When Marika and I first got married, we talked about our dream home. If we could build our own house, what would we put in it? I took all the ideas and made a three bedroom, two and a half bath, open floor plan, yellow farmhouse with a wraparound porch. It had an office but I added something a little extra. There’s a trope of dad’s meeting their daughter’s boyfriend with a gun. Singers sing about it, shows show it. But I thought ,that was a little on the light side.
My idea came was put into our dream floor plan. There would be a short hallway to the office. In that hallway would be animal heads, and weapons with little notes on them: “This sword was from the battle of such-and-such,” “This gun was used in such-and-such war.” The hallway would be dimly lit to create an uneasy atmosphere. Then the office would be open with books and weapons on the walls. No words would need to be spoke of what those weapons could be used for. The ambiance would speak for itself.
We never built that house, and missed out on a golden opportunity. But the idea of daddy’s cleaning their guns in front of a boy taking their daughter out is based on the idea of healthy respectful fear. Fear that the dad has the ability to take out the boy if the boy takes advantage of the daughter.
And it’s this idea of a healthy respectful fear that brings us back to our summer series in the books of Samuel, where we’ll be picking it back up in First Samuel chapter 4, verse 1. As we pick up First Samuel 4:1, let’s recap where we are so far.
In our first week, we saw how the books of Samuel begin to narrow the work of God to bring about the Savior. Through Hannah’s heartfelt desire aligning with God’s will, God shows that he is taking his big plan of bringing salvation to all the earth and narrowing his work to bring about Jesus. It was in this first week, that we talked about how we need to seek God’s will and that when our heartfelt desire aligns with it, we see great works of God.
Following this, we saw how the spiritual abuse of Eli’s sons was under God’s judgment and that God was raising up a new Prophet and Judge in the boy Samuel. Because of this, we talked about how we need to make sure our focus is on God rather than those who are in authority over us. When we look to people instead of God as our end to spiritual authority, abuse of that office of authority can easily happen. Yet when our eyes are on Jesus, we can see when spiritual abuse happens and call it out.
Finally, last week, we looked at the call of Samuel. The passage had started out with letting us know that God’s speaking was rare, but through Samuel it became a regular occurrence. This is because, Samuel fulfilled his calling to share even hard messages. This is where we talked about four lessons: first, we need to take time to hear from God. Second, we need spiritual mentors in our lives that will point us to God. Third, God doesn’t always send messages of comfort, so we need to be willing to hear those messages. Finally, sometimes God calls us to share those uncomfortable message with others.
All this leads up to several chapters of God displaying his holiness. This happens from chapter 4 through the beginning of chapter 7. Because our summer series are focused on the big connecting thoughts of the books we study, we have to cover these three chapters. Due to this, your default challenge is to read the chapters we’ll be covering today in their entirety, as we will only be reading snippets of them.
Let’s being with reading from chapter 4, starting in verse 1.
1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
v.1-11 - This passage starts out in someways where the book of Judges ended. The last we heard about the Philistines, they had capture Samson, and he, in a last moment of God’s mercy and judgment, killed many of their leaders. The battle we just read about is happening roughly forty plus years later, since we learn later in the passage that that’s how long Eli had judged Israel. (v.18)
The war between the two nations had not ceased, but rather halted for a time, as it seems the Philistines were regrouping due to their lost of their leadership and the power vacuum that most likely occurred afterwards. It is here that the Philistines come out against Israel and the Israelites loose.
There are three verses that we need to point out here as we understand this passages, and we start with verse 3. After their defeat, the people ask, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?” The question is only natural, because, who can defeat the God of Israel if he is all-powerful? If we’ve been paying attention as we have read through Joshua and Judges, we would understand that it’s due to Israel’s sin. They have not turned back and repented. They are several generations deep into it and show no signs of turning back to God. The only thing keeping them afloat is God’s faithfulness on his side of the covenant relationship.
But instead of repenting, instead of seeking God, which Samuel was already known to be hearing from, the elders decide that they should take the ark of the covenant out to the battlefield. This is important, because the ark represents the presence of God in Israel. Where the ark is, there is God; at least that is the mindset of the people. In this mindset, they have take the concept to far, and made the ark an idol, and so look to it to save them, rather than to the living God.
Verse 4 shows how this sin of not seeking God and instead using a relic as an idol is bolstered by Eli’s sons who go with the ark without questioning if they should. They are the keepers of the ark, and yet in their sin, they participate in idol worship with the rest of Israel.
In verse 7, we see from the perspective of the Philistines who also associate the ark as an idol, for they say, “… A god has come into the camp.” Yet, the idol does not work as the Israelites had hoped. They loose the battle, the ark is taken by the Philistines, and verse 11 is one part of the fulfillment to God’s message to Eli through the unnamed prophet and Samuel, that Eli’s sons would died.
We then drop down to after Eli hears the message that his sons have died and he himself falls off his chair, breaking his neck, and dying himself.
Though this is an important moment, we are quickly taken from that to Eli’s daughter-in-law who dies in childbirth after hearing of her husband and father-in-law’s death. It is here that we get an important declaration. In the naming of her son before she dies, we are given a hint into the state of Israel. The baby’s name is Ichabod, which is two words meaning “no glory.” In her mind, since the ark has left Israelite possession, God’s glory has left Israel. However that’s an idolatry mindset. God’s presence is still there, we will see then when God speaks through Samuel as he has now become the next Judge after Eli. It would be more appropriate to say that God’s protection has left Israel. The reason Israel has suffered defeat and lost the ark, is because of their multiple sins, which are encapsulated in the idolatry they just revealed. Idolatry was forbidden and due to this, God was in his right to not protect the people against their adversaries.
