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April 15, 2025 15 mins

In this Bible Story, Israel is defeated at the hands of the Philistines. Israel summoned the ark of the covenant to the battle field, but the Philistines defeated them and took the ark, and all of Israel mourned the loss of the ark.This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 4. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 4:22 from the King James Version.

Episode 76: The wisdom and closeness to God of Samuel brought comfort to the people. But on the outskirts, the Philistines were plotting an attack against Israel. After losing the first battle, the elders of Israel remembered the battles fought during the time of Joshua and brought the Ark of God onto the battlefield. God was not for this plan and Israel lost both the battle and the Ark. When the news came to Eli the priest that his sons were dead, and the Ark had been lost, he succumbed to his grief and died. But we can still take hope because our God is not a weak and worthless God, and He cannot be captured by men as the Philistines will soon learn.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham

Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and she said, the glory is departed
from Israel, for the ark of God is taken first
Samuel four twenty two. Lord, through the power of this text,
I can see the message that you are speaking to me.
I will not allow myself to become complaisant and smug

(00:23):
in the calling that you entrusted me with. When your
hand of provisions sweeps over into my life, I will
make sure to mind my duties and stay committed and
faithful to the task you have called me to accomplish.
I will remain alert in my life and in my calling,
so that the spirit of familiarity that Hofni and Phineas

(00:45):
had for your ark and your presence won't rest on me.
I confess that your presence is my priority. In the
midst of battles and circumstances, I will not abandon your presence.
I will not allow the enemy to separate me from
you and your covering. When you are with me, no

(01:07):
opposition can stand against me, because where you are, victory
is today. I will cherish and protect my walk with you, Lord,
because I know that with you by my side, I
am covered on all sides. In Jesus's name, Amen. Listening

(01:32):
to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue
hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in
a Year, brought to you by Bible in a Year
dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
The Philistines defeat Israel. In our last story, we learned
about the rise of Samuel. In contrast to Eli's sons,
Samuel was attentive to the voice of God. He served
the Lord and his people selflessly, and was chosen by
God to guide Israel in a period of darkness and uncertainty.

(02:14):
In this story, we learn about the Philistines re emerging
as a threat to Israel. They take Israel's most prized possession,
the Ark of the Covenant. The Philistines quickly learned that
even though the Israelites are weak, their God is not
to be trifled with. Inspired by the Book of First Samuel.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In our last reading, we
heard the story of how Hannah prayed for a child
and promised God to give her son back to him
to serve God his whole life. God granted Hannah's request
as she gave birth to Samuel. When Samuel was old enough,

(02:56):
Hannah took him to Eli the priest to raise him
in the temple as a servant of the Lord. Samuel
grew up knowing God and serving him unlike Eli's own son,
And when he was still young, God spoke to Samuel,
telling him that a new priesthood would be established. Samuel
was to be God's chosen man to lead Israel in
a whole new era. Today, we'll see a familiar foe

(03:20):
rising up against Israel. The Philistines are once again a thorn,
a terrible pain in the side of Israel. Israel will
call upon God's presence, taking the Ark of the Covenant
into battle, but it will be carried by Eli's sons,
and we'll see how God's judgment against these two wicked
men would cost the entire nation dearly and lead to

(03:41):
the loss of their most sacred symbol. Let's listen now
to today's reading.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
The guidance of Samuel comforted the children of Israel. His
wisdom and closeness to God brought them great relief, for
they had been far from God for too long. His
words brought life, and the light of God's love was
slowly replacing the shadows that hovered over their hearts. Yet
a darkness was still present on the outskirts of Israel.

(04:09):
Miles away. The horde of Philistines lurked in the shadows
like a pack of wolves. They waited patiently for the
perfect moment to strike the sheep of Israel. The Philistines
approached the wilderness outside Israel and postured themselves in provocation.
Israel accepted their challenge and marched as one army against

(04:30):
the Philistine menace. Israel camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines
camped a little ways away at Aphek. Like tidal waves
against a lost ship, the Philistines crashed upon the armies
of Israel. The battle spread in many directions, and Israel
was tossed to and fro. Four thousand Israelite soldiers were crushed, staffed,

(04:52):
and strangled under the hot Middle Eastern sun. Israel ran
for their lives, retreating back to a safe place to stratagize.
The Israelite elders writhed, dumbfounded that they would be defeated
so easily. Why has God done this? They shouted. Then
the elders remembered the stories of old how Joshua brought

