Devotions

Rev Gav

Unexpected

1 Samuel 4.1–11

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

In those days the Philistines mustered for war against Israel, and Israel went out to battle against them; they encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle was joined, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. When the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the Lord put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.’ So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, ‘What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?’ When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid; for they said, ‘Gods have come into the camp.’ They also said, ‘Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, in order not to become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.’

So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot-soldiers. The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Reflect

If you are reading this passage from Chapter 4 of 1 Samuel for the first time, the ending will come as a bit of a surprise! As you read it you think, “Aha! the Hebrews have brought into their camp the Ark of the Covenant, their victory is assured!” but no, they lose in the most spectacular fashion with 30,000 soldiers killed, the ark being captured, and the priestly sons of Eli dying! So what’s this all about?

The Israelites, believing that God was on their side, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh believing it would secure them battlefield victory, but the problem was that they were treating it like a talisman or good luck charm. At the end of Chapter 3 we read that God was displeased and going to punish the ‘house’ (or spiritual watch) of Eli, because, “his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.” God is on the side of repentance and righteousness, and God hoped that Eli would control his corrupted sons, but he did not.

I’m not saying that Israel would have won against the Philistines had Eli and his sons changed their ways, but in Hebrew culture, their crushing defeat was most certainly connected with their spiritual unhealthiness. God’s prophecy of the destruction of the ‘House of Eli’ was fulfilled and Eli and his family’s spiritual oversight came to an end.

So, what can we learn from this passage? It is not to put our trust in things – not traditions, buildings, nor antiquities — but to remember that God desires true humility and repentance. We must be wary of assuming that God is on our side (no matter what we do or how we behave), and remember that, like Aslan the lion from the stories of Narnia, God cannot be tamed.

This story from 1 Samuel reminds of the Matt Redman song, The Heart of Worship. It’s a song that calls us back to focus, not on our churches, the splendour of our buildings, the size of our congregations, or how well we conduct our worship, but on Christ alone.

I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You,
It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You,
It’s all about You, Jesus

As you enter this new day, may you remember to trust in Christ, coming before God with humility and repentance.

Photo by Igor Rodrigues on Unsplash

Pray

Holy God
Forgive me for when
I have put my trust
in things other than you.
I turn to you,
confessing my weaknesses
and acknowledging my
selfishness and pride.
Please guide me and
lead me onto your
path of righteousness.
This day and forever.

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