1 Samuel 4:1 - Meaning and Application

The opening words of this paragraph, which refer to Samuel and say that his word reached all Israel, do not seem to connect directly with the story that follows. They do not mean that Israel went to war against the Philistines because Samuel advised it. If the people had asked him, even though he had only recently begun serving as a prophet, his counsel would likely have helped them more than the ark did. But the leaders of Israel may have looked down on his youth and would not have treated him as a prophet to consult. He was not yet stepping into public matters in a visible way. We do not see his name again for some years after this (1 Samuel 7:3), except for the statement that his word came to all Israel, meaning that pious people from all over came to him for guidance. It may also mean his prophecy against Eli’s family. That prophecy was widely known, and careful observers later compared the events in this chapter with it and saw it fulfilled.

Here we have, first, a war against the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:1). Israel tried to break free from the Philistines’ rule, and the effort would likely have gone better if they had first repented and changed their ways. They should have begun in the right place. This was probably around the middle of the forty years the Philistines ruled over Israel (Judges 13:1), soon after Samson died. Bishop Patrick thought Samson’s great victory at his death may have encouraged this attack. Dr. Lightfoot, however, places it forty years after Samson’s death, since Eli judged for that long (1 Samuel 4:18).

Second, Israel was defeated in that war (1 Samuel 4:2). They started the conflict, but they were beaten, and 4,000 men fell on the battlefield. God had promised that one Israelite would chase a thousand, but now Israel was driven back by the Philistines. Sin, the forbidden thing in the camp, gave their enemies every advantage they could want.

Third, they made plans for another battle. A war council was called, and instead of deciding to fast, pray, and reform their lives, they showed how badly they had been taught, which was no surprise given their teachers. They began by blaming God for opposing them (1 Samuel 4:3): "Why has the Lord struck us?" If they were asking about the cause of God’s anger, they did not need to look far. Israel had sinned, though they did not want to admit it. But it seems more likely that they were challenging God, unhappy with what he had done, and arguing against his providence. They did admit that God’s hand was in their trouble, and that part was right: "It is the Lord who has struck us." But they did not submit. Instead, they complained as if God had treated them unfairly, and they acted as though they had done nothing to deserve it. This is what happens when human folly twists a person’s way, and then the heart grows bitter against the Lord (Proverbs 19:3).

Then they thought they could force God to help them next time by bringing the ark into their camp. The elders of Israel were foolish enough to suggest it (1 Samuel 4:3), and the people quickly carried it out (1 Samuel 4:4). They sent to Shiloh for the ark, and Eli did not have enough courage to keep it there. He let his ungodly sons, Hophni and Phinehas, go with it, or at least allowed them to go, even though he knew God’s judgment went with them wherever they went.

Notice, first, how deeply the people honored the ark. They thought, "Send for it, and it will work wonders for us." By God’s command, the ark was a visible sign of his presence. God had said he would dwell between the cherubim above the ark and would go with it. So they assumed that if they showed great respect for this sacred box, they would prove themselves true Israelites and make God help them. It is common for people who have drifted away from the heart of religion to become very fond of its ceremonies and outward forms. Those who deny the power of godliness often admire its shape and appearance. Many praise the temple of the Lord and defend the ark of the Lord with great zeal, while caring nothing for the Lord of the temple and the God of the ark. It is as if a burning concern for the name of Christianity could make up for open disrespect for the faith itself.

In truth, they were turning the ark into an idol. They treated it as if it were an image of the God of Israel, the same way the nations treated their idols. To worship the true God without worshiping him rightly is, in effect, not to worship him at all. Second, they were very foolish to think that if they had the ark in their camp, it would surely save them and bring victory. When the ark moved forward in the wilderness, Moses prayed, "Rise up, Lord, and let your enemies be scattered." He knew very well that it was not the ark moving with them, but God going with them, that brought success. Here, they used no proper means to seek God’s favor. What good could the ark do them by itself, like a shell without the kernel?

They also had no permission to move it. God had clearly said in his law that, once they were settled in Canaan, the ark would remain in the place he chose (Deuteronomy 12:5, Deuteronomy 12:11), and they were to go to it, not bring it to themselves. How then could they expect any blessing from it when they did not have lawful control of it and no right to move it? In trying to honor God, they were really insulting him. And if that were not enough, how could they expect the ark to bring blessing when Hophni and Phinehas carried it? If the ark had done Israel any good while those wicked priests handled it, that would have given far too much support to their evil ways.

Fourth, Israel was greatly excited when the ark came into the camp (1 Samuel 4:5). They shouted so loudly that the ground seemed to shake. They now thought victory was certain, so they shouted before the battle as if the day were already won. They meant to stir up their own courage and frighten their enemies. People who trust only in outward religion often rejoice too much in its visible signs and actions. They build their hopes on these things as if they could never fail them. They act as though the ark, God’s throne in the camp, would carry them to heaven, even while the world and the flesh still ruled their hearts.

Fifth, the Philistines were deeply alarmed when they heard that the ark had come into Israel’s camp.

The two armies were camped so close together that the Philistines heard the shout of the Israelites on this great occasion. They soon learned what the Israelites were celebrating (1 Samuel 4:6), and they were alarmed by what it might mean. They had never faced anything like this before in their own time: “God has come into their camp, and trouble is coming to us” (1 Samuel 4:7), and again, “Trouble is coming to us” (1 Samuel 4:8).

Even the name of Israel’s God was fearsome to people who worshiped other gods. Even unbelievers can sense, at least in part, how terrible it is to have God opposed to them. Still, their ideas about God’s presence were very confused, as if the God of Israel had not already been with the camp before the ark came there. In fairness, the Israelites themselves had no better understanding of that presence.

They said, in effect, “This is a new threat against us, more frightening than all their other tricks. Nothing like this has ever happened before. This is the best way they could try to unsettle our men and weaken their courage.”

They also remembered that in earlier days, these same things had done great wonders: “These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness” (1 Samuel 4:8). Here too they were wrong about their history, just as they were wrong about God. The plagues of Egypt came before the ark was made and before Israel entered the wilderness, but they had heard confused stories about miracles done for Israel when the ark went before them, and they wrongly gave the credit to the ark instead of to the Lord.

Now they asked, “Who can save us from the hand of these mighty gods?” They treated the ark like God, which is not surprising, since the Israelites themselves had turned it into an idol. Yet it seems they did not fully believe their own words. If they had truly been convinced of Israel’s God’s power, they would have backed away or tried to make peace. Instead, they stirred one another up to fight more boldly (1 Samuel 4:9). “Be strong,” they said, “and act like men.”

Their leaders tried to put brave and noble thoughts into the soldiers’ minds. They reminded them how they had ruled over Israel, and how bitter and shameful it would be if they gave way now and let Israel rule over them.