There Went The Judge

Then the one who brought the news replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken."  When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years. (1 Samuel 4:17-18 NASB)

Eli was the high priest from Aaron's line.  He was condemned by God for honoring his sons above God, and received two prophecies regarding the demise of his family and their place before God as priests.  It was happening.  His sons were dead, struck down in battle while carrying the Ark of the Covenant.  I thought it was interesting that, as the prophecy comes to pass, Eli dies over the Ark rather than his sons.

The charge by God against Eli had to do with his parenting of his sons, and how that parenting was debasing the priesthood and Israel's worship.  His bad choices were affecting Israel's devotion to God.  Not many parents have that much riding on their parenting, but there are several noted in Scripture.  Ironically it seems they are mentioned at major junctures in Israel's history.  Here the temple/tabernacle is destroyed, never to be rebuilt until Solomon.

But that Eli responds this way to the news of the Ark, his concern for it as he waits for news, indicates something unexpected of his heart.  If he honored his sons above God, then the news of their death would have struck him more than the loss of the Ark.  Yet it is the Ark's loss that moves him to fall over backward, and terminally break his neck.

There are a few possibilities about this, like it is his "job" at the temple that concerns him.  I doubt this.  It could be that he thought God was really with or in the gold box.  Likely, but not required since he also knew the box wasn't God and God didn't follow it around like a puppy.  It may be that he thought that the loss of the Ark signaled the removal of God's election from Israel.  While this is possible, I suspect that Samuel's work as a prophet was enough proof that the Ark was not the determining factor.

Instead, I think that what it was about the loss that killed Eli over the loss of his sons was the removal of God's presence from among His people.  I don't think it was the election of Israel, to whatever degree he understood that.  I don't think it was the "capture" of God, which I don't think anyone seriously thought possible.  I think Eli thought he had caused the presence of God to be removed from among his people.

The death of his sons had been predicted, he had been told twice.  Their death was no surprise.  The loss of the Ark of the Covenant was the summation of his fears when it left the shrine at Shiloh.  He knew he had caused the end of his line, but had he also caused the loss of the presence of God from among his people?  He sat by the road and fretted over that (or that's my opinion, how I imagine it).

The Ark of the Covenant was the symbol of the presence of God among His people.  While, over the years, this symbol had resided in Shiloh, God's presence had been assured, although never really mentioned in all of the period of the Judges until here.  It's odd that such an important object with so much importance and meaning was given so little ink during such dark times for Israel.  Regardless of the reason (and there are several historical perspectives on the reason why), the result is that the inspiration of the Master that we do have leaves it out.

Consider then the setting of the high priest presiding over the worship of the chosen people of God, and yet a word from God was rare, precious, scarce.  Prophets are unheard of, so where is God?  It makes the job of high priest and priest and Levite rather bland and colorless.  There is no word from God, only the practice of death, blood, fire, and repetition.  How does the "show bread" taste after years of eating it without a word from the One having appointed it?  It almost seems pointless. 

But they had the box, and that meant God was still there, enthroned above the Chrubim.  He had chosen Israel as His people, but He had also chosen to abide among them.  So, pointless as it may have seemed, Eli could have found purpose and comfort knowing that the Ark was still among the people of God. 

Now this isn't required.  Samuel was still a prophet, and God was clearly with Samuel, Ark or not.  But Eli isn't looking at or for Samuel, he's looking for the gold box.  So what's my point?  After judging Israel 40 years, leading them in worship, ministering before God, Eli focuses on the box.  He put all his hopes in there.  Sure it symbolized the presence of God among His people, but it was symbol, not the presence.  It had become an Idol.  This judge of Israel had become one through whom God would not speak, his heart was focused too low.

Where's my focus?  Where's my hope and design?  What do I see as my purpose?  Where is my Master located within my life?  Am I bound up in myself, my family, my church?  These are all important (not necessarily in that order though).  Am I bound up in my Master?  Is my focus on my relationship with Him rather than with others here (including myself)?  Would the loss of my church, my daughter, my wife, or even my own life be the end of me? 

I don't think the loss of my church would be crushing.  It would hurt, and I would grieve; but I would live.  The loss of my family would be devastating, and I have no idea what recovery, if it came, would look like.  That would be life-changing.  I like to think that I could sacrifice myself for others more easily than I could defend myself, so that wouldn't be the most fearful thing for me.  I don't think that loss of any of these things could do away with me.  But that isn't all there is to me.  What is my gold box?  What is yours?