In this passage, the Israelites battle against the Philistines, and they are defeated. In response to this setback, the elders of Israel order that the ark of the covenant be transported from Shiloh to the Israelite camp at Ebenezer. Hophni and Phinehas accompany the ark as it is transported to Ebenezer. The Israelites are emboldened by the arrival of the ark, and the ensuing uproar initially frightens the Philistines. Yet the Philistines recover from their shock and rout the Israelites. They capture the ark of the covenant and kill many Israelites, including Hophni and Phinehas.
We can see an interesting transition between verses 8 and 9 in this passage. Somehow the Philistines are able to set aside their fear of the Lord by encouraging each other to avoid being subjected to the Israelites' rule. Perhaps the Lord Himself strengthened the Philistines after they expressed fright in verse 8.
2. Death of Eli
In this passage, a Benjamite runs to Shiloh from the Israelite camp at Ebenezer. He shares the news of the battle with Eli, noting that 1) the ark of the covenant has been captured by the Philistines and 2) his two sons have died. Eli then falls over and dies. The pregnant wife of Phinehas also hears the news of the battle, and she goes into labor. She successfully delivers a son before dying of her labor pains. Before she passes away, she names her son Ichabod - which means "no glory" - in light of the terrible news of the battle.
In verse 18, it is noted that Eli falls over and dies after hearing that the ark of the covenant has been captured by the Philistines. Now if the ark had not been captured, would Eli have died after hearing that his sons had been killed?
3. The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron
In this passage, the Philistines bring the ark of the covenant to Ashdod; they place it in the temple of their god, Dagon. On the next day they discover that their image of Dagon has fallen down beside the ark. They restore the image of Dagon to its original position. On the following day, they discover that their image of Dagon has fallen down before the ark; also, the head and hands of the image have been removed. The Lord then afflicts the people of Ashdod with tumors. This compels the rulers of the Philistines to order that the ark be moved to Gath. The Lord then afflicts the people of Gath with tumors. This compels the Philistines to move the ark to Ekron. The Lord then afflicts the people of Ekron with tumors.
Clearly the Lord was sending a strong message to the Philistines by performing these supernatural acts in their territory. Dagon, as a created being, was inferior to the Lord in all respects. By afflicting the Philistines with tumors, the Lord wanted them to acknowledge 1) His power over them and 2) His supremacy to Dagon.
4. The Ark Returned to Israel
In this passage, it is noted that the ark of the covenant remains in Philistine territory for seven months. The Philistines then ask their priests for guidance regarding the return of the ark "to its place." The priests advise the Philistines to:
- return the ark to Israel along with a guilt offering that consists of five gold tumors and five gold rats (each tumor/rat pair corresponds to one of their rulers)
- place these tumors and rats in a chest on a new cart
- place the ark beside this chest
- hitch two cows that have never been yoked to this new cart.
Here, the Lord displays His sovereignty and power to the Philistines by causing these cows to bring the ark to Beth Shemesh without deviating from the road from Ekron to Beth Shemesh. He also displays His holiness to the people of Beth Shemesh by killing those who disregarded His holiness. This is rather frightening; if I had lived in Beth Shemesh at that time, I would have looked into the ark when it arrived. This account reminds us that God is holy; we need to fear Him and remain in awe of Him.
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