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I Samuël 4

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1 En het woord van Samuel geschiedde aan gans Israel. En Israel toog uit, den Filistijnen tegemoet, ten strijde, en legerde zich bij Eben-Haezer, maar de Filistijnen legerden zich bij Afek.

2 En de Filistijnen stelden zich in slagorden, om Israel te ontmoeten; en als zich de strijd uitspreidde, zo werd Israel voor der Filistijnen aangezicht geslagen; want zij sloegen in de slagorden in het veld omtrent vier duizend man.

3 Als het volk wederom in het leger gekomen was, zo zeiden de oudsten van Israel: Waarom heeft ons de HEERE heden geslagen voor het aangezicht der Filistijnen? Laat ons van Silo tot ons nemen de ark des verbonds des HEEREN, en laat die in het midden van ons komen, opdat zij ons verlosse van de hand onzer vijanden.

4 Het volk dan zond naar Silo, en men bracht van daar de ark des verbonds des HEEREN der heirscharen, die tussen de cherubim woont; en de twee zonen van Eli, Hofni en Pinehas, waren daar met de ark des verbonds van God.

5 En het geschiedde, als de ark des verbonds des HEEREN in het leger kwam, zo juichte gans Israel met een groot gejuich, alzo dat de aarde dreunde.

6 Als nu de Filistijnen de stem van het juichen hoorden, zo zeiden zij: Wat is de stem van dit grote juichen in het leger der Hebreen? Toen vernamen zij, dat de ark des HEEREN in het leger gekomen was.

7 Daarom vreesden de Filistijnen, want zij zeiden: God is in het leger gekomen. En zij zeiden: Wee ons, want dergelijke is gisteren en eergisteren niet geschied!

8 Wee ons, wie zal ons redden uit de hand van deze heerlijke goden? Dit zijn dezelfde goden, die de Egyptenaars met alle plagen geplaagd hebben, bij de woestijn.

9 Zijt sterk, en weest mannen, gij Filistijnen, opdat gij de Hebreen niet misschien dient, gelijk als zij ulieden gediend hebben; zo zijt mannen, en strijdt.

10 Toen streden de Filistijnen, en Israel werd geslagen, en zij vloden een iegelijk in zijn tenten; en er geschiedde een zeer grote nederlaag, zodat er van Israel vielen dertig duizend voetvolks.

11 En de ark Gods werd genomen, en de twee zonen van Eli, Hofni en Pinehas, stierven.

12 Toen liep er een Benjaminiet uit de slagorden, en kwam te Silo denzelfden dag; en zijn klederen waren gescheurd, en er was aarde op zijn hoofd.

13 En als hij kwam, ziet, zo zat Eli op een stoel aan de zijde van den weg, uitziende; want zijn hart was sidderende vanwege de ark Gods. Als die man kwam, om zulks te verkondigen in de stad, toen schreeuwde de ganse stad.

14 En als Eli de stem des geroeps hoorde, zo zeide hij: Wat is de stem dezer beroerte? Toen haastte zich die man, en hij kwam en boodschapte het aan Eli.

15 (Eli nu was een man van acht en negentig jaren, en zijn ogen stonden stijf, dat hij niet zien kon.)

16 En die man zeide tot Eli: Ik ben het, die uit de slagorden kom, en ik ben heden uit de slagorden gevloden. Hij dan zeide: Wat is er geschied, mijn zoon?

17 Toen antwoordde hij, die de boodschap bracht, en zeide: Israel is gevloden voor het aangezicht der Filistijnen, en er is ook een grote nederlaag onder het volk geschied; daarenboven zijn uw twee zonen, Hofni en Pinehas, gestorven, en de ark Gods is genomen.

18 En het geschiedde, als hij van de ark Gods vermeldde, zo viel hij achterwaarts van den stoel af, aan de zijde der poort, en brak den nek, en stierf; want de man was oud en zwaar; en hij richtte Israel veertig jaren.

19 En zijn schoondochter, de huisvrouw van Pinehas, was bevrucht, zij zou baren; als deze de tijding hoorde, dat de ark Gods genomen was, en haar schoonvader gestorven was, en haar man, zo kromde zij zich, en baarde; want haar weeen overvielen haar.

20 En omtrent den tijd van haar sterven, zo spraken de vrouwen, die bij haar stonden: Vrees niet, want gij hebt een zoon gebaard. Doch zij antwoordde niet, en nam het niet ter harte.

21 En zij noemde het jongsken Ikabod, zeggende: De eer is weggevoerd uit Israel! Omdat de ark Gods gevankelijk weggevoerd was, en om haars schoonvaders en haars mans wil.

22 En zij zeide: De eer is gevankelijk weggevoerd uit Israel, want de ark Gods is genomen.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of 1 Samuel 4

Napsal(a) Garry Walsh

Although everyone in Israel knew that Samuel had been chosen as the Lord’s prophet, the Israelites still didn’t listen to his prophecy. As a result, there was a new battle between the army of Israel and the army of the Philistines. The Philistines won and about four thousand men of Israel died.

The Israelites were in great distress. They sent for the Ark of the Covenant, thinking that if they brought it from Shiloh to the battlefield, it would help bring the power of Jehovah into the battle, and help them win. The two sons of Eli the High Priest, Hophni and Phinehas, came along with the Ark. When the Ark reached the Israelite camp, the Israelites shouted with joy, and the Philistines became afraid. The Philistines knew that the Israelite God was surely with them, and they remembered His power from the plagues of Egypt. (See Exodus 7 and the following chapters.)

