December 13, 2025
We know that during the time of the Judges, the Ammonites from the east (18 years) and the Philistines from the west (40 years) came against Israel at the same time and were the last nations to harass and invade Israel.
Jephthah took care of the Ammonites and lead Israel for 6 years. Samson “began to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines,” leading them for 20 years - but he did not completely subdue them.
Some Philistine Phun Phacts:
• The people known as the Philistines originated in the Aegean area of the Mediterranean Sea, known as Caphtor (see Deut. 2:23 and Jer. 47:4).
• The 1st written records regarding them were found in Egypt, where they are described as one of the “sea peoples” who invaded Egypt. After their unsuccessful venture into Egypt, they settled along the coastal plains of what became known as Philistia – “The Land of the Philistines” – later called Palestine by the Greeks.
• The 5 city-states of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza (the Philistine Confederacy) were ruled by Seranim “lords”.
• Their chief god was Dagon (part man part fish). He was worshipped as the source of all prosperity.
• As they expanded their territory, the Philistines soon came into conflict with Israel. Their military organization and use of iron weapons enabled them to occupy parts of the Judean hill country. This occupation would last until the time of Samuel. Their final defeat would not come until the reign of David.
That brings us to 1st Samuel Chapter 4
For the next 3 chapters, Samuel will be absent. Instead, the focus will be on the Ark of the Covenant and the continuing sorry state of God’s chosen people.
Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and lost - 4,000 dead.
Israel could not understand why Yahweh had allowed such a defeat, so decided that the only way to guarantee victory would be to be in possession of the Ark of the Covenant, so men were sent to Shiloh…
After acquiring their “talisman of good-luck” the men returned to camp - Hophni and Phinehas went with them.
When the soldiers saw the Ark, they let out a shout that shook the ground!
When the Philistines learned Israel had brought the Ark with them, they were afraid but quickly rallied, “Take courage and be men, you Philistines, lest you end up serving the Hebrews just like they have served you. Be men and fight!”
The Philistines went out against Israel and Israel lost.... again:
• 30,000-foot soldiers died
• Eli’s sons – Hophni and Phinehas – were killed
• The Ark was captured and taken back to Philistia
Eli - 98 years old and blind – was sitting in his chair beside the road. When he was told of the deaths of his sons and the capture of the Ark, he fell backward off his chair and broke his neck – he had judged Israel for 40 years.
When Phinehas’ wife, who was pregnant, heard the news, she went into labor. Before dying, she named the baby “Ichabod” saying, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."
Psalm 78:53-61 - He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. Thus he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. When God heard them, he was very angry; he rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among men. He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
Jeremiah 7:9-15 - “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, ‘We are safe’ – safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares Yahweh. Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. While you were doing all these things, declares Yahweh, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.”
By taking the Ark into battle the Israelites were guilty of the Sin of Presumption. They were trying to manipulate God into a victory against the Philistines - "Surely with His name on the line, God won’t let us fail" - but God will not be manipulated as demonstrated by the fact that he allowed the Ark to be captured. God wanted a faithful people not a disobedient and rebellious people who only wanted him as a “get-out-of-jail-free” card.
Are we any different I wonder………
As we know, the belief of the time was that the strength/power of a local god was tied directly to victory or loss in war. If your side won – your god was more powerful the god of your enemy.
We should not be surprised then, that after the Philistines took the Ark they went back to Ashdod and placed it in the temple of Dagon.
Philistines win. Israel Loses = Dagon is more powerful than the little god of Israel (from the Philistine perspective).
Even though a first glance would support that belief – the Philistines would quickly learn that things are not always as they appear.
The next morning, they discovered Dagon had fallen over, face to the ground, before the Ark. They put him back up.
The next day, not only had Dagon fallen over, face to the ground, but his head and hands were severed from the rest of his body.
God’s hand was heavy on Ashdod. He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, so, after some consultation, the Ark was moved to Gath.
The same thing happened at Gath, so they sent the Ark to Ekron.
