1 SAMUEL LESSON 4

     We will begin this lesson in I Samuel 4:1 "And the word of Samuel
came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to
battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in
Aphek."

     This battle with the Philistines had been an ongoing thing. The
Israelites might win a war against them, but they never seemed to be
rid of them completely. The word of Samuel, above, is actually a Word
from God. "And" shows us this is a continuation of the last chapter.
Eli was so old at this time, that God was, now, speaking through
Samuel. The LORD is about to punish Eli, his two sons, and all the
people, because of their disobedience to His commandments. "Ebenezer"
means the stone of help. "Aphek" means fortress.

     I Samuel 4:2 "And 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."

     It appears, these two armies met in the open field and the
Philistines won. Israel lost about four thousand men in the battle.

     I Samuel 4:3  "And 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."

     The Israelites are surprised at their defeat in this war. They
know, when they lose in battle that it is punishment from God. They
send for the ark, believing that the presence of God will cause them
to win the battle. They have forgotten that the LORD blesses them,
when they keep His commandments. He will not save them just because
they physically carry the ark with them. They are using the ark, as if
it is some type of good luck charm. They are not in the will of God.
The blessings of God are not with them. This is, probably, a
suggestion of the elders to go and get the ark. They are not in good
standing with the LORD, however. The ark symbolized the presence of
God with them. It, also, symbolized that they were His chosen people.
They have forgotten that this is conditional on them keeping His
commandments.

     I Samuel 4:4 "So 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."

     The LORD's presence being symbolized by the ark, caused them to
want to bring it to the forefront of the battle. They were not
concerned for the ark, but for themselves. The sins of Hophni and
Phinehas was the very cause of the LORD not being with Israel at this
time. The throne of the LORD is in heaven, but he had dwelt with the
children of Israel, in the sanctuary.

     I Samuel 4:5 "And 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."

     They shouted, because they thought God would win this battle for
them. They wanted to use God's power, when they needed Him to save
them. They did not want to obey His commandments, however. It seemed
that everyone in the camp shouted, when they saw the ark in the camp.

     I Samuel 4:6 "And 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."

     This triumphal shout of the Hebrews frightened the Philistines.
They were not afraid of the Hebrews, but they were afraid of the God
of the Hebrews.

     I Samuel 4:7 "And 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."

     Even though the Philistines were worshippers of false gods, they
still knew that the God of these Hebrews had won many battles against
Israel's enemies. They knew they were no match for Israel's God.

     I Samuel 4:8 "Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand
of these mighty Gods? these [are] the Gods that smote the Egyptians
with all the plagues in the wilderness."

     Gods, here, is speaking of Elohim, which is a plural word
speaking of the One True God. The plagues, these Philistines are
speaking of, are actually the ten plagues brought against Pharaoh, to
cause him to let the people go. Those plagues actually happened in
Egypt, before the crossing of the Red Sea.

     I Samuel 4:9 "Be 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."

     This was a call to bravery, even if they lost their lives. They
would rather die, than be the servants of these people who had served
them.  Be brave, and fight.

     I Samuel 4:10  "And 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."

     We see a terrible slaughter. The men of Israel, seeing they were
losing the battle, ran every direction to get back to their homes.
When they scattered out, it made it easier for the enemy to kill them.
The 30,000 that died were all foot soldiers. Israel did not have
chariots and horses to fight with. God was their strength in battle.
This time, He was not with them, because of their sins.

     I Samuel 4:11 "And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of
Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain."

     The two sons of Eli would have been near the ark. When it was
taken, they were killed. The judgement, God had spoken on them
earlier, has come to pass.

     I Samuel 4:12  "And 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."

     The clothes being rent and earth upon his head was a sign of
extreme mourning. Shiloh is where the ark had been in the tabernacle.
Some scholars believe this Benjamite was Saul.

     I Samuel 4:13 "And 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."

