Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

-14 `stant Eli heard a dreadful shriek and lamentation in the city. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What [meaneth] the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli; they speedily brought the man to give him a circum15 stantial account. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see; he could not see the sadness of their countenances, but only hear their cries and lamen16 tations. And the man said unto Eli, I [am] he that came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army; I have been an eye witness of the battle, and bring you the speediest intelligence. 17 And he said, What is there done, my son? And the messen. ⚫ger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and

there hath been also a great slaughter among the people ; and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the 18 worst of all is, the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, it struck Eli to the heart, so that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy, and therefore the less able to help himself.

And he had judged Israel forty years. And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, a pious woman, and of a tender spirit, 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; from the fright occasioned by these 20 ill tidings she fell into labour, And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not for thou hast borne a son; they thought these tidings would comfort her! ! But she answered not, neither did she regard [ity] so much was 21 she overcome with grief and sorrow; And, having recovered vå

little strength, she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory seis departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, 22 and because of her father in law and her husband. :: And sha

said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is Ostaken. Alas for the glory! The loss of the ark oppressed her kopious mind, more than her personal and domestic troubles, sive prog

[ocr errors]

1.

IT

[ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors]

T is not uncommon for men to pay a superstitious regard to sacred things and ceremonial observances, while they neglect moral duties. These men had a great reverence for the ark; they thought it would do wonders for them, and that there was no danger now that was come. Thus in the present day, men boast of their external privileges, and trust to the rites and cere. monies of religion, while by their sins they are displeasing God, and drawing down ruin upon themselves. They think they shall be saved by a fiery zeal for these things; while humility, piety, and charity are neglected: but the instance before us shows that

such expectations will disappoint them. The ark was never design. ed to be a sanctuary for impenitent sinners. The outside of religion will never save those who are strangers to the soul and substance of it. Let us be cautious then, not to rest in a form of godliness, while we are destitute of the power of it. There are many who have eaten and drank in Christ's presence, to whom he will say, I never knew you, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity,

2. Pious souls lay the concerns of God's church very near their hearts, and are deeply affected with its danger and calamities. This was the case with Eli and his daughter in law; his heart trembled for the ark. Good people are more concerned for the interests of the church, than their own private and secular affairs; they esteem the welfare of Jerusalem as their chief joy; cultivate a public spirit; and their hearts take the alarm when they see ini quity abound. Let us show our concern, by earnest prayer and vigorous endeavours, to stand in the breach, to appear on the Lord's side, in support of his cause and interest in the world, vody

[ocr errors]

3. We learn that God's ordinances and presence are the glory of a nation; and to lose them is the greatest loss it can possibly sustain. The ark was the symbol of God's presence, a token of his favour to Israel, and that he dwelt among them. When they lost that, their glory was gone If a nation provoke God to withdraw from them, to take his ordinances away, to remove his candlestick from them, nothing can be more dreadful, And have we no rea son to fear this should be the case with cour nation Are not the gospel and its ordinances despised? Have not we too many profane priests? Have we not much superstition, and but little devotion? Have we no reason to fear lest God should write upon us, Ichabod, your glory is departed? Woe to them from whom God departs! When he goes, the glory goes; and all good things go with him. We have reason to fear lest he should say to his ministers, as he did to Jeremiah concerning Shiloh, ch. vii. 12-16. Gorye now unto my plate which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first," and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early, and speaking, but ye heard not and I called you, but ye answered not; therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name ; wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh, and I will Cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me, for I will not hear thee

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]

CHAP. V.

When the ark was taken, one would have thought the Israelites would have attempted to regain it, and lose any thing rather than be de prived of it; but they had lost all their zeal and courage, therefore God does it himself; showing Israel that the ark could defend itself, and triumph over Dagon, the god of the Philistines, and over the Philistines themselves also.

A

ND the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought

near the sea, and where there was a famous temple to Dagon. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon; they had some 3: "reverence for the ark, and would not destroy or abuse it, but brought it to their idol's temple, as a trophy of their victory, ob. tained, as they thought, by the help of Dagon.

