Artwork by Douglas Kallerson
1 Samuel 4:12-22
Inglorious
(Typed 26 May 2025) In 2 Corinthians 3:7, Paul says, “But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away.”
The glory of the Old Covenant and the law that stemmed from it were called a “ministry of death” that was “written and engraved on stones.” The Ten Commandments represented the whole Law of Moses.
Paul explains that it was so glorious “that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away.” The glory of God radiated from Moses after he beheld the Divine glory.
This was a part of his ministry as the lawgiver to the people. It showed the splendor of God’s plan in the giving and tending to the law through Moses. And yet, Paul shows that this amazing glory “was passing away.”
In other words, Paul equates the Mosaic Law with the passing away of the glory of the light emanating from Moses. There would be a time when the law would fade into history, being replaced with something even more glorious.
Text Verse: “For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.” 2 Corinthians 3:11
In 2 Corinthians 3:8, Paul asks, “how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” Paul doesn’t call it the “ministry of life” in contrast to the “ministry of death.” Instead, he calls it the “ministry of the Spirit.”
The Spirit, meaning the Holy Spirit, is life. And so the contrast of death is made instead to the physical, tangible stone with carved letters. Because of the use of “the Spirit” in place of the law, it is speaking of the entire process of the transmission of the gospel – His work at Pentecost, His influence on the apostles, including their work and their writings, which are now the New Testament, and the continued preaching and evaluation of the Bible. This, and so much more, is the “ministry of the Spirit.”
It is this Spirit which is more glorious, and which will reveal glories ahead. This is seen in the use of the preposition en, in, which denotes the permanent nature of the glory. Also, the verb translated as “will be” is in the future tense. It shows that what is yet to be revealed contains surpassing glory. Everything about the new surpasses the old, both in the present and in what is yet to be revealed.
In 2 Corinthians 3:9, Paul says, “For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.” He changed “the ministry of death” to “the ministry of condemnation,” and “the ministry of the Spirit” to “the ministry of righteousness.”
In other words, the law brought death. Associated with that death is condemnation. The law was ineffectual in saving anyone. However, the Spirit brings life, and with that comes righteousness. The Spirit is sufficient to quicken our spirit to live, and also grant Christ’s righteousness to the one who is so quickened.
Hints and shadows of this coming glory and the truths associated with it, along with what is contrasted to the lesser glory of the law, are to be found throughout His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.
I. Your Two Sons, They Died (verses 12-17)
12 Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day,
vayarats ish Binyamin meha’maarakhah – “And he will run, man Benjamin, from the arrangement.” In ancient battles, there were usually men appointed or selected as runners to carry word of the battle to those who needed to know how it was going. This is seen, for example, in 2 Samuel 18 –
“Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, ‘“Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the Lord has avenged him of his enemies.’
20 And Joab said to him, ‘You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king’s son is dead.’ 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, ‘Go, tell the king what you have seen.’ So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran.” 2 Samuel 18:19-21
This particular runner was from Benjamin, Son of the Right Hand. Rabbinic tradition is so laughable, it is worth noting. They claim this was Saul who snatched from Goliath the tablets of the law taken out of the ark. Writings like that remind us why we should consider their commentaries suspect. Of this man, it says…
12 (con’t) and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
vayavo Shiloh bayom ha’hu u-madav qeruim vaadamah al rosho – “And he came, Shiloh, in the day, the it, and his garments rent, and ground upon his head.” Cambridge estimates the distance as not more than twenty miles. Google puts a steady jog for this distance at a bit less than three hours, so the word arriving on the same day is a perfectly plausible pronouncement.
The torn garments are an outward sign of mourning, indicating great grief and distress. The same is true with dirt on one’s head. The practice is something found in both testaments. In Acts, Paul spoke to the men of Jerusalem about his calling. When he mentioned that he was selected to go to the Gentiles, the reaction of the Jews is quite telling –
“And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!” 23 Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air.” Acts 22:22, 23
Man was taken from the dust of the earth. Thus, there is a sense of mourning (or rage in the case of Paul’s audience) to the point of death. Shiloh means Tranquility.
