The Glory Returns
The Glory Returns || Day 2
I Samuel 4:1-11 NKJV
"And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!” So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died."
In our text today, we read a story that has many different twists and turns to it. This story is wrapped around many different supporting texts that you should take time to read today. Actually, if you take time to read First Samuel and Second Samuel, it can help you put the missing parts together that support the story.
To really understand what is happening here we must go back to the beginning of First Samuel. In 1 Samuel chapter 1, we read about a woman named Hannah. Hannah could not have any children. She cried out to God and He heard her cry, opened her womb, and gave her a baby boy. She named him Samuel. At the age of two she brought him to the house of the Lord and left him there to minister to God.
Samuel is raised in the house of God, but under a wicked priesthood. Eli and his sons were legitimate priests according to the order of God but were spiritually corrupt. Samuel is raised around this type of wickedness but refuses to allow this wickedness to get inside of him. That’s the reason the way you were raised is not an excuse of who you are today.
Israel is going to war with the Philistines, and they are afraid that they are going to lose. Therefore, they foolishly bring the Ark of the Lord onto the battlefield to give them victory, as if the Ark of the Lord, the symbol of His presence and His power, was their good luck charm. When the people of God who carry the Ark of God have a reverence for God, then His power and presence would show up and defeat the enemies of God.
They call for the Ark of the Lord to come to the battlefield. They bring the Ark of the Lord onto the battlefield, and everyone begins to shout. The Bible says the shout was so strong and loud that it shook the earth. They knew the rituals on how to carry the Ark of the Lord. They knew the rituals on what to do when it showed up. However, they still were defeated by their enemies. Why is that? Because the power and presence of God does not manifest with rituals, it manifests revelation.
Further Reading: 2 Samuel 6:1-19, 1 Samuel 1, Amos 5:21-27, Isaiah 1:14