     Somehow, Eli knew this was wrong to take the ark without God
sending it. His heart trembled, not so much for his sons and the
people as it did for the ark. It appears, he had sat down at the gate
to wait its return to Shiloh. The city cried out for the great loss of
life, but they cried out even more for the loss of the ark, which
symbolized God's presence with them.

     I Samuel 4:14 "And 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."

     It seems, the man had told the people of the city first. Their
moaning with grief has attracted Eli's attention. He asks what is the
reason for all of the crying? The man, probably, had not found Eli,
because he was at the gate, rather than in his usual place. The man
quickly tells Eli what has happened.

     I Samuel 4:15 "Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his
eyes were dim, that he could not see."

     The translation of the eyes being dim, here could mean that he
was legally blind from cataracts. He is at a very old age, and this,
probably, has something to do with his blindness.

     I Samuel 4:16 "And 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?"

     Eli cannot see the man, so he has to tell Eli who he is. He
explains to Eli, that he ran for his life. Eli asks the outcome of the
battle.

     I Samuel 4:17 "And 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."

     Eli realizes from all of the crying of the people, that Israel
has been defeated. The man tells him that both of his sons are dead.
Worse than the death of his sons {which God had already warned him
of}, was the loss of the ark.

     I Samuel 4:18 "And 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."

     The shock of losing the ark was too much for Eli. Even though he
had not punished his sons severely for their sinful acts in the
tabernacle, he still loved the LORD. The ark was a symbol of the LORD.
He fainted, or had heart failure, when he heard the news of the ark.
He fell backwards and broke his neck, also. He was heavy-set and the
weight of his body had broken his neck. He had been judge of Israel 40
years.

     I Samuel 4:19  "And 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."

     The shock of the loss of the ark, and the death of her husband,
and father-in-law brought on premature labor.

     I Samuel 4:20 "And about the time of her death the women that
stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast borne a son. But
she answered not, neither did she regard [it]."

     The women who attended her at the baby's birth tried to cheer her
up, by telling her that she had a son. She was so near death herself,
that she did not respond to their news.

     I Samuel 4:21 "And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory
is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because
of her father in law and her husband."

     She, undoubtedly, had heard that she had a son, because she named
the baby Ichabod. "Ichabod" means inglorious. The spirit of the LORD
had been removed from them. She was aware that Israel had caused God
to remove from them. She grieved greatly over the loss of the ark, the
death of her husband, and her father-in-law.

     I Samuel 4:22 "And she said, The glory is departed from Israel:
for the ark of God is taken."

     We see why she named her baby Ichabod. The glory of the LORD had
been taken away, because the ark was taken by the heathen Philistines.
                        1 Samuel 4 Questions


1.  Where did Israel pitch their tents, when they went out against the
    Philistines?
2.  The word of Samuel is actually a Word from ________.
3.  What one word shows us this is a continuation of the last chapter?
4.  Why was God speaking through Samuel at this time?
5.  What does "Ebenezer" mean?
6.  What does "Aphek" mean?
7.  How many of Israel were slain in the first battle?
8.  What question did the elders ask, when they came back into the
    camp?
9.  What did they go and bring out of Shiloh, to insure their victory?
10. Why are the blessings of God not with them?
11. They are using the ark, as if it is what?
12. Who, probably, suggested they go get the ark?
13. What is symbolized by the ark?
14. Who were with the ark?
15. Why did the Israelites shout?
16. What effect did this have on the Philistines?
17. Who were they afraid of?
18. What did the leader of the Philistines tell them to do?
19. What is the word "Gods" translated from in verse 8?
20. The plagues actually happened where?
21. What would have been worse than death for these Philistines?
22. How many Israelites died in this battle?
23. Why were they called footmen?
24. What happened to Eli's sons?
25. What happened to the ark?
26. Where was Eli waiting for news of the battle?
27. How old was Eli at this time?
28. What happened to Eli, when he heard the bad news?
29. What happened to Eli's daughter-in-law, when she heard of the loss
    of the ark and her husband's death?
30. Who named the baby?
31. What did she name him?
32. What does "Ichabod" mean?
33. Quote 1 Samuel chapter 4 verse 22.