13 Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching,
The written and the spoken Hebrew differ, and both are extremely complicated: vaayavo vehineh eli yoshev al ha’kise yakh derekh metsapeh – “And he came. And Behold! Eli sitting upon the throne, cause to strike – road, watching.” The spoken says, “And he came. And Behold! Eli sitting upon the throne, hand road, watching.”
Because of the complexity of the words, the default position is for scholars to say the word “strike” is a copyist’s error. The words are similar in the Hebrew –
יך – strike
יד – hand
The location of the throne is identified in verse 18 as bead yad ha’shaar, “beside hand the gate,” not yad derek, hand road. However, because the word yad is used there, scholars assume this verse is in error and it should say hand.
As bead, beside, is not included here, it requires a real stretch to try to make the two verses somehow align. Undoubtedly, the written rendering using the word strike is surely correct. Eli means Foster Son. As for Eli’s actions, the verb is causative. The nervous habit is explained by the next words…
13 (con’t) for his heart trembled for the ark of God.
ki hayah libo khared al aron ha’elohim – “For it was, his heart, fearful upon Ark the God.” Eli is sitting on his throne in trepidation concerning the ark. It is causing him to strike the road that leads through the gate of the tabernacle, like with a cane, foot, or something else. It is a sign of nervous agitation…
13 (con’t) And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out.
veha’ish ba lehagid bair vatizeaq kal ha’ir – “And the man, he came to cause to declare in the city. And she will shriek, all the city.” The runner’s job was to announce the events of the battle. Upon his declaration, it is as if the city itself shrieked in anguish at the events…
14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?”
vayishma eli eth qol hatseaqah vayomer meh qol he’hamon ha’zeh – “And he heard, Eli, voice the shriek, and he said, ‘What – voice the tumult, the this?’” This confirms that Eli was not sitting on the side of the road leading into the city. If he were, he would have been the first to meet the man. Instead, he heard the rest of the city crying out. Verse 1:9 tells us where he would be located –
“Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:9
He would be in this same place, plopped down as usual. While at the doorposts of the gate entering into the tabernacle area, he had been sitting anxiously and striking the road. When he heard the cry of the city, he asked what was going on…
14 (con’t) And the man came quickly and told Eli.
veha’ish mihar vayavo vayaged leeli – “And the man, he hurried, and he came, and he caused to declare to Eli.” Eli was the judge of Israel and the high priest. The message would be for him first and foremost. However, as the runner entered the city, he told those in the common areas as he continued toward Eli…
15 Eli was ninety-eight years old,
veeli ben tishim u-shemoneh shanah – “And Eli, son ninety and eight year.” This is another reason to dismiss the thought that Eli was sitting by the road on the way to the city. He is old and blind. It would do no good for him to go sit there. He sat in his usual spot doing what he did most of the time.
The number ninety-eight is 7×14. Seven is associated with spiritual perfection, completeness, and divine completion. It represents the Holy Spirit’s work, the culmination of God’s plans, and is a sign of divine worship and obedience. Fourteen “being a multiple of seven, partakes of its significance; and, being double that number, implies a double measure of spiritual perfection” (Bullinger).
15 (con’t) and his eyes were so dim that he could not see.
There is a numerical discord: veenav qamah ve’lo yakhol liroth – “and his eyes – it stood, and not he able to see.” The feminine singular, it stood, is believed to be an abstract conception where the lifeless eyes are united in thought into one member. There is more to it than that, though. The same expression is used in 1 Kings 14:4 using a masculine plural –
“And Ahijah not he able to see for they stood (masc. pl.) his eyes.”
In the Bible, the eye is used to indicate one’s spiritual state, focus, and understanding. It is used when referring to seeing spiritual truths or being blind toward them. This leads to the moral character or intentions of a person, such as referring to a good eye or a bad eye to indicate one’s level of generosity.
16 Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.”
