Audio Download

1 Samuel 4:1–22 The Glory had Departed From Israel

[Study Aired January 26, 2026]

Today’s study can be put under three sections. The first one is about the Philistines engaging the Israelites in a battle. The second one deals with the capturing of the ark by the Philistines. The last section has to do with the death of Eli and his two sons. 

The Philistines Engaged the Israelites in a Battle

1Sa 4:1  And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 
1Sa 4:2  And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. 

Here in verse 1, the word of Samuel is the word of the Lord. The word of Samuel being heard by all Israel implies that we are without excuse of not knowing the word of the Lord regarding what He requires of us. The Lord always seeks for an occasion to come to us with His judgment so that we are without excuse of not knowing His word.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

For example, when the Lord wanted to judge the Philistines who had dominion over the Israelites, He sought for an occasion through Samson to engage the Philistines in a battle. Israel here represents the Lord’s people who are used to being dominated by the flesh, signified by the Philistines. At a certain stage of our walk with Christ, we have to come to know that we are no match as far as our flesh is concerned. In other words, the Lord wants us to know our spiritual depravity before He comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to deliver us.

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

Verses 1 and 2 therefore show us how the Lord causes us to be overcome by the flesh (represented by the Philistines) to give Him the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives to judge the flesh. Israel being smitten by the Philistines in verse 2 is to show us our inability to overcome the flesh before the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to overcome the flesh on our behalf. 

Gal 5:17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 

It is instructive to note that the number of the Israelites killed by the Philistines was 4,000 (4 x 10 x 10 x 10) men. The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. The number 10 means the fullness of the flesh. The three tens means that our spiritual maturity through the process of judgment begins with us realizing that our flesh had dominated us to the fullest extent. In other words, the whole of the Lord’s elect must be overcome by the flesh before the Lord comes to us with His judgment to bring us to maturity. For example, Gideon, a symbol of the Lord’s elect, had to be overcome by the flesh (Midianites) before He was given victory over them.

Jdg 6:12  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 
Jdg 6:13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 

Jdg 8:4  And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. 

Jdg 8:7 So Gideon said, “Well then, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” (ESV)

1Sa 4:3  And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. 

In our spiritual poverty, we behave just like the elders of the people of Israel, who do not understand that the Lord has occasioned our defeat by the flesh. Our thinking at that time of our walk was that if only we have the tangible presence of the Lord, signified by the ark with us, we shall be saved from our flesh. The elders of Israel here are a symbol of the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon who have no clue as to what it takes for the Lord to grant us victory over the flesh. This is what it takes to overcome the flesh:

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

The spirit here is the word of the Lord and therefore walking in the spirit is living according to the word of the Lord. As we have been shown in the word, we have to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit and not the letter, which kills. 

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

To be able to walk in the spirit implies that we are able to understand the Lord’s words in the spirit. This is achieved through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh which is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord in the fire.

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 

Walking in the spirit and not fulfilling the desires of the flesh therefore implies that as we are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, our flesh is being judged, and it is through this that we learn righteousness or learn not to fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.  

1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 
1Sa 4:5  And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 

Shiloh represents the church system of this world or Babylon. As indicated, the ark symbolizes the presence of the Lord. The people sending to Shiloh to bring the ark means that it is the church system of this world which seeks to validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. It is important to note the mention of Hophni and Phinehas with the ark of the covenant of God. This is what we know about Hophni and Phinehas from previous studies:

The mention of Hophni and Phinehas as priests of the Lord at that time in Shiloh is to make us aware of the deplorable state of the leaders of the church system of this world which we were ushered into at the beginning of our walk with Christ. This is what the word of the Lord says about Hophni and Phinehas, who were sons of Eli, the high priest:

1Sa 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 

1Sa 2:17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. 

According to Strong, the sons of Eli being referred to as sons of Belial is to show us their deplorable state as they epitomize wickedness. One of the principles of the word of the Lord is the is, was, and will be nature. If at the time of Hannah, the leaders of the church system of her day were sons of wickedness, then it means that the situation today is the same, that is, evil men are in leadership. 

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Mic 3:11  Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the LORD when they say, “After all, the LORD is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.” 
Mic 3:12 Because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple mountain will become a worship site covered with trees. (GW)  

Jer 5:30  A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; 
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? 

Our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world, represented by the physical Jews, require a sign, while the people of this world (Greeks) seek after wisdom. 

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 

The Israelites requesting for the ark means requesting for signs and wonders. What this means is that our brothers and sisters in the church system validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. This is what causes them to be deceived as we shall see in this study.

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

The great shouting that greeted the presence of the ark in the midst of the Israelites is what we see today in the churches of this world as we see great excitement greet the performance of signs and wonders in the midst of the churches of this world.  They think the Lord has come in their midst just as the Israelites thought that the Lord was with them in their battle against the Philistines.

The Capturing of the Ark by the Philistines 

1Sa 4:6  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 
1Sa 4:7  And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 
1Sa 4:8  Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 

To understand these verses, we need to know the relationship of the devil with our flesh which is represented by the Philistines. The devil is the one who influences our flesh. Our flesh is the beast which is empowered by the devil. 