And yet, the Philistines were tough enemies. They didn’t want to be slaves to Israel, as Israel had been to them. They gathered their courage and defeated Israel in battle again, and even captured the Ark of the Covenant.

A messenger was sent to bring the bad news to Shiloh, where Eli was. Hophni and Phinehas were dead, and the Ark was in enemy hands. When he heard the news, the elderly Eli fell backwards from his seat and died. Phinehas' wife was pregnant, and when she heard the news of her husband’s death it crushed her spirit, and she died shortly after delivering a son that she named Ichabod. So just as the Lord had told Samuel, the priestly role was taken from Eli’s family.

Why was the Ark of the Covenant important? It contained two stone tablets, on which were written the Ten Commandments. These were written by the finger of God, and given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Commandments represented the covenant between the Lord and people. They would be joined together through love and faith: God’s love for His people, and their love for Him. Love, faith in God and obedience to His message would forever bind them. The covenant is only fulfilled when people, individually and collectively, do what is written on those two tablets. (See True Christianity 285.)

In this story, the Israelites lost the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments. This symbolizes how we can lose our covenant with the Lord, our Creator. We are free to keep our covenant with the Lord and follow His laws, or to break it. This story shows us how breaking the covenant can be really destructive.

God, however, will never give up on us, and is always ready to come into our lives if we accept Him. In True Christianity 285, Swedenborg writes that God is always ready to keep His commandment with us, but we must use our free will to keep our commandment with Him. This is illustrated in a quote from Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.”

While this story is an example of a covenant with God described in the Old Testament of the Word, this relationship between God and His people (and, of course, with each one of us individually) is a theme throughout all of the Bible. The New Testament describes a new covenant that the Lord seeks to build with each of us.

In Swedenborg’s Writings we learn that the Philistines, whom the Israelites were battling, represent faith without charity. Both faith and charity are necessary to follow the Lord, and knowledge of what is right and true is not useful unless we apply it to our lives. If we don't apply it, this knowledge becomes sort of abstract, something that we remember but that isn't an ongoing part of our life. (See Arcana Coelestia 1197.)

Since Philistines represent knowledge without charity, perhaps this story is telling us that in order to keep our covenant with God, it is not enough to know what is required of us, what is written on the tables of stone. We must also act accordingly. When we both understand the commandments and practice them, then we are able to keep our covenant with God.

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 1197

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1197. 'From whom Pelishtim came forth' means the nation which came from these, and which means a knowledge of the cognitions of faith and charity. This is clear from the Word where they are mentioned many times. In the Ancient Church all were called Philistines who spoke much about faith and who asserted that salvation lay in faith, and yet possessed nothing of the life of faith. Consequently they more than any others were called uncircumcised, that is, devoid of charity. (For references to them as the uncircumcised, see 1 Samuel 14:6; 17:26, 36; 31:4; 2 Samuel 1:20; and elsewhere.) Being such as they were they inevitably made cognitions of faith matters of memory, for cognitions of spiritual and celestial things, and the arcana of faith themselves, become purely matters of memory when a person who is acquainted with them is devoid of charity. Things of the memory are so to speak dead if the person is not such that he lives according to them from conscience. When he does live according to them from conscience things of the memory are in that case matters of life as well, and only then do they remain with him for his use and salvation following life in the body. Knowledge and cognitions are of no value to anyone in the next life, even though he may have known all the arcana that have ever been revealed, if they have made no impact on his life.

[2] Throughout the prophetical parts of the Word 'the Philistines' means people such as these, as they do in the historical sections of the Word, as when Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines and made a covenant with Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, Genesis 20:1-end; 21:22-end; 26:1-33. Because the Philistines here meant cognitions of faith, and because Abraham represented the celestial things of faith, he sojourned there and made a covenant with them. So likewise did Isaac, who represented the spiritual things of faith. But Jacob did not do so because he represented the external features of the Church.

[3] That 'the Philistines' means, in general, knowledge of the cognitions of faith, and in particular people who make faith and salvation reside in cognitions alone which they make matters of memory, becomes clear also in Isaiah,

Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod which smites you has been broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying prester. Isaiah 14:29

Here 'the serpent's root' stands for facts, 'an adder' for evil arising out of falsities based on facts. 'The fruits of a flying prester' is their works which, because they are the product of evil desires, are called 'a flying prester'

[4] In Joel,

What are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the borders of Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? Swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense upon your own head, inasmuch as you have taken My silver and My gold, and My good and desirable treasures you have carried into your temples, and have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Javanites, 1 that you might remove them far away from their border. Joel 3:4-6.

What 'the Philistines' and the whole of Philistia, or 'all its borders', are used to mean here is plain. 'Silver' and 'gold' here are the spiritual and celestial things of faith, 'good and desirable treasures' cognitions of them. 'They carried them into their temples' means that they were in possession of them and proclaimed them. 'They sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem' however means that they possessed no love and no faith. In the Word 'Judah' is the celestial element of faith, and 'Jerusalem' the spiritual element deriving from it, which were 'removed far away from their borders'. Further examples exist in the Prophets, such as Jeremiah 25:20; Jeremiah 47:1-end; Ezekiel 16:27, 57; 25:15-16; Amos 1:8; 19; Zephaniah 2:5; Psalms 87:4; and the people of Caphtor are mentioned in Deuteronomy 2:23; Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7.

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1. i.e. the Greeks

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.