“She named the boy Ichabod, saying, ‘“The glory has departed from Israel’”—because of the capture of the ark of God and deaths of her father-in-law and husband.”
~ 1 Samuel 4:21
Hi James and Ellen,
What has been the worst day of your lives? What happened on the day that you would make that day the worst day of your lives? Your grandpaa’s ma calls the day on which your grandpaa was born – which was April 19, her day of pain. Your grandpaa is sure that the day that your grandpaa was born really is not the worst day of his ma’s life. Your grandpaa’s ma a number of years ago had hip replacement surgery on your grandpaa’s birthday. Your grandpaa thinks that that is why your grandpaa’s ma calls April 19 her day of pain. The day that your dad was born was a day of pain for your grandmaa. Instead of arriving headfirst into the world – like you were born, your dad came backwards into the world. The way that your dad was born is called a breech birth. A baby being born breech is very dangerous for the baby’s ma. It is also very dangerous for a baby to be born breech. Your grandpaa could not be with your grandmaa when your dad was born. Your grandpaa had to wait in a waiting room until your dad was born. Your grandpaa knew that your dad was taking a long time to come into the world – and that your grandmaa was having a perilous delivery. During the night that your grandpaa had to wait for your dad to come into the world, another guy joined your grandpaa in the waiting room. The guy’s wife was also having a baby. The baby would not be the first baby born to the guy and his wife. Your grandpaa can still remember when the doctor who was helping the guy’s wife deliver their baby showed up in the waiting room. Your grandpaa overheard the doctor explain to the guy that his baby son had been normal and that he had been born normally but in spite of doing everything that he could do, he could not get the guy’s new baby son to breathe. Your grandpaa had gotten very worried about your grandmaa even before your grandpaa heard what the other guy’s doctor told the guy that his baby son had not made it alive into the world. When your grandpaa heard the doctor tell the guy the very distressing news, your grandpaa immediately called your dad’s Aunt Betsie and asked her if she would come as quickly as she could to the hospital where your grandmaa was trying to give birth to your dad and where your grandpaa was waiting. Your grandpaa really wanted someone to be with him in the waiting room until your dad was born. Your grandpaa knows that on that scary day that it was a miracle that your grandmaa and your dad both survived your dad’s arrival into the world.
Ichabod’s worst day was the day that he was born. The day that Ichabod was born, Ichabod’s ma decided that she no longer wanted to live. Ichabod’s dad – Phinehas, had just been killed in a battle against guys who had become the archenemies of the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids – God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids. The archenemies of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids were the Philistine people group’s guys. The Philistine people group’s guys and gals wanted to expand the territory from where they were living – which was on a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and just off the edge of the southwest corner of the land that God had given to His specially chosen guys, gals and kids to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . ., into the land area that God had given to His specially chosen guys and gals. 1 Samuel 4 is Samuel recounting what happened when the Philistine people group’s guys made their move to take over some of the land that God had given to His specially chosen guys and gals to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . God’s specially chosen guys by this time thought that they could fight in their own strength instead of counting on God’s help. When the Israelite people group’s soldiers headed out to confront the Philistine people group’s soldiers, the Philistine soldiers were already in Aphek – a town that was located about twelve miles northeast of Joppa. The Philistine army camped at Aphek while Israel’s army camped at Ebenezer – a place that probably was not that far from Aphek. After Israel’s army had 4,000 soldiers killed by the Philistine army, Israel’s soldiers decided that they needed to take with them the ark of the covenant into battle. The ark of the covenant was in Shiloh. Shiloh was about twenty miles west of where Israel’s soldiers and Philistine soldiers were fighting against each other. Moses over 500 years earlier had seen to having the ark of the covenant built as a place for God to have His presence reside. Phinehas along with his bro – Hophni, went to get the ark of the covenant. Israel’s soldiers were really happy to see the ark of the covenant when Phinehas and Hophni arrived back in their camp with it. Even though the Philistine soldiers knew that Israel’s soldiers had the ark of the covenant in Israel’s army’s camp, the soldiers in the Philistine army continued to fight against Israel’s soldiers. Phinehas and Hophni decided to take the ark of the covenant into battle with them. How do you think that God felt about the soldiers in Israel’s army thinking that the ark of the covenant was really going to help them in their battle against the Philistine soldiers instead of just asking Him for His help? God allowed the Philistine soldiers to kill 30,000 more Israelite soldiers. The Philistine soldiers also killed Phinehas and Hophni.
Eli was Ichabod’s grandpa. Eli was 98 years old at the time of this bad news day. Eli had been at one time a respected, God-fearing priest. Eli had by the time of this appalling day become blind and very obese. Eli was sitting in a chair alongside the road when a Benjamin tribal clan news courier came running from the battle to tell Eli what had happened. Eli fell out of his chair breaking his neck. Ichabod was born to Phinehas’ wife. Verse 21 says, “She named the boy Ichabod, saying, ‘“The glory has departed from Israel’”—because of the capture of the ark of God and deaths of her father-in-law and husband.” What do you know that you need to do to not to have any bad days?
1 Samuel 4 (193)