The Glory Has Departed - 1 Samuel 4:12-22

In the early 1900s, the explorer Ernest Shackleton set out in his ship called Endurance. I’m sure some of you are familiar with the story. Shackleton was one of the first to explore Antarctica.

And as he and his crew were in Antarctica, their ship, aptly named, Endurance was crushed by ice. So they were forced to abandon ship and eventually rowed in three small lifeboats hundreds of miles away to Elephant Island.

The fact that they had all made it that far was nothing short of astonishing, but Shackleton knew that Elephant Island was uninhabitable and that they would have to eventually have to set sail from there in order for his crew to survive.

So Shackleton left much of his crew on Elephant Island so that he and a few of the strongest sailors set out for South Georgia Island. It was tremendously painful for him to leave his crew behind unsure if any of them would survive.

I share that story because in many ways it reminds me of our passage this morning: When the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines it was understood that God’s glory had departed from Israel.

In the same way it must have felt for Shackleton’s crew on Elephant Island, the people of Israel must have wondered if God’s presence, favor, and glory would ever return?

And so this passage unfolds in three parts: First, we read the devastating news (vv. 12-17), then we read of Eli’s tragic death (vv. 18), and how all of those things pointed to the departure of God’s glory (vv. 19-22).

Last week, we looked at where the Israelites were defeated twice by the Philistines in battle! If you remember, after they lost the first battle they realized that they had forgotten their secret weapon: the ark of the covenant.

And so, they brought the ark of the covenant out for the second battle with the Philistines and things went from bad to worse. The first battle they lost four thousand men, but after their second defeat, they lost thirty thousand men.

Their dependence on the ark reflected their superstitious reliance upon it. They believed power resided in the ark of the covenant rather than God himself.

The Devastating News (vv. 12-17)

But what we just read this morning obviously picks up right where we left off last week. Thirty-thousand Israelites had been killed by the Philistines, but a soldier from the tribe of Benjamin had escaped from the battle with his life.

He ran back to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head which were the standard signs of grief and despair.

Eli, the high priest of Israel is sitting outside the gate of the city anxiously awaiting a report. Notice before the report of what had happened hits the city, we’re told in verse 13 that Eli’s “heart trembled for the ark of God.”

Eli’s primary concern was over the ark. Which is pretty interesting when you consider the fact that his two wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, had carried the ark of the covenant into battle and on top of that, Samuel had prophesied that they would both die on the same day!

You would think that he’d be concerned about his sons, right? You expect the text to say that his heart, “trembled for his sons.” It’s almost as if Eli expected his sons to die in the battle, but he knew what the ark represented!

Remember, the ark of the covenant was that golden box that carried around the two tablets of stone that God had written the ten commandments upon, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and a pot of manna.

On top of the ark of the covenant was the mercy seat, which was where God’s presence dwelt. It was essentially God’s throne. They would carry the ark into battle with them as a reminder that the Lord was their king and that he would lead his people.

Eli understood that if the ark of the covenant didn’t make it back to Shiloh it would likely be a symbolic reflection of God’s presence abandoning his people.

Obviously God is everywhere, he’s omnipresent, but the ark of the covenant was a visual reminder of God’s presence with his people. Which of course, explains Eli’s concern for the ark of the covenant: If God pulled his presence from his people, that wouldn’t just affect his family, it would affect all of Israel.

So, when “all the city cried out” Eli had to have known that something terrible had happened. He was ninety-eight years old and blind, but he wasn’t deaf!

So, Eli asked, “What is this uproar?” because he wanted an update on the ark of the covenant.

Not only does it seem that Eli expected something to have happened to his sons, but it almost seems as if he was expecting something bad to happen to the ark as well! It was almost as if he was anticipating God’s presence to leave Israel!

Why else would he be so worried about the ark of the covenant? But it raises an interesting question: why would God ever pull his presence or pull his glory from his people?

The truth is there are lots of reasons God may remove his glory or presence from his people. Perhaps the Lord wants his people to feel their need for him. Perhaps he is preparing his people for something greater. Or he may be chastising his people over sin. Or it could be a combination of things. The reality is, we don’t always know!

But for this particular passage, I think the top contender for God pulling his glory from his people is grievous, unrepentant sin. Remember, Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas had been stealing the Lord’s portion of sacrifices and engaging in sexual immorality in the tabernacle.