(05:12):
forth the Ark of the Covenant before the Jordan River
and the walls of Jericho. They smiled and spoke again, saying,
we must bring forth the Ark of the Covenant. If
God is before us, we shall have power over our enemies.
The elder's intentions were pure and their ideas were sound,
yet they overlooked the most important detail of all. The

(05:35):
sons of Eli were in charge of the ark. The
two wicked priests, half Nigh in Phineas were the overseers
of the Ark of the Covenant, and God had vowed
to destroy them for their wickedness. Ram's horns sounded in
the distance. The beaten up soldiers of Israel poked their
heads out of their tents. In the distance, the Ark

(05:56):
of the Covenant was being brought into the camp. Chills
of hope crawled up their spines. A new song was
sung that day among the children of Israel. They sang
and shouted to God, knowing that he would deliver them
as he had hundreds of times before. Half Nigh and
Phineas puffed their chests up with pride as they heard
the cheers of the soldiers. They craved the attention, even

(06:20):
though the worship was directed towards God. They soaked up
the praises of his people. As soon as the Ark arrived,
Israel's shouts resounded like an earthquake across the land. The
Philistines could hear their battle cries and quivered with fear.
They had caught word that the Ark of the Covenant
had made its way into camp. The Philistines were no fools.

(06:41):
They knew what God had done to the Egyptians. They
had been told stories of their gods splitting seas and
crushing armies. They understood, perhaps more than Israel, what it
truly meant to fear God. Their God will strike us
down by fire or plague. Some of them shouted, we
have never faced a threat like this. We are doomed.
More of them, exclaimed One commander of the Philistine army

(07:04):
stood tall among them and shouted, take heart, oh Philistines,
do you wish to become slaves to the Hebrews as
they have been to us. He raised his spear high
in the air and shouted, be men and fight. The
Philistine horde erupted in screams of war and bloodthirst. Without hesitation,
they descended upon Israel like a tempest, the Philistines showed

(07:28):
no mercy. They tore men apart, limb from limb. Complete
chaos ensued across the Israelite army in camp. Every man
retreated to protect himself, and mighty warriors begged for mercy
under the sword of the Philistines. Half Nigh and Phineas
were in their tent eating when the Philistines attacked. It
was their responsibility to protect the Ark of the Covenant. However,

(07:51):
when the Philistines stormed the camp, the two priests gathered
their belongings and abandoned the Ark. They ran for their lives,
leaving the people behind them. Their lungs heaved as they
ran with their fattened bodies, for they continually gorged themselves
on the temple's food. They were immediately knocked to the
ground by two Philistine soldiers. Fumbling around in the dirt,

(08:14):
the two brothers had no time to collect their thoughts
before an axe was lodged into their skulls by the
hand of the Philistines. God fulfilled his promise to rid
Israel of their selfish and wicked priests. The Philistines looked
upon the abandoned Ark of the Covenant They laughed and
drug it back to their camp over the dead bodies

(08:34):
of fallen Hebrews. The represented and manifest presence of God
was being taken back to the Philistine camp, something they
believed to be a victory. Yet God cannot be captured. No,
the Philistines would live to regret ever touching a single
finger on the sacred relic of God. Unlike Israel, God
can fight his own battles. A Benjamite boy ran for

(08:57):
his life from the slaughter. Dirt and blod ud caked
his face, and his clothes were torn to expose his
wounded and bloodied body. Eli sat beside the road a
few miles away from battle, listening to the cries of
his people. Eli was ninety eight years old and his
body trembled constantly. He wept for his fallen brothers and
wondered about his son's safety. Eli spotted the Benjamite boy

(09:21):
hobbling his way towards the city to warn the people.
What is this uproar coming from the battlefield, Eli asked.
The Benjamite could barely see straight. Gasping for air, he
managed to recount the battle to Eli with great anguish.
He said, Israel has fallen to the Philistines. All have
fled in different directions. Your sons half Nigh and Phineas

(09:45):
have been slain, and the Ark of the Covenant has
been stolen. Eli clutched his heart upon hearing the news.
His eyes rolled back, and he stumbled backwards and fell
by the side of the gate. His neck fell on
a curb, and ap Eli not too long after his
sons perished. He had judged and ministered over Israel for

