Lessons from Israel's Defeat: Superstition vs. Seeking God

When Bad Things Happen: Lessons from 1 Samuel 4

What is our response when bad things happen to us? When we have what some would call, a run of bad luck, what do we do? In 1 Samuel 4 the Israelites definitely experienced some bad luck. They lost a terrible battle against the Philistines where 4,000 of their soldiers died (1 Samuel 4:2). Our response to bad things happening should be to seek God, but sadly the Israelites decided to take matters into their own hands. This was a mistake. There are important lessons from Israel's defeat for us today.

Who Were the Philistines? Understanding Israel's Enemy

The Philistines were a group of people who lived on or near the western coast of Israel. They had superior iron weapons. Pagans, their primary god was Dagon, often depicted as a half man and half fish god of nature. But the greater problem in this story is not who the Philistines were, but who Israel had become.

Israel's Spiritual Decline Under Corrupt Leadership

The Israelites, under Eli's corrupt priestly sons, Hophni and Phinehas, desecrated their sacrifices to God, committed adultery with women at the entrance to the Tabernacle, and showed a general lack of respect for the commandments of God (1 Samuel 2:12–17, 22–25). During this time there were almost no revelations from God and they began to treat the Ark of the Covenant superstitiously, as though it in itself had the power and not God.

Superstition Instead of Obedience: Bringing the Ark into Battle

The people of Israel seemed unable to comprehend how God could allow their defeat. In response to their great loss they had an idea. They would take the Ark into battle with them. Surely they would be successful in battle if it was there, as though God’s presence could be used rather than obeyed. It is interesting to note that foreign armies, like the Philistines, frequently went into battle with images of their gods believing it would bring them success.

This was not the first time the Ark had been brought into battle. Moses had done this in ages past, Joshua marched around Jericho with the Ark leading the way, and in the future both King Saul and King David would also. What was different this time was that God had not told the Israelites to do it. The Israelites took it upon themselves to bring the Ark into battle.

Presumption Without Repentance: The Danger of Empty Religion

They took the easy way out. No obedience, no real commitment, and basically no real faith. Just, hey, how about we do what our ancestors did? It worked for them, it should work for us. God won't let us look bad because that would make Him look bad, right? They will learn to rely on God instead of themselves.

They didn't prepare their hearts. There was no repentance for their sins or seeking after the will of God. What there was was a show, a performance, a pretense of religion that in actuality was relying on a symbol of God instead of faith and trust in God. What began as a misunderstanding of God soon hardened into empty religious performance and finally revealed itself in loud confidence without obedience. This same temptation did not end with ancient Israel; it quietly follows every generation of believers.

And so the question comes back to us today, as it always does when outward religion replaces humble obedience. Do we pretend to believe in God, pretend repentance or pretend to seek His will? We can perform all the religious acts we can think of, but without a true heart for His will they will not save us. They knew the old stories of God preserving them in battle and thought God would have to preserve them again, if only for the sake of His Ark.

Loud Praise but No True Heart

When the Ark was brought into the camp their excited shouts made the ground tremble (1 Samuel 4:5). No matter how loud our praise may be to God, He knows if it comes from a humble and righteous heart. Sometimes our silence in worship can be more holy than any amount of clapping and loud praise. We can loudly proclaim we love God but our actions will tell the truth.

Even Pagans Showed Courage: A Challenge to Modern Believers

When the Philistines saw what was happening they were afraid. They had heard stories of the Israelite God defeating the Egyptians. Even these heathen foreigners knew He was mighty. They knew it but still didn't submit to Him. Is this us, do we know our God is mighty to save and yet refuse to kneel in submission to Him? Knowing who God is should not lead only to fear, but to courage shaped by obedience.

The Philistines encouraged one another to be brave and act like men (1 Samuel 4:9)! Here is the stinging irony: pagan warriors showed more resolve in their false beliefs than God’s own people did in the truth. As Christians today we should do no less than the pagan Philistines. Whenever we face challenges as Christians we should also do so with courage. As Christians in the world today are we "acting like men," being brave, and showing courage before a world that hates us? We are also called to encourage each other to do good, so as to defeat evil.

Defeat and Disaster: The Ark of the Covenant Captured

What the Israelites did not realize was that God cannot be manipulated. We can't force God's hand to do our bidding. And so, they entered another battle with the Philistines, this time with the Ark leading the way. To their horror, not only did they lose the battle even worse than before with 30,000 men falling to the Philistines, but the Ark of the Covenant itself was carried off by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:10-11). But how, they probably thought, how could God allow this defeat?

Aren't we the same? When things don't go our way we try to reason out why. Why didn't things go the way we believed they should. But we reason with our own understanding. As the Bible says, "There is a way that seems right to man but it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12). It was too hard for them to admit they were the ones who failed, not God.

God's glory as seen in the Ark was now gone, but God's glory in the lives of His people had already left because of their unfaithfulness (1 Samuel 4:21-22). Eli's sons, the unrepentant priests were killed during the battle, and Eli himself died upon hearing the news that the Ark was in the hands of the Philistines. But God would use this event to His glory.

God's Triumph Over Dagon: Judgment on the Philistines

In 1 Samuel 5 we discover that the Philistines took the Ark to Ashdod and placed it in the temple of their god, Dagon. It would have been very entertaining to see their faces the next day when they found their fish god lying prostrate on the ground before the Ark. They rushed to place Dagon upright again only, to their dismay, to find him the next day face down again. But this time with his head and hands broken off and only his torso remaining in tact (1 Samuel 5:3-4). Our God has a sense of humor!

God caused the people of Ashdod to break out in terrible tumors. They begged for the Ark to go somewhere else, but in every town it went to the plague of tumors followed. Rats apparently infested them as well (1 Samuel 5:6-12). Finally, after seven long months, the Philistines gave up and returned the Ark to the Israelites (1 Samuel 6:1). With it they brought a gold offering, models of the tumors and rats that they had been cursed with.

Repentance and Renewal: Israel's Return to God

Eventually the people of Israel repented and turned back to the real one true God (1 Samuel 7:2-4). But as we read through the Old Testament, sadly we see this pattern repeated time again. A faithful people become a faithless people who eventually return to their ever faithful God. This pattern we often see in our own lives.

But oh the pain and suffering they caused themselves along the way, as do we. Decisions that could have been made in the will of God were too often made in man's will. The pain that these poor choices caused could so easily have been avoided if first they had turned to Him in humble submission.

Lessons from Israel's Defeat: True Faith Over Performance

The lessons from Israel's defeat teach us that our faith is in God, not in physical things that appear holy to us. We learn the importance of seeking God's will instead of our own. And we learn when we fail to do what He wants us to do there, will be consequences of our decisions. That lesson is not only historical; it applies just as much to us today.

So what will we do with these lessons? Each of us must tear down any idols we have made in our hearts. Do we put ourselves, hobbies, families or jobs God? Are you desperate for Jesus and His will? When things don't go as we hoped in our lives, when we experience what the world would call bad luck, seek God's face with repentance and humility. When we kneel before Him He will give us the desires of our heart, for His desires will be ours (Psalm 37:4).