And he said, “What happened, my son?
vayomer ha’ish el eli anokhi haba min ha’maarakhah vaani min ha’maarakhah nas’ti ha’yom vayomer meh hayah ha’davar beni – “And he said, the man, to Eli, ‘I “the coming from the arrangement.” And I, from the arrangement, I fled, the day.’ And he said, ‘What it was, the word, my son?’”
The repetition of the words by the man signifies that he was designated to bring the word to Eli. He is “the coming from the arrangement.” As soon as the battle was lost, he would have set out with word for Eli and the people, arriving that same day.
Hearing that he fled is ominous enough, but it doesn’t answer what Eli needed to know, Thus, his question concerning the word, meaning what occurred during the battle. The response will be bad news upon bad news, each clause worse than the previous…
17 So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines,
vayaan ham’baser vayomer nas Yisrael liphne phelishtim – “And he heeded, the announcing, and said, ‘He fled, Israel, to faces Philistines.” There is a new word, basar. It is derived from a root signifying to be fresh. As such, it refers to the act of announcing, as in bringing fresh news.
Israel was routed. They could not withstand the onslaught of the Philistines, and so they turned from the battle and fled. Israel means He Strives with God. Philistines means Weakeners.
17 (con’t) and there has been a great slaughter among the people.
vegam magephah gedolah hayethah vaam – “And also stroke whopping it was in the people.” The same word, magephah, was used to describe the plagues upon Egypt and upon disobedient Israel after the sin of Peor.
The word is derived from nagaph, to strike, gore, etc. The idea is that the people were so overwhelmed by the Philistines that it was as if a pestilence had rushed through them, thoroughly demolishing them. And more…
17 (con’t) Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead;
vegam shene vanekha methu khapeni u-phinekhas – “And also two your sons, they died – Hophni and Phinehas.” The ‘announcing’ guy elevates the tragedy that has befallen Israel’s judge and priest. There was a great stroke among Israel before they fled, and Eli’s sons were a part of that catastrophe.
This fulfills the word of the Lord to Eli through the man of God –
“And this to you the sign which it will come: unto two your sons, unto Hophni and Phinehas – in day one, they will die – they two.” 1 Samuel 2:34
Hophni means My Hollow or Hollow of the Lord. Phinehas means Mouth of Brass and thus Mouth of Judgment. There is yet more bad news ahead for Eli…
17 (con’t) and the ark of God has been captured.”
va’aron ha’elohim nil’qakhah – “And Ark the God, it was taken.” This is the most distressing of all of the news. It meant the end of the Lord’s presence among the people. They had brought it to the battle as a sort of talisman, assuming the Lord would not abandon them. He corrected that wrong thinking in His departure from them.
Who will mediate when the law is done?
Who will be there when the ark is gone?
Can we somehow from our sins run?
Or will they cling to us as time marches on?
Lord, without Your presence, what will happen to Israel?
What will happen to Your people without You near?
Your word indicates things won’t go so well
Bad times lie ahead, this I fear
Who will mediate when the law is done?
Who will be there when the ark is gone?
We will turn our eyes to Your Son
Yes, henceforth to Him our attention is drawn
II. For It Was Taken (verses 18-22)
18 Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate;
vayhi kehaz’kiro eth aron ha’elohim va’yipol me’al ha’kise akhoranith bead yad ha’shaar – “And it was, according to his causing to remember Ark the God, and he fell from upon the throne backwards beside hand the gate.”
These words help clarify the confusion in verse 13. Eli is beside the hand of the gate. In 2 Samuel 18, it says of David, “And he stood, the king, unto hand the gate.” Eli is “beside” the hand of the gate. David stood “unto hand the gate.”
The meaning of the gate’s hand is probably not its doorpost. A completely different word is used to describe it in 1 Samuel 1:9. It may be the lever device that secures the gate, something accomplished by the hand. Either way, what is described here is not at all what is described in verse 13. As for Eli falling…
18 (con’t) and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy.
vatishaver maphraq’to vayamoth ki zaqen ha’ish vekhaved – “And it was broken, his joint. And he died, for he aged, the man, and heavy.” It is a word found only here, miphreqeth. It is derived from paraq, to break off or crunch. As such, it refers to a joint of the neck, meaning a vertebra.