In an ironic twist, two of the most wicked men in all of Israel were responsible for carrying the most holy and sacred object in all of Israel.

Eli was aware of all of this! No wonder, Eli was expecting something bad to happen! After all, he had been turning a blind eye toward the actions of Hophni and Phinehas for years and years and years.

I think it’s fair to say that sin was running rampant through the church and Eli stuck his head in the sand.

I’m sure this is something most of us have experienced at some point or another. You walk into a church and you can immediately tell it’s as spiritually dead as a doornail. There are countless churches even in the Roanoke Valley that fall into this category. They’re just completely spiritual dead. And again, there are lots of reasons for a church to become spiritually dead but you can’t help but wonder if grievous sin was being tolerated. That’s what’s happened in many mainline denominations. The gospel took a backseat to social issues.

When a church becomes increasingly tolerant of sin, we shouldn’t be surprised when God pulls his glory and presence from them.

And of course, I don’t say any of this so we can pat ourselves on the back. I hope this is a wake up call to our church. The Spirit of the living God is not something you and I should take for granted. We must regularly pray that the gospel is faithfully proclaimed and that we’re quick to repent and ask for forgiveness from the Lord and one another.

Sin is frankly an inevitable part of the church, but we honor God in how we respond to sin. Do you remember what David prayed after being caught in his sin with Bathsheba in Psalm 51?

He prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”

The Tragic Death of Eli (v. 18)

It was this very reason Eli was on pins and needles!

He was aware that they were actively leading God’s people in worship while engaging the heinous sin. Eli knew it was only a matter of time before these things caught up with them.

But again, Eli was afraid that God would pull his presence from his people, which is why the events of verses 16-18 are rather shocking.

He asks the young Benjaminite who survived the battle, “How did it go, my son?” 17 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.” 18 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.”

But the Benjaminite confirms all of Eli’s worst fears. Yes, Eli’s sons have died, but the mention of his sons wasn’t what killed him. It was when he mentioned the ark that ultimately killed him.

Verse 18: “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.”

Apparently, Eli was on the S.A.D. diet. Do you all know that acronym? S.A.D. stands for Standard American Diet. Eli was ahead of his times eating a steady diet of processed foods, refined sugars, and too many carbs and packed on more than a few extra pounds. The Scriptures tell us that he was “heavy” but we’d probably say that he was obese.

But in all seriousness, you can’t help but wonder if Eli’s obesity was the result of eating what his sons had stolen from the Lord too. It certainly seems to be within the realm of possibility that his sons would bring him extra meat and he’d eat it without asking any questions. And so when he fell backwards out of his seat all his weight fell on his old, brittle neck and killed him instantly.

Eli’s death is really quite tragic, isn’t it? All we know about Eli’s ministry is how it ends, we don’t know exactly how it began. His ministry very well may have begun with a great deal of optimism and excitement.

But something went terribly wrong along the way. It’s tough to pin down exactly when it went wrong but we know for a fact that turning a blind eye toward his sons’ sinful behavior displeased God. It’s not that Eli was responsible for their sins. He’s responsible for his own sins. And the nameless prophet from 1 Samuel chapter 2 tells Eli exactly what his sin was:

God through the prophet asked Eli, “​​Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’”

Eli’s primary offense against God was that he cared more about pleasing his boys than pleasing God.

This is a difficult subject because we’re called to love our families and to love our children. But that comes with an asterisk beside it. There is a line in the sand that believers cannot cross. And that line is, encouraging, supporting, or participating in the sins of your children.

Eli crossed that line. He supported the sins of his sons by ignoring what they were doing. We sin both by things that we do and things that we fail to do. That’s the difference between sins of commission and sins of omission.

The most loving thing a parent can do for their children is to teach them the good news of Jesus Christ and to have a holy reverence for the Lord! Somewhere along the way, Eli missed that. His sin was one of omission.

And of course, the prophecies from chapter 2 are coming to fruition. God told Eli that he had rejected his house. And now, Hophni, Phinehas, and Eli are all dead.

The Birth of Ichabod: The Departure of Glory (1 Samuel 4:19-22)

So not only have Israel suffered the losses of two terrible battles but with the deaths of Hophni, Phinehas, and Eli, they are effectively leaderless.