This is judgment against Israel, that they are left, for a time, in defeat without God’s present protection. But God is not defeated, which we will see in the next two chapters.
In chapter 5 we’re told how the Philistines take the captured god and bring him to their god, Dagon. While the ark is present with the idol of Dagon, we’re told that the first night Dagon falls prostrate in front of the ark. The second night Dagon’s statute’s head and hands had been severed. This scares the priests and they begin to avoid the area altogether.
Verse 6 of chapter 5 lets us know of God’s judgment against the people in Ashdod where the ark is being housed. We learn two things: First, God is active in other people groups, not just Israel. Second, these people, like Israel are under God’s judgment, one reason being idol worship.
Apart of this judgment was the people of Ashdod were being afflicted with tumors. This has actually led some people in modern times to believe that the ark is a nuclear weapon of some sort. It due to the tumors, the people send the ark to another Philistine city, this time Gath, but God sends judgment there as well, and tumors continue to spread. The ark is moved for a third time, this time to Ekron. It is not clear if the people of Ekron were also afflicted with tumors, or they just had heard what had happened, but either way, everyone agreed to send the ark back to Israel.
This is where we pick up in chapter 6, where we find out that the ark, and its three Philistine city tour, all occurs within seven months.
It’s in verse 6 of chapter 6, that we get an important interaction between the Philistine people as they are discussing what to do with the ark. We read, “Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?”
It had been a few hundred years since the exodus of Israel out of Egypt, yet the stories of God’s work there, are still known to the people of Canaan. The Philistines reference this work of God to conclude that if they would just get ride of the ark, then the Israelite God would leave them alone.
However, even after concluding that they need to give the ark back, the Philistines do not take the ark back to Shiloh. This is probably for two reasons: One it’s pretty far north of where it is now, and the Philistines want to gone fast, and two, Shiloh is destroyed due to the battle seven months earlier.
So they take it to a closer location and with it, they bring statues golden mice and tumors as a peace offering to the God of Israel. When the cart carrying the ark arrived in a field at Beth-shemesh, the Levites offered sacrifices to the Lord in thanksgiving. The Philistines leave thankful to be rid of the ark and probably hoping that the Israelite God is happy to be home. Even though they’re tide heavily into idol worship, God has used that belief that to show how he is more powerful than their gods.
However, something goes wrong. God strikes down some of the men from town. The ESV makes it sound like the men died simply because they looked at the ark, but the wording here reveals that they took to the top off to look inside. This was a bad thing to do, and was forbidden in Numbers 4 (v.20), where not even those chosen to take care of the holy things of God in the tabernacle were to open the ark.
This might sound extreme for God to strike down some guys just for looking into the ark, but this whole section, from the sins of Eli’s sons, the sins of Israel, and the sins of the Philistines all go back to this one idea: no one took God’s holiness seriously. In the case of Eli’s sons, they abused their offices which God had set aside to be holy and honoring to him. The Israelites rebelled against God’s restriction of idolatry, and sought a box over the living presence of God. The Philistines thought they had overpowered the God of Israel and now he was subject to their god.
No one took the holiness of God seriously. Yet Eli’s sons fell just as God had decreed. The Israelites lost their battle and lost the symbol of God’s presence with them. The Philistines experienced embarrassment of Dagon and plague among their people. God is a holy God and we cannot undercut that reality.
This moment of God’s striking down the Israelite men due to their lack of reverence to God snaps the community to humility. Others respond to this moment in verse 20, “Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ‘Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?’”
A holy fear and respect was gained that day by everyone who saw and heard of what had happened. Even the people of God were not allowed to be flippant with their reverence to the God of all things.
As a response, the people of Beth-shemesh send the ark away yet again, and in chapter 7, verses 1-3, the people commission and consecrate Eleazar to take care of the ark. The ark is back with Israel and the Israelites experience a holy fear of their God, who by his own hand, has brought his ark back to the people. There is a sign of grace here, that God has returned, by his own will, to the people he made a covenant with.
This large section points us to the holiness of God. Time and time again throughout the Scriptures there is a call to the people of God to live in his holiness. Peter picks this up in his first letter where he writes, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ (1 Pet. 1:13-16)”
We who call on Jesus, and hold onto the name of Christian, are to be a holy people. This calling of God to the Israelites is no different than his calling to us in his Church. In fact, it is a greater calling because his Holy Spirit rest, not just on us, but lives within every disciple of Christ. We must take seriously the holiness of God. Yes, he is loving, yes he is merciful, but he is also holy and we can never downplay that attribute of him. If we do, we will find ourselves under God’s discipline. Though we are not condemned as disciples of Jesus, because we have Christ, God will not allow us to live in rebellion against his holiness.
The modern Christian song, “What Do I Know of Holy,” sings this very question, in the chorus and bridge:
What do I know of You, Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood, But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life it's name?
What do I know of Holy? Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?
My challenge for you this week, on top of reading through the chapters we covered today, is to take a moment and go before God, taking the lyrics of “What Do I know of Holy,” and asking the simple question, “What do I really know of Your holiness, God? Let me be more reverent to You.”
Let us be a holy people worshiping our holy God. Amen.
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