The news of the loss of the ark was so shocking to Eli that he toppled over backwards. Due to his age and his sizeable carriage, he snapped his neck…
18 (con’t) And he had judged Israel forty years.
The words are emphatic: vehu shaphat eth Yisrael arbaim shanah – “And he, he judged Israel forty years.” He would have been 58 when he began judging Israel, since he died at 98. Of the number forty, Bullinger says –
“It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where forty relates to a period of evident probation.”
The tragedy and suffering that came upon Israel in a single day is unparalleled to this point in their history. And yet, even more bad news lies ahead…
19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered;
Rather: vekhalatho esheth pinekhas harah lalath – “And his completer, wife Phinehas, pregnant – to bear.” The word kalah, completer, is used. No other translation uses the word completer. Instead, they say daughter-in-law. However, that is a description, not a translation.
The word kalah is derived from kalal, to complete or make perfect. Therefore, it is also often translated as daughter-in-law, such as Judah’s daughter-in-law, Tamar, or Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi. It is also translated in the Song of Songs as bride. But that is not its meaning either, even if it explains her position.
The thought is that the son, and thus the family, is made complete with the acquisition of his bride. As such, the designation is bestowed upon her as the one who completes or perfects the son. And more, she is the one to bring a son, an heir, into the family, completing it. She is the completer…
19 (con’t) and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead,
vatishma eth hashemuah el hilaqah aron ha’elohim u-meth khamiha veishah – “And she heard the hearing unto taken Ark the God, and he died, her bulwark, and her husband.” The words of woe are stated in descending order. First, the Ark of the God is taken. Next, her kham, her bulwark, meaning her father-in-law, is noted.
Again, nobody translates the word this way, but it is derived from khomah, a wall of protection. It is only found twice in this passage, and twice in Genesis 38 in the account of Judah and Tamar. A father-in-law would be the head of the household until he died. He thus symbolizes the safety and security of the home, guarding it and protecting it.
Lastly, her husband is dead as well. Placing Eli before him in the list is because Eli is not only the guard, but he is the judge and priest of Israel. Because of the tragedy…
19 (con’t) she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her.
vatikhera vateled ki neheph’khu aleha tsireha – “And she bowed, and she bore. For overturned upon her, her throes.” The word tsiyr is introduced. It signifies a hinge. It is used figuratively here to indicate her throes, as in physical pressure, such as when a hinge is pressed as it is turned.
In her anguish at the sad tidings, she went into labor and delivered her child in both mental and physical anguish, the former leading to the latter.
20 And about the time of her death
u-kheeth muthah – “And according to time her death.” The narrator speaks of her death as a matter of fact. She was set to die, and as that came about…
20 (con’t) the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.”
vatedaberenah ha’nitsavoth aleha al tirei ki ven yaladath – “And she spoke, the ‘being stationed upon her,’ ‘Not you will fear, for son you bore.’” The verb natsav, to station, is used to describe the attending woman. When she went into sudden labor, a woman was called and stationed upon her to help with the delivery.
Knowing the pain and anguish she was enduring, she did what any reasonable attendant would do by trying to encourage her and cheer her up, proclaiming that a son was born to her. Despite her caring attempt to reassure her…
20 (con’t) But she did not answer, nor did she regard it.
velo anetah velo shathah libah – “And not she heeded, and not she placed her heart.” The word anah generally means to respond, but that is only an extension based on first heeding. It is derived from a root signifying to eye. One eyes, then heeding takes place. In heeding, a response is generally given.
Because they normally occur almost simultaneously, the final action is what we think of. For example, in Genesis 23:14, it says, “And heeded Ephron, Abraham, to say to him…” He heard, heeded, and responded.
