Why was the ark of God captured? The Philistines gave the credit to themselves, to their own military prowess or the power of their gods. After all, they knew that the God of the Israelites was real, and that He had sent all sorts of devastating plagues on the Egyptians (verse 8). But instead of submitting to Him, they fought against Him – and thought they had prevailed.

Why was the ark of God captured? The Israelites understood that God is the One Who allowed them to be defeated in battle (verse 3). But instead of asking God if He wanted them to continue the fight against the Philistines, and instead of praying that God would give them success, they tried to force His hand. They thought that if they carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle, such a symbol of God’s presence among His people would guarantee their victory.

And many people today, even some who call themselves Christians, share such ideas about God. The followers of the “prosperity gospel” have convinced themselves that all they need to do is “name and claim” some blessing, and God will have to give it to them – as long as they demonstrate the sincerity of their faith with sufficient offerings to their leaders. Others know good and well what God wants them to do, but they resist His will, preferring to pursue pleasure or success on their own terms.

Why was the ark of God captured? Both the Philistines and the Israelites only had part of the answer. For in His sovereign power, the Lord did allow His people to be defeated in battle. But this was not to demonstrate the superior might of the Philistine gods, or even to point out some error in the Israelites’ rituals. No, God was simply using the sin of both the Israelites and the Philistines to accomplish the plan He had announced in each of the preceding chapters: to put the sons of Eli to death (verse 11).

So no, the loss of the battle and the loss of the Ark didn’t mean the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel (verses 21 and 22). Instead, God was displaying His glory, demonstrating the truth of His Word as well as the futility of trying either to resist Him or manipulate Him. In fact, God used His people’s defeat to call them to trust Him and to obey Him. Will we allow the Lord to use the difficult circumstances of our lives to draw us closer to Himself today?

I Samuel 4:1b-22 (NASB)

Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek.
2 And the Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield.
3 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.”
4 So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 And it happened as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, that all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded.
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise 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.
7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
8 “Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
9 “Take courage and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight.”
10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent, and the slaughter was very great; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.
11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
12 Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head.
13 When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out.
14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the noise of this commotion mean?” Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see.
16 And the man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.” And he said, “How did things go, my son?”
17 Then the one who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.”
18 And it came about when he mentioned the ark of God that Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.
19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention.
21 And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken.”