Ark of the Covenant Samuel 4-5 Essays - Neviim, Books Of Samuel

Ark of the Covenant: Samuel 4-5 In these two chapters there is a battle between Israelites and Philistine. Ebenezer is the campground for the Israelites and Aphek is the Philistines campground. The Philistines set out and as the battle wore on Philistines defeated the Israelites killing around 4,000. After the battle, they questioned God why did he bring defeat to them. They decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh thinking that this would save them from their enemies. After hearing the Hebrews rejoicing on the arrival of the covenant the Philistines wondered why they were cheering. This brought on another battle defeating the Israelites once again, this time losing 30,000 soldiers, The Ark of God was captured, Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas died (OAB 407)..= On the same day a Benjamite soldier ran from the battle at and went to Shiloh to find the elderly Eli to tell him the news. Eli heard about the loss of his sons, but upon hearing about the Ark of God he fell backwards off his chair and broke his neck. He had led Israel for forty years (OAB 407). Phinehas widow gave birth right after news of his death. She herself was dying and the woman who was overseeing the birth told her to relax she had a boy and she ignored her. The boy was named Ichabod meaning "The Glory has departed from Israel,"(OAB 407) due to the loss of her father-in-law and her husband and the capture of the Ark of God. The Philistines take the ark to the city of Ashdod placing it in Dagon's temple and setting it next to Dagon. The next day Dagon was found with his head and hands broken off his body. No one has entered this temple ever again. God's hand was heavy over the people of Ashdod (OAB 407). He brought devastation and afflicted the people with tumors. They then moved the ark to Gath. This city was also afflicted with tumors and decided to send the ark to the city of Ekron. The people of this city refused to take it in fear of God's wrath. The decided to send it back to its proper place. Whoever did not die from this was afflicted with tumors, both the young and old with God hearing their cries (OAB 408). The view I and getting from these two chapters is the God was really mad at Israel previously and left them high and dry in the first battle. The Israelites made the situation worse by moving this Ark of God from its holy place into the view of everyone who was not suppose to see it. God pretty much deserted Israel for this allowing Philistine to kill and capture the ark. This ark was moved to three different cities before it was returned to its rightful place. After the first city was afflicted by death and tumors one would think it would be returned to its holy place. To have been able to keep the ark without consequences would have been a huge prize for Philistine and without God's retaliation for the capture of the ark could have totally changed this whole entire book. I also think that people's greed takes over the decision process allowing cloudy judgment and bad repercussions. Finally, the people who died not from hearing of their own losses but the capture of the Ark of Go d shows amazing faith and love for their creator.