In the case of this woman, she didn’t even eye the child. There was no acknowledgment of it at all. And more, her affections for it were completely lacking, as seen in the words “and not she placed her heart.” Without looking at him or giving any motherly affection to him, it next says…
21 Then she named the child Ichabod,
vatiq’ra lanaar i khavod – “And she called to the lad, ‘Inglorious!’” When a name is given, Scripture usually says, “And she called his name…” That is not the case here. It may be that she is naming him, but it appears she is making a proclamation concerning the state of Israel at this time.
She understood what the events meant, and her dying words reflected that as she called out to him. Regardless, the name is assigned to him based on her proclamation (or naming), as is seen in 1 Samuel 14:3, where he is called Ichabod.
The meaning of the name is uncertain. The iy is what is debated. It may be a particle of negation, thus “no.” It may be an interjection, “alas.” It also may be an interrogative, “Where?” The second half comes from kavod, weight, but meaning glory. The next words would favor No Glory and thus Inglorious…
21 (con’t) saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!”
lemor galah khavod miyisrael – “To say, ‘It denuded, glory from Israel.’” The words seem confusing, as if this verse and the next are a tautology, but this is not the case. The words here are those of the narrator, referring to what she will say in verse 22.
If the glory has been stripped from Israel, one would think her intent is Inglorious. But she may also be asking, “Where is the glory?”
Whichever is correct, these words are important in understanding a statement made in Judges –
“Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.” Judges 18:30
This makes it appear like Judges was written after the Babylonian exile. But the words are based on this verse. The word galah is used in Judges 18:30 and is speaking of the denuding of the land, not the captivity of the people. Thus, it is referring to this incident.
As for the word translated as glory, kavod, it literally signifies weight, but it is always given in a figurative sense of that which is splendid or glorious. It is cognate, however, to the word kaved, heavy, used to describe Eli in verse 18. Thus, there is somewhat of a play on words in the thought.
The land is uncovered without the weight, meaning glory…
21 (con’t) because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
el hilaqah aron ha’elohim veel khamiha veishah – “unto taken Ark the God, and unto her bulwark, and her husband.” The words of the narrator continue. He says her proclamation was made because the glory was denuded from Israel when the “Ark of ‘the God’” was taken, in the death of Eli, and in the death of her husband…
22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
Rather: vatomer galah khavod miyisrael ki nil’qakh aron ha’elohim – “And she said, ‘It denuded, glory from Israel.’ For it was taken – Ark the God.” The words “It denuded, glory Israel,” are the words of the woman. The last clause is the narrator explaining the matter.
Whereas she had ascribed the denuding of Israel based on the taking of the ark and the two deaths, the narrator quotes her words and ascribes the denuding to the taking of the ark alone.
Narrator: “And she called to the lad, ‘Inglorious,’ to say, ‘It denuded, glory from Israel’ unto taken Ark the God, and unto her bulwark, and her husband.”
Narrator: And she said,
Woman: “It denuded, glory from Israel.”
Narrator: For it was taken – Ark the God.
Understanding this, the narrative is complete.
The glory has departed, it has gone away
But we should have known this would be the case
It was destined to end sometime, someday
Just as the glory faded from Moses’ face
The glory that replaced it is glorious indeed
A surpassing glory has filled this place
Not like the law that Israel failed to heed
Because the glory faded from Moses’ face
The New Covenant is better by far
We should have known this would be the case
Nothing can its glory mar
Because it bears the radiance of Jesus’ face
III. Death of the Foster Son
Verse 12 identified the runner as a man from Benjamin. As he is the runner and announcer, he didn’t die in the battle. He is a man of Son of the Right Hand, an allusion to Jesus as the Son of the Right Hand of God.
Saying He went to Shiloh, Tranquility, would signify His appearing before the Father with the evidence of His completed work –
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19
The torn clothes and the ground on His head reflect His humanity in relation to His passion. That is speculation, but it fits with the idea of man being taken from the adamah, the ground. Jesus in His humanity completed the work on behalf of Adam’s fallen seed.
Verse 13 referred to Eli (Foster Son) sitting on his throne. He is in the position of judgment. Eli has pictured those of Israel under the law through the mediation of Aaron, the foster son without full rights of adoption.