As the Ark was entering the gates of Ekron, the people started backing up…… “No! No! No!! What are you try to do, kill us? We don’t want it. Send it back to where it came from!”
The Ark had been in Philistine territory for just 7 months.
As it turned out the God of Israel didn’t need an army to defeat the Philistines. He defeated them all by Himself in their own territory and in the presence of their own gods.
Because God’s hand had been heavy upon the Philistines, their leaders got some priests and diviners on the line -----
“How do we get rid of this thing?”
Priests: “If you are sending the ark of God back to Israel, you must include a guilt offering. You will be healed and it will become evident why his hand had been lifted from you.”
Leaders: “Spell it out for us.”
Priests:
• You need to make 10 gold representative offerings (5 tumors and 5 mice) of what has ravaged the 5 cities. Give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will remove his hand from you, your gods, and your land. Don't harden your hearts like the Egyptians did. They wouldn't let Israel go until God had ravaged them with dreadful plagues. (Interesting advice coming from pagan priests).
• Build a new cart and put the Ark and the offering chest on it. Find two cows who have calves and have never been yoked. Hitch them to the cart and remove their calves. Release the cows and let them go wherever they want to go. If they go to Israel, we will know it was Yahweh who brought this great disaster upon us. If they don't, we will know that the plague was a simple coincidence.
The cows headed straight for Beth Shemesh in Israel - turning neither to the right or left.
As it turned out, not only did God not need an army to defeat the Philistines, he also did not need an army to retrieve the Ark. All he needed were 2 cows and a cart.
It was wheat harvest. When people of Beth Shemesh saw the Ark coming across the fields, they rejoiced.
Some interesting facts about Beth Shemash:
• It was the nearest border town between Philistia and Israel.
• Its name means “the house or temple of the sun-god Shamash.”
• It was one of the designated towns given to the descendants of Aaron (see Joshua 21:13-16).
The cows stopped in the field of Joshua next to a big rock.
The people chopped up the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh.
The Levites took the Ark and the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the rock.
The 5 rulers of the Philistines witnessed this and returned to Ekron.
There was great rejoicing in Beth Shemesh, but it a minute, the Ark would become as dangerous to the Israelites as it had been to the Philistines.
There were instructions related to the handling of the Ark – specifically, only members of the Kohathite clan were allowed to carry the Ark, but they were not allowed to see it. It was to be covered by the priests before being moved via its poles. No person ever physically touched the Ark or looked inside (Numbers 3:27-32; 4:4-20).
On this occasion, however, some of the men of Beth Shemesh chose to look inside the Ark - 70 died on the spot…
Once again, the actions of the Israelites demonstrate just how far removed they were from an understanding of God’s holiness, his expectations and that their choices had consequences.
The people responded in much the same way the Philistines had responded to God’s judgments, " The Ark has to go."
A call was placed to the mayor of Kiriath-Jearim, “The Philistines have returned the Ark. Come and get it.”
The Ark was taken to Abinadab’s house on the hill. His son, Eleazar, was consecrated as the guardian of the Ark and it resided in his home for 20 years.
All the people mourned and sought after Yahweh – revealing to us that they were still in the spin of disobedience-oppression and crying.
Samuel: “If you are really returning to Yahweh with all your hearts, remove the foreign gods and Ashtoreth from your midst. Commit your hearts to Yahweh and serve him alone. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
The sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtoreth and served only Yahweh.
Samuel: “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
The people gathered at Mizpah, fasted and poured out water before Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against Yahweh.”
When the Philistines got wind that all Israel was gathered at Mizpah, they decided to attack them.
This time Israel sought God’s direction and intervention.
1 Samuel 7:9 - Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. He cried out to Yahweh on Israel's behalf, and Yahweh answered him.
As the Philistines drew near, God thundered against them, sending them into confusion. Israel pursued them and defeated them as far as Beth-car.
What this story also reveals is that, in spite of all his people’s unfaithfulness, God remained faithful and was ready to forgive and deliver.
1 Samuel 7:12-14 - Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines. The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Until Next Time…………………