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Verses 6 to 8 show us that the Philistines were afraid and were wondering who shall deliver them from the hands of the mighty Gods, when they heard that the ark of the covenant has come in the midst of the Lord’s people. When Christ comes to us to begin our walk with Him, the power of our flesh is initially subdued. This is what it means for the beast (our flesh) to have a deadly wound. Verses 6 to 8 therefore show us the nervousness of our flesh when Christ comes to us to begin our journey. 

1Sa 4:9  Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 
1Sa 4:10  And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 
1Sa 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Over time, however, our flesh’s deadly wound is healed through the false doctrines propagated by false apostles, parading in the corridors of the churches of this world as the Lord’s elect.

2Co 11:13  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Therefore, we become worse off and are of no match to our flesh. As shown in verse 10, the great slaughter of the Israelites means that we were overwhelmed by our flesh. This scenario is what Apostle Peter described as follows:

2Pe 2:20  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 
2Pe 2:21  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 
2Pe 2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 

It is important to note that the number of Israelites who fell that day amounted to thirty thousand footmen. The number thirty can be broken down as follows:

30,000 = 30x10x10x10. The number thirty on a positive note denotes reigning with Christ as shown in the following verses:

Gen 41:46  Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

On a negative note, the number thirty means the spiritual death of the Lord’s elect. 

Jdg 20:39  the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 

Num 20:29  And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Deu 34:8  And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 

The Philistines’ slaughter of 30,000 men of Israel therefore signifies the fact that as the Lord’ elect, we become spiritually dead in Babylon as our flesh reaches its fullness. 

The ark of the Lord being taken by the Philistines in verse 11 signifies the man of sin or our flesh sitting in our temple or our hearts and minds, claiming himself to be God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

As a result, we profane the name of the Lord among the people of this world during our time in the churches of this world.

Eze 36:20  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 
Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 

The death of the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, who represent the leaders of the church system of this world, is to let us know the spiritual bankruptcy or death of the leaders of the church system of the world or Babylon who are overcome by the flesh. 

Isa 56:9  All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 
Isa 56:10  His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 
Isa 56:11  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 
Isa 56:12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

As shown in Isaiah 56:9, the leaders or the watchmen of the church system of this world are all devoured by the beasts of the field. That is to say that they are all dominated by the flesh which, in our study, is represented by the Philistines’ slaughter of the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. 

The Death of Eli

1Sa 4:12  And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 
1Sa 4:13  And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon 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. 
1Sa 4:14  And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. 
1Sa 4:15  Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 

The man of Benjamin of the army of Israel, who escaped from the battle, rent his clothes and put earth upon his head is a symbol of the Lord’s elect. Rending one’s clothes and putting earth upon one’s head is a symbol of deep mourning and grief. It was a traditional Hebrew custom to express overwhelming sorrow, particularly upon hearing news of death, tragic loss, or national catastrophe.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 

As shown in the Book of Revelation, the Lord’s elect in this age, denoted by the two witnesses, are in a mourning mode as we carry the message of death of our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgment.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The man of Benjamin informing the people of the city about what has happened shows us that in the fullness of time, the Lord’s elect will be given the opportunity to preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon. As we know, a city in the Bible can represent Babylon or the church of the living God. In verse 13, we are shown that all the city was crying out after the message from the man of Benjamin. This means that as we preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon in the fullness of time, they will also mourn just as we are mourning in this age.

In verse 15, we are shown that Eli could not see as his eyes were dim because of his age (ninety eight). Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses which operates in the churches and in the world. When we are under the law of Moses, we cannot see the sons of God and their glorious liberty. 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

1Sa 4:16  And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 
1Sa 4:17  And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 
1Sa 4:18  And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 

What the man from Benjamin told Eli is that he fled from the Philistines and that Eli’s two sons have been killed. He also mentioned that the ark had been captured by the Philistines. As the Lord’s elect, we are overcome by our flesh (the Philistines) before we are given to win the victory over our flesh. As indicated earlier, the ark of God is the presence of the Lord and this presence is in our hearts and minds. The capturing of the ark therefore means that our old man or flesh is the one sitting on the throne of God in our hearts and minds, thinking that he is God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

Immediately he mentioned that the ark had been captured, Eli fell from his seat and in the process, broke his neck and died. As indicated, Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses. The death of Eli means that Samuel is the one to take over the mantle. The death of Eli therefore means that faith has come to us, His elect, and therefore, we are no longer under the law of sin and death, as the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

1Sa 4:19  And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 
1Sa 4:20  And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. 
1Sa 4:21  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 
1Sa 4:22  And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 

Phinehas’ wife denotes the church system of this world or Babylon which is in bondage with her children. Her death shows us that the church system of this world is spiritually bankrupt. 

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

To understand the meaning of the glory departed from Israel, we need to know what the glory of the Lord represents. The first time the word “glory” was used in the Bible, it referred to the wealth of Laban as follows:

Gen 31:1  And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.

The second time glory was used in the Bible, it shows the wealth, the power and authority of Joseph in Egypt.

Gen 45:13  And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

These examples of the use of glory show us that the glory of the Lord has to do with His spiritual wealth, power and authority. Therefore, Phinehas’ wife naming her son Ichabod, which means that the glory is departed from Israel, implies that the children of the harlot woman (the church system of this world or Babylon) shall not be given to know the spiritual riches, power and authority of Christ. In other words, they have not been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

We thank the Lord for this opportunity to know Him in this age. Amen.