1 Samuel 4 Commentary
Eli dies. His two sons, the wicked priests, Hophni and Phinehas, also die. The Ark of the LORD is captured. 34,000 soldiers die in battle.
A son is born to Phinehas’ wife. He is named Ichabod, meaning, ‘the Glory has departed from Israel.’ Then Phinehas’ wife dies.
Eli’s death is caused by the sad news of the capture of the Ark of the LORD. He had sat watching by the side of the road, fearing for the Ark of the LORD. This in itself is strange. Why fear for an empty box? Eli should have known better.
The wickedness of the people, especially his own sons, had emptied the Ark of its sanctity. And without the presence of the LORD, the famed Ark was nothing but an empty box!
Eli’s mindset is shared with the elders of Israel. They feel the LORD is like a Canaanite god who can be transported around, even by two extremely wicked men. This scenario is perfectly mirrored by a man who reduces the El-Shaddai God to a power bank for some personal battles.
You cannot have both; a “no” to holiness and a “yes” to power. A God who cannot save from His base at Shiloh won’t save even when transported to the battle front!
Of course, everything Israel does here is religious nonsense.
You wish the priest Eli cared more about the wickedness of his own sons. But no. Eli’s religion revolved around an empty Ark. The Glory resides among the people by godliness. How can Eli forget these simple but foundational elements of Israel’s worship?
Eli’s religion is very strange. But Eli isn’t alone. A man may surround himself with religious activity and objects such as sacraments, services, and charity works. But without obedience, all these “sacrifices” are empty.
Religion of the box and not that of the contents of the box, the Law – that’s all there is to religious vanity.
It should be simple: Keep the Law; keep the Word (Jesus). Then He will be around.
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