(10:07):
forty years. Israel had lost over thirty five thousand soldiers,
their priests, and the Ark of the Covenant. The hope
that once caused them to cheer was replaced with fear
and panic. In many ways, they felt as though God
was taken captive. Yet God is captive to no army,

(10:27):
nor is he confined to a relic. The Philistines would
soon learn to not trifle with the God of Israel,
and the Hebrews would behold God's sufficiency and power.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
Will we begin today's reading. Samuel is already a leader
in Israel. His closeness with God has established him as
a trusted voice for God among the people. Israel has
been distant from God now for many years, but now
under Samuel's leadership, they are turning back the Lord. Still
there is danger lurking enemies intent on defeating God's people,

(11:06):
and one of those is a familiar foe, the Philistines.
The two clash in battle and Israel is defeated by
the Philistines. They run to safety, but only after four
thousand Israelite soldiers die. The elders of Israel, of course,
are wondering why God allowed this terrible defeat. Then they

(11:27):
remembered their stories how God went with Joshua into battle,
handing him victory after victory. So in First Samuel four
to three they say, let us bring the ark of
the Covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it
may come among us and save us from the power
of our enemies. They knew they absolutely needed God in
this fight. It, of course, is a reminder for us

(11:49):
today that the battle is always the Lord's. We do
not face our battles alone. God has promised us victory
in our Lord, Jesus Christ, so he is our weapon,
is our defender. The elder's hearts were in the right place.
They wanted God's presence, but there was a huge problem.
Eli's sons Hofni and Phidias were in charge of the Ark,

(12:12):
and they brought and carried this ark into battle. The
mere sight of the ark filled the troops with excitement,
and they shouted loudly. When the Philistines discovered the Ark
was with Israel, they knew this battle would be different.
There was now a divine force with Israel. But they
didn't retreat. They only fought more fiercely, determined not to

(12:33):
be conquered by the Hebrews, and once again they came
out victorious, sending terrified Israeli's scurrying in fear. But Hofni
and Phineas, along with thirty thousand soldiers, were killed, just
as God had told Samuel Eli's sons were wiped off
the face of the earth and punished for their blasphemy.

(12:54):
One thing we can always know, God will execute his
judgment when necessary. These two men had abused and misused
their position. They had disrespected God and refused to change
their hearts in repentance, so God dealt forcefully with their sin. Tragically,
their sins cost an entire nation, as Israel fell to

(13:17):
the Philistines in this battle. Despite the presence of the Ark.
Unresolved unrepented of sin always has consequences, and God did
not give victory to his people on that day because
of the sins of Eli the priest's sons. The Philistines
rejoiced in victory, and when they saw the Ark abandoned
on the battlefield, they took it as a prize because

(13:39):
they wanted a divine presence with them. But God will
not be used like that, and when unholy hands tried
to weaponize God's power for their own benefit, they will
pay a heavy price. The Philistines would soon discover just
how high that price would be. When Eli heard of
the defeat of Israel and the fate of his sons,

(14:01):
he fell out of his seat and broke his neck.
God's words to Samuel came true that day to Israel,
God's glory had departed from them. The glory had departed
the word is Ichabod. But God was not done with
his people. And the next time we'll hear how the
Ark returns to Israel. Dear God, first of all, we

(14:24):
turn from our sins and trust in you. We thank
you for the cross where you died for us, and
for the resurrection. May we live in the power of
Jesus and his resurrection. We know that we never, in Christ,
fight our battles alone. May we always look to You
and trust in You and experience a closest to You

(14:45):
and therefore victory in Jesus. And it is in his
name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to
today's Bible of the Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas,
and you can download the prey dot com and make
prayer the priority of your life. It is our prayer
that you would know Jesus Christ in a personal way.

(15:07):
Jesus and knowing him is the key to understanding the Bible.
Jesus is on every page in the pathway of Scripture,
so I pray that you would know him and look
to Him for eternal life. As we see all of
these stories, some of them very sordid, we realize just
how desperately we all need the Lord. So invite Christ

(15:30):
into your life and receive Him as your Lord and savior.
I would also encourage you to download thepray dot com
app and let others know about this podcast. And if
you want more resources on how to know God and
experience his presence in your life, be sure to visit
Jack Graham dot org. God bless you,
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