1 Samuel 4:12 says, 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. After the defeat of the army of Israel and the capturing of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines, a survivor came to Eli to tell him the news, including the fact that his two sons had been killed I would assume. When something terrible happens to us today as Christians, we need to go to God with our concerns, though we don't have to go to a priest as they did in those days. Verse thirteen adds, 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. Eli was sitting on a seat by the wayside watching when the man came to him, because he was concerned about the Ark of the Covenant. When the man told the people what had happened, the whole city cried out. If we see something bad happening in the church today, we need to cry out to God about it. Verse fourteen continues, 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. When Eli heard the noise of the people crying out, he asked what it was about, and evidently this was when he was told, though we are earlier told that the man ran to him. This is a clarification and not a contradiction though. Since Eli sat at the gate, the man had inadvertently passed him by and told the people of Shiloh first. Verse fifteen states, Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. Eli was ninety-eight at this time and nearly blind. This might have contributed to his allowing his sons to do what they did with the Ark of the Covenant, but he was still the high priest. Our age and infirmities should never be used as an excuse to keep us from doing what God has called us to do. Verse sixteen adds, 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? The man told Eli that he was from the army of Israel and had fled from the battle. Eli then asked him what had happened. If we are to effectively serve God, we must do so based on the truth of any situation we find ourselves in. Verse seventeen continues, 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. The man shared the bad news with Eli. Verse eighteen declares, 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. When Eli heard the news about the Ark of the Covenant, he fell off the wall, broke his neck and died. He had judged Israel for forty years at this time, and now he and his sons were all dead, but it was the loss of the Ark of the Covenant that distressed Eli most. Also, though the Ark of the Covenant was soon returned to Israel , it never returned to Shiloh. We should be more upset by God's will not being done or being perverted today than we are by any worldly thing that happens. Verse nineteen adds, 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. Phinehas wife was pregnant at that time, and when she heard about Phinehas and Eli, she had her child but she herself died. Matthew Henry says she was a woman with a very tender spirit and the news was too much for her to bear, especially while giving birth. Sometimes, it may seem that life is just too much for us to bear, but if we are truly a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit will always give us the strength to carry on. Verse twenty continues, 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. The woman with her during the birth told Phinehas's wife that she had a son, but she never heard her. Sometimes, good news may come too late for us to hear it, but it is still good news. Verse twenty-one says, 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. The woman had gave the child the name Ichabod, which meant the glory is departed from Israel. He by fact of his name would be a memorial to what had happened to Israel. Though I don't believe that we should do it by the naming of our children, I believe that we should always remember what God has been doing in our lives as His people, especially if we have allowed ourselves to be defeated in the battle against sin and evil because we have put our faith more in the things of the world than in God Himself. Verse twenty-two adds, And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. This verse is just a restatement of the meaning of the son's name.
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