September 18, 2019: Day 4 – I Samuel 4

The glory departs from Israel.  

So that scene is not from the Bible, but it is the discovery of the ark by Indiana Jones as a result of the ark being lost by the defeat of the Israelites at the hands of the Philistines.  We lose track of the ark eventually, even as here the Philistines take it only to give it back later.  Too scary and too much responsibility.

But it is here more than any other place in the Bible where we see the glory of the Lord leaving Israel, to the point where the wife of the son of Eli, has a child who is named Ichabod, which means that the glory has departed from Israel.  Who remembers Ichabod?  Maybe this would help.

Anyway, let’s stick with the Bible, shall we?  The Philistines conquer the Israelites twice and the second time they take what is considered the presence of the Lord, the ark of the covenant.  As a result of the battles the sons of Eli are killed just as the Lord had told Samuel that it would happen.  When Eli hears of the capture of the ark, not of the death of his sons, but of the capture of the ark, he falls backwards and breaks his neck.  No, like he legitimately breaks his neck and dies.  

We now have the high priest dead and his two sons who were the heirs apparent to the priestly throne.  Guess who that leaves?  That’s right, Samuel.