LEADING THE NATION IN GOD’S WAYS

Leading The Nation In God’s Ways. Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth (pagan goddesses) from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him only; and He will rescue you from the hand of the Philistines.”

RASHNESS PUNISHED; REVERENCE BLESSED

Rashness Punished; Reverence Blessed. The LORD struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down 50,070 men among the people, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter

THE PHILISTINES CAPTURE THE ARK

The Philistines Capture the Ark. So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated and every man fled to his tent. It was a very great defeat, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
Also the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.