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Punishment: The Ark Taken
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Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?’” They did not see
that it was because of their own sins that this terrible disaster had
occurred.
And they said, “Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord
from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us
from the hand of our enemies.” The Lord had given no command or
permission for the ark to come into the army, yet the Israelites felt
confident that victory would be theirs, and they gave a great shout
when it was carried into the camp by the sons of Eli.
The Philistines considered the ark as the god of Israel. They said,
“‘What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews
mean?’ Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into
the camp. So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, ‘God has
come into the camp!’ And they said, ‘Woe to us! ... These are the
gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
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Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you
do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you.
Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!’”
The Philistines made a fierce attack, which resulted in great
slaughter. Thirty thousand men lay dead on the field, and the ark of
God was taken. The two sons of Eli died while fighting to defend it.
The most terrifying calamity that could happen had come on
Israel. The ark of God was in the hands of the enemy. The symbol
of the abiding presence and power of Jehovah was gone. In former
days, miraculous victories had followed whenever it appeared. The
visible symbol of the most high God had rested over it in the holy of
holies. But now it did not bring any victory, and there was mourning
throughout Israel.
The law of God, contained in the ark, was a symbol of His
presence, but they had shown great disrespect for the commandments
and had grieved the Spirit of the Lord away from them. When the
people did not honor God’s revealed will by obedience to His law,
the ark could not help them any more than a common box. They
looked to it the way the idolatrous nations looked to their gods.
They violated the law it contained, for their worship of the ark led
to hypocrisy and idolatry.