The verses about Eli striking the road indicate that the law knows it has an end. It was never intended to be a permanent arrangement. The picture is that the law senses its end coming, and it nervously strikes the way into the tabernacle, anticipating that end.
Saying his heart was “fearful upon the “Ark ‘the God’” is based on that premise. Saying “Ark ‘the God’” speaks of those who are in a right relationship with God or as a contrast to those who are not. As a side note, the ark is already taken. The sons are already dead.
These things are being told in a sequence because that is how things happen, but what Christ did was an all-at-once thing. We are seeing the process from its various angles. The shrieking of the city is an acknowledgment of this. Those under the law are no longer in a right relationship with God. This is being disclosed to the Foster Son.
Verse 15 noted Eli’s age, 98. As I noted, it is a multiple of 7 and 14, spiritual perfection, completeness, and divine completion (7), and even a double measure of it (14). The time is complete, all has been fulfilled, and it is accomplished by God in Christ.
The unusual wording, “and his eyes, it stood, and not he able to see” refers to the blindness of Israel concerning Christ –
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Romans 11:25
That blindness continues to this day in Israel. The singular stands for the whole and reveals the myopic nature of the law. It is incapable of seeing the glory of Christ. Those under it are blind to it. The singular standing for the whole is also seen, for example, in verse 17, where it says, “And he fled, Israel…” As there, the singular refers to the whole.
Verse 17 noted that the man fled the battle. This does not necessarily mean in fear. The word signifies to vanish away. It usually has a negative connotation, but he was a messenger. It was his duty to vanish from the lines. The word is used in a positive sense in Psalm 60 –
“You gave to ‘fearful you’ flag to raise itself [nus] from faces truth. Selah” Psalm 60:4 (CG)
Verse 17 introduced the word basar, announcing. It is a word used again and again in announcing good news –
“How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings [m’baser: announcing] of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7
The announcement wouldn’t seem like good news. It was a whopping stroke, and the ark was lost. That came along with the deaths of Hollow (the Lord’s place for filling, meaning the place ‘for’ the law) and Mouth of Judgment (the judgment of God upon the people based on the law).
Despite seemingly not so good news, it is a self-inflicted wound. One can either accept the gospel or be separated from God. The Philistines, the Weakeners took the ark, Christ, from the people. They are still doing it to this day as people continue to mandate law-observance in their theology. The law and grace are mutually exclusive. One must live by one or the other.
At the same time, the law and everything associated with it for a relationship with God ended. When Eli heard that, he remembered the “Ark ‘the God,’” signifying Jesus, and fell backwards at the hand of the gate. Those under the law no longer have the mediation of Aaron.
Falling at the “hand the gate” signifies that there is no longer access to the sanctuary for those under the law. The breaking of the neck also implies permanency. The law is essentially permanently “snapped” from God’s redemptive allowances.
The note about him being old and heavy signifies the ending of that which had glory but which was destined to end, as our text verse indicated.
Noting that he judged Israel forty years signifies the probationary period known as the law was ending in “revival and renewal,” a perfect description provided by Bullinger and realized in the completed work of Jesus Christ.
As for the completer of Eli’s house, when she heard of the taking of the ark, the death of her bulwark and husband, she bowed down and bore her son. The typology signifies all born under the law from that point on. That was reflected in the words “according to time her death.”
Calling Eli her bulwark tends to the idea of the law being a guard, as Paul says about the law in Galatians 3. There, he calls it just that, a guard. The people under it were “kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.” With Eli (Foster Son) dead, the law is no longer a guard.
Despite the birth of her son, she did not heed or place her heart. The futility of being the completer of an obsolete law is highlighted. There is nothing worth completing. Thus, the child, meaning one born under the law after that point, is Inglorious.
Without the ark, without Jesus, Israel is denuded of glory. She ascribed this to the loss of the ark, her bulwark, and her husband, but the narrator ascribes this denuding to being solely because the “Ark ‘the God’” was taken.
This is how the chapter ends, and it is a strong but sad testament to those who reject the work of Jesus Christ and continue to attempt to merit God’s favor through law observance. Christ is stolen away from them by the Weakeners, and they will never see the glory of God without Him.
