1 Samuel Chapter 4 and 5 Chronological Bible Study of David Continued Post 6

1 Samuel Chapter 4: 12 opens with a man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle line to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and dirty and dirt on his head.  He told Eli what had happened and Eli fell backwards off his seat and broke his neck and died.  This is the start of the fulfilling of prophecy Samuel had been told by God in a vision.  Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas was pregnant and about to give birth.  She died soon after child birth but lived long enough to name her son "Icabod" which means "The glory has departed from Israel!"

Chapter 5 opens with the Philistines relishing in their great victory which included the capturing of the "Ark of the Covenant"; they took the "Ark" from Ebenezer to Ashdod.  Ashdod was one of the 5 City States that made up the nation of the Philistines.  The Philistines brought the "Ark of the Lord", into the Temple of their god "Dagon".  Dagon was a merman idol and the god of the Philistines.  When the priests came into the temple of Dagon the next morning, they found Dagon had fallen on his face on the ground before the "Ark of the Lord".  Dagon had his head and both his hands separated from his trunk.

The hand of the lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.  Think what has just happened.  The Philistines had captured the Israel's "Ark of the Lord", brought it into the Temple of their god Dagon, and their god had bowed in front of the "Ark".  The Lord will not be mocked, and for this reason, asserted his awesome power before not only their god, but also on the people themselves, by inflicting tumors on them, not only in the city but in the outlining area surrounding Ashdod.  The people were begging their leaders for relief from this scourge.  They decided to take it to Gath, another of the 5 City States.  The same thing happened there as in Ashdod.  They sent it from Gath to Ekron, another of the 5 City States.  When the same thing happened there, they decided they could not keep it.  But what to do?  How can we rid ourselves of this "Ark", without the Israelites taking our lives.  The Philistines reasoned that they must return the "Ark", but how? 

This is quite a development, they were the victors, but the God of the Israelites, was cheapening their victory.  Causing fear and pestilence throughout their country.  The cries from the people could not be ignored.  They would have to do something, but what??