We continue with the story of Eli’s evil sons Hophni and Phinehas of whom it was decreed:

Hophni and Phinehas will both die on the same day. (1 Samuel 2.34, MSG)

For that to happen, the Israeli army made a really bad assumption. They were getting beaten by the Philistines in battle and someone had a great idea:

The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” (1 Samuel 4.2, 3, ESV)

“It” will save us? The Ark of the Covenant? It’s not the Ark, it’s the God of the Ark. And rather than saving them, its presence motivated the Philistines:

So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts…And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” (1 Samuel 4.4 – 9, ESV)

The Ark might have been there, but God wasn’t, or at least he chose not to intervene:

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. (1 Samuel 4.10, 11, ESV)

…as advertised. And the death of Eli’s sons, plus the capture of the Ark brought an end to Eli:

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see. And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. (1 Samuel 4.15 – 18, ESV)

Fret not. Israel will get the Ark back, but not before the God of the Ark has a bit of fun. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, don’t make idols out of God-ordained symbols:

So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21.9, ESV)

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign…And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done… He broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). (2 Kings 18.1 – 4, ESV)

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John 5.21, ESV)