The giving of the law was glorious. It was glorious in the display at its giving. It was glorious in its contents. It was glorious in how it was administered throughout its duration.
And yet, it was a ministry of death. It showed that man cannot fulfill its requirements. Thus, it only brought condemnation apart from the temporary provisions to keep Israel until the coming of Christ.
However, the covenant that came through the work of Jesus is a ministry of life. It excels in that it brings life, contrasted with the law, which brought forth death. Where the law brought condemnation, the New Covenant brings salvation.
Where the law was written on stone, grace is written on the hearts. In Jesus, there is full pardon of sin. In Jesus, there is the sure hope of restoration with God. In Jesus, there is the prospect of eternal life. In all ways, the glory of the law is shown to have no glory compared to the work of Jesus on our behalf.
Israel, however, has not yet received Jesus Christ as a collective whole. Daniel 9 shows that they have seven more years in the prophetic timeline to do so. These years are yet future. A temple will be rebuilt, sacrifices will be made, and the Old Covenant, even though ineffective for salvation, will be employed during those seven years.
Though unacceptable for a relationship with God, the observance of law during the tribulation will be a time preparing them for an acceptable relationship with Him through Jesus.
God will reach out, one last time, to the nation of Israel during those end times for their reconciliation to Him. It is coming, and may that day be soon! As for any now who accept Jesus, Jew or Gentile, we have the assured hope of eternal glory because of the completed work of Jesus Christ. Be sure to accept what He has done. Put away all personal attempts to merit what God has already done for us through Him.
Closing Verse: “He also gave His people over to the sword,
And was furious with His inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men,
And their maidens were not given in marriage.
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
And their widows made no lamentation.” Psalm 78:62-64
Next Week: 1 Samuel 5:1-12 Like plutonium when with wife shopping… (Pandemonium, Whopping) (10th 1 Samuel Sermon)
The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He alone is the perfect example of love – untarnished, unblemished, and completely pure and holy. He offers this love to you. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.
1 Samuel 4:12-22 (CG)
12 And he will run, man Benjamin, from the arrangement. And he came, Shiloh, in the day, the it, and his garments rent, and ground upon his head. 13 And he came. And Behold! Eli sitting upon the throne, cause to strike – road, watching. For was, it his heart, fearful upon Ark the God. And the man, he came to cause to declare in the city. And she will shriek, all the city. 14 And he heard, Eli, voice the shriek, and he said, “What – voice the tumult, the this?” And the man, he hurried, and he came, and he caused to declare to Eli. 15 And Eli, son ninety and eight year, and his eyes – it stood, and not he able to see.
16 And he said, the man, to Eli, “I ‘the coming from the arrangement.’ And I, from the arrangement, I fled, the day.”
And he said, “What it was, the word, my son?”
17 And he heeded, the announcing, and said, “He fled, Israel, to faces Philistines, and also stroke whopping it was in the people, and also two your sons, they died – Hophni and Phinehas. And Ark the God, it was taken.”
18 And it was, according to his causing to remember Ark the God, and he fell from upon the throne backwards beside hand the gate. And it was broken, his joint. And he died, for he aged, the man, and heavy. And he, he judged Israel forty years
19 And his completer, wife Phinehas, pregnant – to bear. And she heard the hearing unto taken Ark the God, and he died, her bulwark, and her husband. And she bowed, and she bore. For overturned upon her, her throes. 20 And according to time her death, and she spoke, the ‘being stationed upon her,’ “Not you will fear, for son you bore.” And not she heeded, and not she placed her heart. 21 And she called to the lad, “Inglorious,” to say, “It denuded, glory from Israel unto taken Ark the God, and unto her bulwark, and her husband.” 22 And she said, “It denuded, glory from Israel.” For it was taken – Ark the God.
1 Samuel 4:12-22 (NKJV)
12 Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 13 Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see.
16 Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.”
And he said, “What happened, my son?”
17 So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.”
18 Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. 21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured 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 has been captured.”