 14). If ever the glory of God tabernacled among us, it was in the life and ministry of Messiah. Yet, many despised Him because they loved the darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil (John 3:19), and they put God’s glory to death on the cross (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God).

Reflecting on Yeshua’s atoning death, we should remember Phinehas’ widow’s cry of “Ichabod!” and do the same. We should lament that God’s glory (blessing) is rightly removed from us because of our sins (see the commentary on Hebrews Cz – God Disciplines His Children). But if we look up from our despair and see Messiah as our Savior who died to put away our shame and reproach, and then who rose again, we see a new beginning as a result of His grace. Our sin cries out, “Ichabod, the glory has departed,” but God’s grace replies, “Immanuel, God is with us.” Though we would be rightly abandoned by Ha’Shem because of our many sins, the Gospel assures us of forgiveness and acceptance in Messiah. Paul put it this way: For God, who said, “Let the light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Yeshua Messiah (Second Corinthians 4:6, quoting Genesis 1:3).¹³²

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise you always. It is such a comfort to know that You are always in control. To those of us on earth, we see problems and we experience trials and all around us things seem to not be going the right way. However, You see our lives from a different perspective, for You are looking down from your heavenly throne on high and see the future outcome of our trials. You see the glory that You will receive when earth’s problems are resolved and You will reign during your one-thousand-year Messianic Kingdom (Revelation 20). Please help me to remember that my troubles will be over soon, and that I will spend eternity with You in heaven. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). May Your Spirit help me to be wise, and use my time wisely before You return. Help me reveal You to others as I live my life. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen