Day 95: The ark taken

Israel’s battles against their enemies reach a new pitch today - the symbol of God’s presence with them, the Ark, is captured. Is this the end?

Jephthah’s vow
Judges 11:29-40
The Ephraimites quarrel with Jephthah
Judges 12:1-6
10th Judge, Jephthah, dies
Judges 12:7
11th Judge, Samson
Judges 15:20
The ark is taken
1 Samuel 4:1-11
Eli’s death and Ichabod’s birth
1 Samuel 4:12-22
Dagon is broken
1 Samuel 5:1-5
The Philistines afflicted
1 Samuel 5:6-12, 6:1
Ark restored
1 Samuel 6:2-12

Oh Jephthah, you foolish man! What prompted you to make that oath to God? You didn’t need to, and you had to sacrifice something very dear to you. Should you have kept that vow? I don’t think so. But Jephthah was a good leader, apart from this mistake. The Gileadites seem to be a bit of a semi-detached clan, looked down on by the rest of Israel,  even speaking differently, which allowed them to tell apart their foes. But Jephthah led them well.
Back to Samuel’s story now, and battle against the Philistines. The Israelites were losing, so they decided to wheel out their big gun. They summon the ark to the battlefield. I can imagine Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, yawning as they wheel the ark up to the filed of battle. Such a shout greets them from the beleaguered Israelites, but it makes no difference. When battle is joined again, they are defeated, and the ark is captured. The terrible news is carried to Eli, who dies with shock. As he dies, his grandson is born, and saddled with the name Ichabod, which means “the glory has departed.” Clearly people thought that their God had been defeated, that the proud dream of being a powerful nation in their Promised Land was over.
But the Philistines find the ark too hot to handle. Thinking that their god has beaten Israel’s God, they drag the ark in triumph to their temple. But all that happens is that the stature of Dagon falls over. They hastily mend it, but to no avail. Dagon can’t help but bow down before Yahweh, the God of Israel. Worse follows, as sickness breaks out among them, so in fear and trembling, they decide to send the ark back to Israel.