1 Samuel 4 - The Ark is Lost!

The gloomy prophecies found in 1 Samuel 2-3 come to fruition in the following chapter.  And it is much worse than could have been imagined.  Not only are the Israelites attacked by the Philistines, but they are utterly defeated, Eli's sons killed, and most horrifying of all, the sacred Ark of the Covenant is stolen and taken away by the Philistines.  This is chastisement indeed.  The sins of the priests of Israel were so grievous that only such a punishment would do.  And that seems to be at the heart of this First Book of Samuel -- not just a people fallen away, but those among the people who are to be the sacred ministers of the Lord have abused their position.  These abuses of the priesthood, of Hophni and Phinehas specifically, cry to heaven for God's vengeance.  It is clear that God is so angered by these abuses that He must literally remove Himself from among the Israelites by allowing the very Ark of God to be taken out of the land of Israel!  (There is also a great symbolism here in that when we sin we remove God from our souls).  This event, the removal of the Ark, is quite an alarming development.  The stakes, so to speak, have been raised.  Throughout the time of the judges we didn't hear much about the Ark; it was within the land of Israel, safely kept, watched over by the Levite priests, and that was that.  The people continued to sin against God, but aside from a few attacks by neighboring nations, God's punishments were kept relatively low-key, and He always raised a judge (or "savior") to bring His people back to holy ways.  But then Hophni and Phinehas come along.  It seems to me that therein lies the difference.  We're dealing now with sins taking place within the tabernacle!  These sacrilegious sins up the ante, and so God raises the bar likewise and allows the sacred Ark to be taken out of the land of Israel, a thing so shocking that the hearing of it literally kills Eli!  Never before have the Israelites been so forsaken.  These events also help to draw a line between the era of the judges and the time of the kings which is about to begin.  Things are at a crisis point for the Israelites.  God, thankfully, doesn't mean to abandon them forever, but such a drastic measure was needed to show them the gravity of their sins and the need for a reminder of the covenant, or promise, that was made to them.  Also thankfully, God had raised up a great prophet, Samuel, at this critical time, to help the Israelites find their way back to Him.

One last note, there is a possible moment of hope within this very dark chapter.  1 Samuel 4:11 reads, "And the ark of God was taken: and the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were slain."  Alonso Tostado believed these once wicked men to have been fighting to defend the Ark at the time of their deaths.  If this is true, which seems highly possible, then perhaps the very men at the heart of the great crimes that called for such vengeance, in the end were saved by acts of pious courage.  If so, it is perhaps a sign of hope, that even the most wicked can turn their hearts to God before it is too late and join Him in paradise.  Let's pray for Hophni and Phinehas's souls.