College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
1 Samuel 4:19-22
Sadness in Israel. 1 Samuel 4:19-22
19 And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas-' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the woman that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast borne a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the Ark of God is taken.
15.
What is the meaning of the word Ichabod? 1 Samuel 4:21
The real meaning of the word is, where is the glory. It is also translated there is no glory. Phinehas-' wife knew that the glory of Israel was gone when the Ark was captured. We can rest assured that the glory of God's people is gone whenever they turn their backs on Him. This is the sad story of many individual lives, many churches and many Christian schools. They have forsaken their first love. The glory of God has departed from them because they have departed from God.
16.
What was the fundamental error in taking the Ark into the battle?
It was the error of idolatry. Simply because of the fact that the Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy of Holies, and because it had been with the children of Israel in the wanderings of the wilderness and had preserved them, seemingly, these people thought that the Power was in the chest covered with gold, when the strength was in the Lord, who had caused the great deliverance and even commanded the making of the Ark.
It is just the same now, when we take merely a historical Christ outside us for our Redeemer. If we had not Christ, we could never stand. For there is no help in heaven and on earth beside Him. But if we have Him in no other way than merely without us and under us, if we only preach about Him, teach, hear, read, talk, discuss, and dispute about Him, He will no more help us than the Ark helped the Israelites.