Perhaps you noticed that at the end of verse 18 it says that for forty years Eli judged Israel. Which of course, wouldn’t have been a conflict with his title as a high priest. He functioned in both of those roles just as Samuel would. Remember, Samuel is often referred to as Israel’s last judge.

With the death of Eli, there was a massive leadership vacuum in Israel. But even more painful than Israel losing all their leadership on the same day was the fact that the ark, the symbol of God’s presence had been captured.

The capture of the ark would have been understood as a symbol of God’s judgment. God’s glory was leaving Israel. And what’s interesting about all of this is that Phinehas’ wife, a person you wouldn’t necessarily expect, who makes these profound theological connections.

The stress of losing both her husband and father-in-law on the same day forced her suddenly into labor. And it’s as she’s dying in labor she makes these theological connections and gives her son the unusual name Ichabod.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear the name Ichabod immediately I think of the only other place where I’ve ever heard that name: Remember Ichabod Crane from Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?”

If you’ve ever read the story then you probably know that Ichabod Crane was this awkward, goofy, weird guy. In fact, he proposes to a woman named Katrina Van Tassel who refuses to marry him. After he’s rejected by Katrina, he disappears after being chased by the infamous headless horseman. (In case you’re wondering, the story implies the whole headless horseman wasn’t a ghost but a practical joke that another one of Katrina Van Tassel’s suitors played on Ichabod Crane.)

But nevertheless, Ichabod Crane’s name reflects who he is as a character in Irving’s short story. He’s tall, awkward, and goofy much like a crane. The woman he loves rejects him and people are constantly messing with him. No one seems to respect him. Which points to the biblical meaning for the name Ichabod.

The name Ichabod literally means either “no glory,” or “where is the glory?”

Washington Irving named Ichabod Crane, Ichabod because he was a gloryless character in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

But in our text, the name Ichabod isn’t a statement on this newborn baby’s character, rather, the name Ichabod, which means “no glory” or “where is the glory?” is a reflection of the spiritual condition in Israel.

After naming her son Ichabod, she gives an explanation for his name: “The glory has departed from Israel!” In fact, she said, “The glory has departed from Israel!” twice!

Isn’t it interesting that this is what’s on her mind? After all, her husband, Phinehas had died, her father-in-law Eli had just died, and now she too is dying. And as she is about to leave the world and her son is about to enter it she’s thinking about God’s glory.

We’re told in verse 21 that she said, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

And of course, she was right! Israel was now under the boot of their enemies. They suffered two humiliating battles where thousands of men died. Israel’s leadership is also dead, and if those things weren’t bad enough, the ark of the covenant, the very symbol of God’s presence with his people, had been captured.

To Phinehas’ wife’s point: “where was God’s glory?”

In many ways, what we read here reminds me of Ezekiel 10, which is another passage where God’s glory departs from his Israel. And in that passage, the prophet Ezekiel looks up and sees, not just the ark of the covenant, but the entirety of the glory of the Lord departing from his temple.

We’re told in Ezekiel 10:18-19,

“Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out… And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord...”

Again, it was an act of judgment. And the implicit message was leaving his people to their own devices.

Very similar to what we just read! God’s glory had left his people.

If you know the story of Ernest Shackleton then you probably know that after four months he eventually returned to Elephant Island and saved the rest of his crew. It’s one of the most fascinating stories in history because despite the extreme weather and circumstances not a single person from his crew died.

In a similar way, God never permanently abandons his people. He might leave for a season, to call them back to himself, but he is faithful to his covenant promise that he will be our God and we will be his people.

If you know what happens later in 1 Samuel, then you probably know that the ark of the covenant eventually returns. But the ark was always just a symbol for God’s presence.

But the ultimate picture of God’s presence, glory, and love for his people is in Jesus Christ. You have Ichabod, which means “where is God’s glory?” and Emmanuel, which means “God with us.”

It’s what John tells us in John 1, “And the Word [Jesus Christ] became flesh and dwelt [or tabernacled] among us.”

But really this whole passage serves as a warning to us this morning:

When the gospel becomes secondary or a means to an end don’t be surprised when God’s glory departs from his church. And frankly, the same is true for each of us as individuals as well. We shouldn’t be surprised by a season of spiritual drought when everything else in our life has taken precedence over the Lord.

We must always be willing to turn from our sin and trust in Jesus Christ. May we never outgrow the basics of our faith.

Let’s pray together.