From Ichabod to ebenezer
1 Samuel 4-7
Main Idea: God will not allow his glory to be manipulated and graciously accomplishes victory for his unworthy people.
I. The Superstition of Israel (4:1-22)
When Israel is defeated at the battle of Ebenezer, they ask the right question (“Why has the Lord defeated us today?”), but neglect to pray to God. Instead, they treat the ark of the covenant like the other nations treated their pagan gods by using it as a means to their own ends, removing it from its proper place to co-opt it for their own purposes.
The “ark” was to be a remembrance of God’s glory, holiness, and presence. It was topped by cherubim with a lid made of solid gold (called the ‘mercy seat’) where the once a year atoning sacrifice was offered (Lev. 16). Inside, it held 3 reminders of his redemptive acts in history toward his people (Heb. 9:4):
Tablets of Stone (God’s Word)
A Jar of Manna (God’s Provision)
Aaron’s Rod that Budded (God’s Salvation)
Here was a pressure tactic, a way of [trying to] twist God’s arm. That is not faith but superstition. It is rabbit-foot theology. When we, whether Israelites or Christians, operate this way, our concern is not to seek God but to control him, not to submit to God but to use him. So we prefer religious magic to spiritual holiness; we are interested in success, not repentance... The text forces two important implications upon us: Yahweh will suffer shame rather than allow you to carry on a false relationship with him; and Yahweh will allow you to be disappointed with him if it will awaken you to the sort of God he really is.
~ Dale Ralph Davis, 1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart
Upon hearing of the capture of the ark, Eli falls over backward and dies, an “inglorious” ending to his reign as judge and high priest in Israel. Phineas’ wife also dies in childbirth, naming her child ‘Ichabod’ (lit. ‘the glory has departed’).
II. The Submission of the Philistine (5:1-6:9)
The Philistines assume they have defeated Yahweh by capturing the ark; they place the ark in the temple of their chief god, Dagon. But the Lord defends His own glory by:
Forcing Dagon to bow down to the ark, requiring him to be “put back in his place” (5:3)
Knocking Dagon prostrate again the next morning, cutting off his head (cf. 1 Sam. 17:51) and his hands (representing ‘power’) (5:4)
Isaiah 42:8 : I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
While Dagon had no hands, the “hand of the Lord” was “heavy” on the Philistines in judgment, as they are struck by a plague as the ark moves through the land. Underneath this Exodus-like judgment (cf. 4:8, 6:6), the Philistines send the ark back to Israel with a guilt offering of gold (cf. Ex. 12:35-26).
III. The Success of the Lord (6:10-7:14)
1 Samuel 4-7 is arranged in a “chiastic” structure:
A: The Israelites are defeated by the Philistines at Ebenezer (4:1-11)
B: The ark is exiled in Philistia (4:12-22)
C: God plagues the Philistines (5:1-12)
D: The Ark Returns (6:1-18)
C1: God plagues the Israelites (6:19-21)
B1: The ark is exiled in Kiriath-jearim (7:1-2)
A1: The Israelites defeat the Philistines in the battle of Ebenezer (7:3-17)
Israel’s disobedience should have led to their defeat and exile per the Mosaic Law. However, the Lord:
Goes into exile on their behalf
Travels through the promised land, defeating the enemy
Uses a seeming defeat to bring about a victory
Returns to his unfaithful people who abandoned the ark
Accomplishes victory and salvation for his unworthy people
God takes his glory so seriously that he himself takes the weight of glory on himself. Jesus comes as our representative and our substitute. The weight of God’s glory pressed down on Jesus and crushed the life out of him. He died in my place. In these chapters, the defeat of God proves to be the means of victory. The ark of God is taken to the temple of Dagon as a trophy of victory and tribute to Dagon’s superiority. But in the morning, Dagon lies fallen before God. The defeat of God leads to his victory over the Philistines. It is the same at the cross. The dead body of Jesus was Satan’s trophy of victory. But through Christ’s death the power of Satan was broken. Satan’s triumph became his ultimate defeat. Jesus walked victorious from the tomb and we walk out with him.
~ Tim Chester, 1 Samuel for You
Where there was ‘no glory’ (‘Ichabod’), now Samuel helps the Israelites to raise an ‘Ebenezer’ (‘a rock/stone of help’) (7:12). God has brought about a great reversal for Israel, and his glory and grace should lead to genuine whole-hearted repentance and worship (7:6ff).
