The warnings at Mount Sinai and at Mount Pisgah had shown that, whenever the Israelites persisted in transgressing, their chastisement would increase in severity (Lev. xxvi., Deut. xxviii.). Hitherto the chief suffering had been from the forays of robber-tribes from the eastern frontier, but after many deliverances and many relapses into sin, an enemy was raised up more seriously bent on conquering and subduing than the unsettled wanderers who only wanted plunder. These were the Philistim, or, as we call them, Philistines, from whom the whole of Canaan acquired the name of Palestine. There had been Philistines in Abraham's time, and we are told that the nation came from Caphtor, which is believed to be the Island of Crete, and they are thought to have been of the European stock which came from Japhet, rather than Canaanites or of the Shemite (or Semitic) races of the desert. It was to avoid the Philistines that the Israelites had been brought through the eastern desert instead of by the direct road from Egypt, but the kings of Egypt were constantly at war with the Philistines and kept them down, so that for many years they did not molest the Israelites, except in the one attack that was beaten off by Shamgar and his ox-goad. But the power of Egypt fell, and that of the Philistines increased as fresh settlements joined them from Crete. Their dwelling-place was a fair breezy slope in the south, towards the Mediterranean, cutting off Judah, Simeon, and Dan from the sea-coast, and containing five principal and very beautiful cities, Ashdod, Askelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza. Each of these five had lesser towns subject to them, and formed, not a kingdom, but a confederation, which was governed by a council of the magistrates of each city. Their religion seems to have partaken more of the Eastern than of the Western idolatries, for their chief deities were Ashtaroth, Baal-zebub, the God of flies, Dagon and Derceto, male and female idols with human heads and fishes' tails, all of whom the Phænicians likewise worshipped. These Philistines were great sailors, and were always desirous of capturing the Israelites to sell as slaves; they were able and fierce warriors, and, though not among the doomed nations of Canaan, were terrible enemies when, recruited by fresh settlers from Crete, they began to attempt the conquest of the tribes.

Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer:* and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

Be strong and quit + yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.

And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the

city, and told it, all the city cried out.

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.

Now Eli was ninety and eight years old, and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.

And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? And the messenger 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 ark of God is taken.

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, 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 he had judged Israel forty years.

COMMENT.-The Philistines advanced against Israel, and won a great victory over them at Aphek, in the tribe of Judah, not far from the fortress of Jebus, and killed four thousand men. There seems to have been no Judge at this time but feeble old blind Eli, and the people in their terror bethought themselves that of old they had had the victory wherever the Ark of the Covenant was. They had fallen so far that they forgot that it was the Lord who arose and scattered His enemies: there was no humiliation, weeping, or prayer, but they treated the Ark as though it were an idol or charm, and could in itself save them. Arks something like it were carried by the Egyptians, and they would do the same. It should save them. Not God, but the Ark.

Thus the elders of Israel sent to Shiloh to demand it. We can almost see the clamorous deputation, and the grief of the old High Priest, knowing well that this was presumption and sacrilege, sure to bring ruin, and all the doom denounced by the prophet and by the child Samuel; yet by age and former weakness unable to make his voice heard, or withstand the two self-willed, irreverent sons, who, like Nadab and Abihu, made their way through the veil, and brought out that precious chest which had rested within its home at Shiloh since Eleazar placed it there! Trembling for the Ark and trembling for his sons, the old man watched and waited under the burthen of his ninety-eight years while Israel hailed the Ark with a shout of triumph. There was no holy fear among them, only loud confidence. It was pleasanter to trust in the Ark than to find out their own sins, and so their cry rang out into the enemy's camp.

The Philistines, like most heathens, believed that each nation had its own gods, who fought for it, and that one deity was more powerful than another; and thus, when they learnt that the Israelites were shouting at the coming of their God, they were dismayed, thinking that a powerful deity was come; but they roused themselves to all the greater valour, and the sacrilegious superstition of Israel met its punishment, for the defeat was a total

and a dreadful one. Hophni and Phinehas were slain, and the greatest misfortune came on Israel that had ever yet befallen it, for the Ark of God was taken by the Philistines.

Then came the Benjamite, fleeing from the battle to the place where the blind old priest sat waiting, and watching though his eyes were blind, for news of his sacred charge and of his sons! The messenger seems to have passed him by unobserved, but at the sound of the wailing in the city he sent for the man. He heard of the lost battle-he heard of his sons' death-but when he heard that the Ark was taken he fell back horror-struck, and his neck brake, and he died! So ended the glory of Shiloh, the place where God first set His Name. If we will not use His Light, He takes it away. Thus He says, "Go ye now unto my place 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" (Jer. vii. 12). And hear the Psalmist's lamentation over this desolate time :

So he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh,
The tent which he had pitched among men,
And delivered his strength into captivity,
And his glory into the enemy's hand.
He gave his people over also unto the sword:
The fire consumed their young men,

And their maidens were not given to marriage;

Their priests were slain with the sword,

And their widows made no lamentation.

This was especially true of Phinehas's wife, who in her grief and horror gave birth to a son and died immediately after, naming her babe Ichabod, “No glory”—for her last words were, "The glory has departed from Israel "-the glory of the Ark, and the priesthood, and the presence of the Lord in Shiloh.

LESSON XLIV.

THE ARK IN PHILISTIA.

I SAM. v.; vi. I.

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod.

When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by 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.

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; only the stump 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.

But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with disease, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.

And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, 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 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.

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, with a sore disease.

Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. 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.

So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, 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 heavy there. And the cry of the city went up to heaven.

And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.