The Capture of the Ark

The story that we looked at this past Sunday in the sermon was from 1 Samuel 4–6. There are several interesting aspects to this story. Leading into it, Samuel the prophet seems to be emerging as the protagonist—the account of his calling leads to the sentence that opens chapter 4: “And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.” He is becoming the first true mouthpiece for the Lord since Moses. Some commentators make much of the fact that he then disappears from the story. What is he doing when the decision is made to take the ark to Aphek? He does not seem to be present during the defeat or its aftermath. The tabernacle is moved to Kiriath-jearim following the ark’s return—does Samuel go with it? Some source critics have concluded that this entire story was inserted into the narrative at this point. But it makes sense that Samuel is not active in it; he would still have been quite young at the time. The story also leads naturally from the previous chapter. The fall of Eli’s house had been predicted—now we see it fulfilled.

There are some textual challenges in the story that I briefly mentioned. The golden mice seem to come out of nowhere, since no plague of mice is mentioned beforehand. This is fairly easy to resolve. “Mice” seems to have been a metaphorical way of describing the tumors, which may have resembled mice moving beneath a carpet or cloth.

By far the most interesting aspect of the story is the capture of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. The ark was the center of the tabernacle and the heart of Israelite worship. Yet it was not the deity, nor an image of the deity. It was simply a large box with a cover. It is best understood as an empty throne; it was said to be the place where God was actually present among his people. The Israelites, supported by the two priests Hophni and Phinehas, understood it to be synonymous with the presence of God—by bringing the ark into battle, they believed they were bringing Yahweh himself. Yet the mere presence of the ark did not guarantee the presence of God. Carrying the ark with them did not mean they were carrying God with them, although God’s holiness did impart a kind of sanctity to the object itself. Still, both symbolically and truly, the ark was the throne of God in their midst. To lose the ark was to have the glory of God depart from them.

The entire story of the capture of the ark is intended to convey several things. We have other sequences in Scripture that echo aspects of it. The Lord allows his people to be enslaved by the Egyptians, driving them into Egypt through famine. In the exile, God allows his people to be conquered and carried off into the land of their enemies. Another example appears in the book of Acts, when Paul, at the height of his ministry, is arrested in Jerusalem and imprisoned for several years.

However, none of these parallels fully captures the depth of what happens here. This is not merely a human servant of God being captured. In a very real sense, God allows himself to fall into the hands of his enemies, even if only in this highly symbolic form. Certainly the Philistines interpret it this way—they believe they have captured Yahweh and placed him on public display in their temple.

I think it is safe to say that this is the nadir of pre-monarchy Israel. The defeat is as total and devastating as any the Israelites would ever experience. It leaves them completely exposed to Philistine power. There is no refuge of true worship left in the nation. In a stroke, the priesthood is extinguished. The most precious object in Israel’s religion is captured, and the presence of God departs. It is the final step in a long march of unfaithfulness.

Therefore, what this story most closely resembles is the other moment in Scripture when God allows himself to be captured and delivered into the hands of his enemies—the cross itself. The voluntary nature of it, in which God, in effect, surrenders himself over and places himself under the power of another, veils his power for a short season so completely that his enemies deceive themselves into believing they have triumphed over him. And just like the cross, the capture of the ark is only a prelude—the prelude to a display of the power of God and his effortless liberation of himself. It is an action that prepares the way for the monarchy, the establishment of an eternal throne. It demonstrates to the people that God himself will accomplish it, and therefore that his promises can be trusted.