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1 Samuel 4 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Israel goes to war with the Philistines.
“Never did time seem more hopeless than when Samuel arose. The Philistines, strengthened not merely by a constant influx of immigrants, but by the importation of arms from Greece, were fast reducing Israel to the condition of a subject race.”
R. Payne Smith
The end result of this war is the destruction of Israel. Approximately 4,000 men were killed. It is easy to identify the critical mistake. Israel decided to take the ark into battle. They made the decision by assumption.
When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the LORD let us be defeated today by the Philistines? Let’s bring the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it will go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
1 Samuel 4:3 HCSB
Their choice is honorable, but in digging deeper we find that they didn’t consult God at all before this decision. Some would ask, what does it mean to ‘consult with God’? In my experience, hearing from God is not a one-time event. When the battles of life rage, God often allows them to shake us from complacency and experience His presence in a new way. In the midst of our struggle, we turn to Him to ask where He’s been only to realize He never left.
Here’s the kicker. The problem for Israel didn’t start when they took the ark into battle. It started long before when they strayed from the presence of God the Father. Spiritually, the nation has been led by people like Eli’s sons (in 1 Samuel 2) who lacked a personal, intimate knowledge of God. They were the teachers of the law and were in charge of officiating His sacrifices, and they didn’t truly know God. They were just going through the motions.
1 Samuel 4 opens with the same attitude. Samuel had been led by the Lord to be His mouthpiece, but nowhere does it indicate that he endorsed this battle. In fact, the Septuagint makes it clear that the battle was initiated by the Philistines.
So, they go into battle without a true and intimate knowledge of God and they lose. We’ve all been there. We’ve all had battles in life that devastate us. Time stands still. We, like the elders, begin to wonder, “Why did the Lord let me be defeated today?” Have you been there? Are you there now?
Those who know God go to Him. Those who know about God go to religion.
After this massacre, the people go back to what they’ve known. They are ritualistic, religious people. They have no relationship. So logically speaking, they believe that tradition will save them. The ark had saved them before, and it contained the presence of Almighty God. Moses told the priests to lead the ark into battle when Israel faced off against the Midianites. So naturally, their equation goes like this…
If I just do ______, God will do ______.
So they go back into battle with the ark and it’s captured by the Philistines. Once again there is heartache. Once again there is tragedy. Once again there is questioning. The saddest verse of this chapter is the final one.
“The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “because the ark of God has been captured.”
1 Samuel 4:22 HCSB
Is that true? It is really true that when religion fails, God must have left us?
I don’t see it that way.
I think the ark was captured because the glory of God had already left.
This is why this verse is so sad. The glory of God departed without them noticing! How many people today are operating in this same state? How many today are checking off all of God’s religious boxes without ever experiencing the glory of an intimate and personal relationship?
The most shocking aspect to consider is that even when we replace Him with some ritual or tradition, His grace still permeates the hardness of our hearts. He is still there calling us back and reminding us of His faithfulness. Like the father searching for his long lost son on the horizon, He waits at the fence post. God does not leave us in a state of failure. His love never fails.