Ark of God
93
They knew if other nations should hear of their defeat, they would be
encouraged to also make war with them. The elders of Israel decided
that their defeat was because the ark of God was not with them. They
sent to Shiloh for the ark of the covenant. They thought of their passage
over Jordan, and the easy conquest of Jericho, when they bore the ark,
and they decided that all that was necessary was to bring the ark to
them, and they would triumph over their enemies. They did not realize
that their strength was in their obedience to that law contained in the
ark, which was a representative of God himself. The polluted priests,
Hophni and Phinehas, were with the sacred ark, transgressing the law
of God. These sinners conducted the ark to the camp of Israel. The
confidence of the men of war was restored, and they felt confident of
success.
“And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp,
all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. And
when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What
meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?
And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.
And the Philistines were afraid; for they said, God is come into the
camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a
thing heretofore. Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand
of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians
with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves
like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews,
as they have been to you. Quit yourselves like men, and fight. And
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the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man
into his tent. And there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of
Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken, and the
two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.”
The Philistines thought this ark was the Israelites’ god. They knew
not that the living God, who created the heavens and the earth, and
gave his law upon Sinai, sent prosperity and adversity according to the
obedience or transgression of his law, contained in the sacred chest.
There was a very great slaughter in Israel. Eli was sitting by the
wayside, watching with a trembling heart to receive news from the
army. He was afraid that the ark of God might be taken, and polluted
by the Philistine host. A messenger from the army ran to Shiloh and
informed Eli that his two sons had been slain. He could bear this