And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon [was] fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon and set him in his place again. When the priests and others came early in the morning to worship in the temple, they found their god on the ground; but supposing it a casual thing, they put it up again, and took care to fasten it well. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon [was] fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands [were] cut off upon the threshold; this shows that he was thrown with violence, quite to the threshold of the door, and broken to pieces against it; only [the 5 stump, or the fishy part, of] Dagon was left to him.* Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.t

[ocr errors]

But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, [even] ...Ashdod and the coast thereof. He destroyed many of them by pestilence, and those that died not, were violently afflicted with 7 emerods, or grievous piles. See Psalm lxxviii. 66. And when the men of Ashdod saw that [it was] so, they soon found out the cause, and they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark

[ocr errors]

• The upper part of this idol was of human shape, and the lower like a fish, as mermaids are represented. Several ancient writers tell us there was such an idol among the Phenicians, in which country Philistia was a province. It was the Neptune of the ancients. By this it appeared, that the Israelites were overthrown and the ark taken, not for want of power in their God to deliver them, but as a punishment for their sin.

+ This custom continued many ages after, see Zeph. i. 9, and kept up the memory of this event. When any asked the meaning of this ceremony, the answer would be, Bring glory to the God of Israel.

of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about [thither.] Having called a council, they resolved that the ark should be removed to Gath, the next city toward the north, supposing the present place was unlucky, or that there was something offensive to the God of Israel there. 9 And it was [so,] that, after they had carried it about, the hand. of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had 1 emerods in their secret parts; the same calamity followed them; 10 many died, and others were grievously tormented. Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron, the next city northward. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people: not that this was their intention, but they feared this would be the consequence. 11 So they held another council, and they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said to them, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very 12 heavy there. And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven; there was a great and sore lamentation, 80 grievous was their calamity.

1.

W

REFLECTIONS.

stupidity of idolatry. What could be more ridiculous than the conduct of the Philistines, in worshipping a god that could `not help himself; lifting up their hands to him that could not lift up himself. A poor god indeed, that had lost both hands and head, so that he could have neither power nor wisdom to help them! yet they continued their regard to him; yea, reverenced the very threshold on which he was broken. What monstrous folly! what a lamentable instance of the corruption of human nature, that men should be so besotted! Justly might the Psalmist say concerning idols, they that make them are like unto them, and so are all they that put their trust in them,

2. When God's hand is heavy upon wicked men, they try all methods, but the right, to get rid of their affliction. The Philistines suffered greatly under the hand of God. They sent the ark from one place to another, and this only increased their calamity, spread the contagion, and multiplied the triumphs of the ark. They never thought of returning it, till they had tried every thing else. Thus sinners fret and murmur under their afflictions; they have recourse to company, or pleasure, to some false principle, or superstitious practice, but do not return to God. Had the Philistines been led to worship God, it would have been no more than might have been expected; but they sent away the ark, when they should have

sent away Dagon; for then the ark would have been a blessing, and not a plague. But sinners abhor the ordinances of God's house, because they give them pain; they neglect his worship, because it galls their consciences; they will not part with sin. While they are weary of the hand that punisheth them, they still hold fast the cause of their punishment.

*

1

3. We see how vain it is to contend with God; for those who oppose him will soon have enough of it; one plague shall come after another. Hence we learn the necessity of making God our friend, who can so easily, and by so many ways, humble the proudest sinner, and the most powerful enemy, Happy, then, are those people whose God is the Lord.

CHAP. VI.

We have here the dismission of the ark from the land of the Philistines ; the reception of it in the land of Israel; and the funishment of the men of Bethshemesh for their presumptuous curiosity.

'AN

ND the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. Finding that it brought so many ca. lamities into the city, it was removed into a field. They were desirous to keep this trophy among them, and hoped the plague would cease. But God visited them with another; a prodigious quantity of mice spread over the ground, and destroyed the corn, which was now nearly ripe: then all joined in considering how 2 they might best send it away. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD, to show our respect to it, and to appease that God to whom it belongs? tell us wherewith, with what presents, we shall 3 send it to his place. And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering. They had learned that trespass offerings were used among the Jews, and therefore recommended it as an acknowledgment that they had offended the God of Israel by bringing the ark out of their country: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you; we shall thus see whether the plague was occasioned by detaining the 4 ark, or not. Then said they, What [shall be] the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague [was] on you all, and on your lords. This was a strange offering, which they proposed, an image of the swellings with which they were 5 afflicted. Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods,

• It was customary, among heathen nations, to consecrate to their gods such monuments as showed the nature of the evils from which they were delivered. The Indians to this day, whea they go to their idols for a cure of their diseases, carry a figure of the member afflicted, either in gold, silver, or copper, according to their ability,

« FöregåendeFortsätt »