The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 105

C':irrying _all_ l~efore it I Alas for ~-he ark of God I So they wail and lament, and ~prea_d m1s~·1vm//:s among all_ who hsten to them. But they do little else; they have nu vigour m C'ounsel or action to prevent or to remedy spiritual disaster. It is a poor-spirited, ineffective style of Christian character. We want something much firmer and bolder for the defence and propagation of the g·ospel. We want repent- ance insisted on, righteousness preached and practised, wrongs redressed abuses cast out of the Church, and then we need not fear the Philistines. Granted that the times ar_e perilou~; there i~ cause of anxiety, and there is need_of prayer. But prayer itself will not gam any victory for those whose hearts and lives arr not right with God. Hophni and Phinehas went to the battle-field reeking from their sins. How could G:od fight by or for th~m? And _the people of Israel, following the bad example in high places, were qmte demoralised. Why should they have a victory? Let repentance begin at the house of God. Let iniquity be abhorred and forsaken. So God will be with us, and we need not fear the foe. We shall tremble at his word but we shall not tremble because of the Philistines. "Thoug·h an host should encam1; against me, my heart shall not fear."-F. Vers. 12-18. (SHILOH.)-The Judgment of God on the Judge of Israel. ".And he had judged Israel forty years'' (ver. 18). The life of Eli was lengthened out to ninety-eight years, during the last forty of which he judged Israel. In him we see that-I. The highest official position may be held by one who is destitute of the qualities which it demands. 2. Much excellence is sometimes associated with grave defects. 3. Sins of omission have a ruinous effect on others-the family, the Church, the nation. 4. A good man is not spared when he is guilty of disobedience. The judgment of Heaven is impartial. The last hour of his long life bas now come, an<l in it we see the old man- I. WATCHING WITH ANXIETY FOR THE ARK (ver. 13). Why does bis heart tremble? He bas truly an affectionate regard for it. But-1. He has been acJessory to its exposure in the battle-field. 2. He is doubtful about its safety. 3. He dreads the consequences of its loss. .Already he experiences the evil effects of his sin. II. RECEfflNG THE TIDINGS OF DISASTER (vers. 12, 14-17). "\Voe upon woe." 1. The defeat of Israel with a great slaughter. 2. The death of his two sons. 3. The capture of the ark. "With the surrender of the earthly throne of his glory the Lord appeared to have abolished his covenant of grace with Israel; for the ark, with the tables of the law and the Capporeth, was the visible pledge of the covenant of grace which Jehovah had made with Israel" (Keil). UL SmTTEN WITH THE STROKE OF DEATH (ver. 18). 1. .After long and merciful delay. 2. Directly connected with his sin. 3. "Suddenly, o.nd without remedy." Nevertheless, it was his dismay at the loss of the ark that caused his trembling heart to cease to beat; and his love for the sacred symbol lightens up the gloom of his melancholy end.-D. Vers. 19-22. (SHILOl!.)-Ichabod. "The glory is departed' (ver. 22). Ichabod = (1) Where is thy glory? (It is departed) ; (2) The Inglorious; or, (3) Alas I the glory. The last words of the wife of Phinehas. Her piety was-1. Genuine. She called the ark "the glory," and, doubtless, had regard not merely to the symbol, but also and chiefly to the Divine presence which it represented. 2. Peculiar. Li,·ing in corrupt times, the wife of an ungodly man, yet truly rlevout; a pearl among 1,ebbles, a rose among thorns, a grain of wheat in a heap of chaff. 3. Eminent. Her grief at the loss of the ark surpassed her sorrow at the death of her husband and her father-in-law, and swallowed up her joy at the birth of a son. 4. Early per- fected by death amidst the righteou6 judgments of Heaven. From her dying· utter- ance learn that- I. THE PRESENCE OF GOD IS THE TllUE GLORY OF A PEOPLE. It is the source of- 1. Their real dignity. 2. Their internal prosperity. 3. Their external influence. In vain do we look elsewhere for these things. 11 Thy God" (shall be) "thy glory" (Isa. lx. 19; )xii. 2). II. THE TRUE GLORY OF A PEOPLE MAY DEPAR1. This takes place when the pre- Bence (i. e. the favour and protection) of God is withdrawn. 1. It is caused by human sin of various kinds. He is not desirous of leaving men, but they are unwill- OR. V. 1-12.] 'fl-IE FIRST ROOK OF SAMUEL. 101