The Book of SamuelÀpẹrẹ

Conflicts with Philistines: 1 Samuel 4:1-7:17

The contrasts between Eli’s family and Samuel end in a lengthy narrative concerning conflicts that Israel had with the Philistines in 4:1-7:17. This final section breaks down into three episodes that draw attention to how God’s curses on Eli’s family led to Israel’s defeat before the Philistines. And by contrast, God’s blessings on Samuel led to Israel’s victory over the Philistines.

The first episode of this narrative starts in 4:1-22. Here we find that the sins of Eli’s family led to Israel’s defeat in battle with the Philistines. Eli’s sons feigned piety by taking the ark of God into battle, but they regarded the ark only as a talisman for victory. In addition, their sins over the years had grown so great that the Philistines not only routed Israel, but also took possession of the ark. Both of Eli’s sons died in battle, and Eli himself died after receiving news of their deaths and of the ark’s capture. But more than this, the sins of Eli’s family brought God’s curse upon the entire nation of Israel. In 4:21, Eli’s widowed daughter-in-law named her newborn son, “Ichabod,” Hebrew, meaning, “There is no glory,” or “Where is the glory?” As she went on to explain in verse 22, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” The sins of Eli and his sons brought this horrible curse on the nation.

Following this episode, we read of God’s intervention in 5:1-7:2. The Philistines celebrated their victory over Israel by placing the ark of God before the idol of their false god Dagon within his temple in Ashdod. But the Lord supernaturally intervened. After the first night, the Philistines discovered the idol of Dagon face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. After the second night, the Philistines found Dagon face downward again. But this time, much like ancient human armies often removed the heads and hands of their defeated enemies, Dagon’s head and hands had been cut off. The Lord also afflicted the people of Ashdod with tumors and possibly with bubonic plague spread by rodents. He did the same when the Philistines moved the ark of God to the cities of Gath and Ekron. After seven months, the Philistines consulted their priests and diviners. They advised them to return the ark on a cart pulled by cows — symbolic of their fertility religion. And, as guilt offerings to the Lord, they recommended sending five golden tumors and five golden mice on behalf of the five cities of the Philistines.

The cows brought the ark to the Israelites in Beth-shemesh, a Levitical city. But sadly, the Levites in Beth-shemesh also violated God’s regulations of worship. Contrary to the law of Moses, they kept the Philistine’s golden tumors and mice in the presence of the ark. And rather than reverently covering the ark, they looked at it, or possibly into it. As a result, God struck down 70 men in Beth-shemesh, and the people mourned. Then the Israelites took the ark to Kiriath-jearim for safe-keeping. 

Even though the ark had returned, 7:2 stresses the fact that the entire nation of Israel continued to suffer under God’s curses at this time. We read: 

A long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

In the next episode, we learn of Israel’s victory over the Philistines in 7:3-17. As we should expect, our author highlighted Samuel’s faithful service as the reason for this victory. Samuel first implored the Israelites to return to the Lord by putting away their foreign gods. He announced that if they directed their hearts to the Lord and served Him only, God would deliver them from the Philistines. The Israelites humbled themselves before God and repented of their violations of Moses’ regulations of worship. So, Samuel prayed to the Lord on their behalf. When the Philistines gathered for war, the people cried out to Samuel. Samuel offered sacrifices in accordance with Moses’ law, and God gave the nation of Israel victory over the Philistines. In 7:13 we read, “The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.” And Samuel’s faithful worship continued to bring Israel blessings when he returned to his hometown of Ramah, where he built an altar to the Lord. 

This final segment of Israel’s transition in Levitical leadership settled any question about the transition of Levitical authority from Eli’s family to Samuel. God’s curses on Eli’s family for their contempt for the worship of God had led the entire nation of Israel into defeat. But God’s blessings on Samuel for his faithful service in worship before the Lord had led Israel into victory. God Himself had raised up Samuel, who introduced Israel to kingship and, more specifically, to David as king.