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3.Wherefore. When reverses came to the polytheistic peoples of the Near East, they usually concluded that their gods were angry with them and should be more earnestly placated to avoid worse afflictions in the future. Considering the low religious condition of Israel at this time, it is little wonder that Israel had much the same attitude toward the Lord (see PP 584). Probably past victories during Eli’s judgeship had led to a feeling of self-confidence that blinded their eyes to their need of God. Because the leaders had willfully forsaken Him for the gods of the nations about them, God could do nothing but permit them to reap the harvest of their own seed sowing. Instead of humbling their hearts before God, they gave evidence of their superstitious attitude toward Him by thinking of the ark merely as a talisman guaranteeing success.

Without any counsel from on high the princes suggested, and the people agreed to, something never before thought of. They were only a few miles from the sanctuary, and if the ark were in their midst, surely victory would be theirs. This precious symbol of God’s presence was covered with its cloth shroud, and the attendant Levites carried it out from its resting place within the veil (Num. 4:5, 6). Considering the past actions of Eli’s sons, one would not be surprised if they forgot all reverent formalities, and hastened the few miles to the army, hoping that further slaughter might be avoided.

But the ark was the symbol of God’s presence, and since the leaders had rejected divine direction, God could not place His restraining hand over them for good. Had the leaders humbled their hearts and turned from their sinful ways, they would have been guided by the prophet, as in later years. In Christ’s day crowds followed blindly the leadership of their priests, crying out, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” So likewise the army of Israel at Ebenezer, facing disaster, and grasping at the straws of their own imagination, cried out that victory was now assured. The woe or weal of organized groups of society, whether political or religious, is largely determined by the attitude and conduct of the leaders.

Individuals may nevertheless determine their own spiritual destiny independently of the group. Although Samuel shared in the humiliation brought upon Israel as a result of the day’s folly, this did not prevent his personal acceptance with God. When, in Ahab’s day, the leaders turned to Baal, Elijah felt himself to be the only one who recognized and served the living God. Yet the Lord informed him that there were thousands in Israel who had chosen the right, even as he had done. The three-year drought in Israel had not changed their faith in God and their loyalty to Him.