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Discussions Prophets and Writings

1st Samuel 4 — Loving God’s symbols rather than Him

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Israel’s high priest at the time, Eli, witnesses two horrible outcomes of his indulgence of the immorality of his sons and that effect on the nation: their deaths and the capture of the LORD’s symbolic throne on earth, the Ark of the Testimony.

Food for thought from the recorded discussion

1 Samuel 4 map

Parallel passages: Jer. 7:12; Jer. 26:6-9; Psa. 78:56-73

Who was the judge of the people at the time? Who were consulted after Israel’s initial defeat?

What was the process of removing the ark from the tabernacle? Why didn’t God miraculously intervene when the sons of Eli removed the Ark from the tabernacle? Did God judge the two sons of Eli? How? Was God happy to “live” in the tabernacle after the sons of Eli removed the ark from Shiloh?

How was the Ark greeted by the army camp? Was the presence of the ark in the camp advantageous militarily to the Israelites? 

How did the Philistines react to the presence of the ark in the Israelite camp? How did the Philistines galvanize themselves?

Who was the last leader of Israel who consulted God before going to battle?

Main reasons God seems to have allowed this defeat to occur: 

  1. Idol worship in Israel.
  2. Eli’s sons corrupted the people and the tabernacle.
  3. Israel took the ark without asking Him
  4. Didn’t consult Samuel or God
  5. God will use this incident to make the Philistines fear Him
  6. God’s home (Shiloh) was defiled. 

Who is the Benjaminite runner who told Eli the news?

What caused Phineas’ wife’s despair immediately before she died? What did she name her son?

What happened to Shiloh as a result of this fight? 

How did Israel remember Shiloh later in their history (Jer. 26:6-9)? How is Jeremiah’s prophesy similar to Stephens’ trial hundreds of years later?

What does the Psalmist say about Shiloh and the history preceding her desolation (Psa. 78:56-73)?

Which tribe had control of the Ark between the time of Joshua and the time of Eli? Which tribe had control of the Ark after it’s return from the Philistines?

Speaker: Daniel Agee.