Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
Day 100 and 85
at that time, Israel was at war with the Philistines.
The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at aec.
The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men.
After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders
of Israel asked, why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?
Then they said, let's bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh.
If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.
So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of
the Lord of Heaven's armies, who is enthroned between the Cherubim,
HNA, and Phineas, the sons of Eli.
Were also there with the arc of the covenant of God.
When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord coming into the
camp, their shout of joy was so loud.
It made the ground shake what's going on.
The Philistines asked, what's all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?
When they were told it was because the ark of the Lord had arrived.
They panicked.
The gods have come into their camp.
They cried.
This is a disaster.
We have never had to face anything like this before.
Help who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel?
They are the same Gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when
Israel was in the wilderness.
Fight as never before.
Philistines.
If you don't, we will become the Hebrews slaves, just as they have been ours.
Stand up like men and fight.
So the Philistines fought desperately and Israel was defeated again.
The slaughter was great.
30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day.
The survivors turned and fled to their tents.
The arc of God was captured, and Hna and Phineas, the two sons of Eli were killed.
A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefield and arrived at Shiloh.
Later that same day, he had torn his clothes and put dust
on his head to show his grief.
Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle for his heart
trembled for the safety of the Ark of God.
When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry
resounded throughout the town.
What is all the noise about?
Eli asked.
The messenger rushed over to Eli, who was 98 years old and blind.
He said to Eli, I have just come from the battlefield.
I was there this very day.
What happened?
My son, Eli demanded Israel has been defeated by the Philistines.
The messenger replied, the people have been slaughtered, and your two sons,
Hof, NAI, and Phineas were also killed, and the Ark of God has been captured.
When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell
backward from his seat beside the gate.
He broke his neck and died for, he was old and overweight.
He had been Israel's judge for 40 years, Eli's daughter-in-law.
The wife of Phineas was pregnant and near her time of delivery, when she heard
that the arc of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were
dead, she went into labor and gave birth.
She died in childbirth, but before she passed away, the
midwives tried to encourage her.
Don't be afraid.
They said, you have a baby boy.
I.
She did not answer or pay attention to them.
She named the child iBod, which means where is the glory for?
She said, Israel's glory is gone.
She named him this because the arc of God had been captured and because her
father-in-law and husband were dead.
Then she said, the glory has departed from Israel for the
arc of God has been captured.
After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground
at Ebenezer to the town of Ash Dot.
They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagan and placed
it beside an idol of dagan.
But when the citizens of Ash Dot went to see it the next morning, Dagan had
fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord.
So they took Dagan and put him in his place again.
The next morning, the same thing happened.
Dagan had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again.
This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway.
Only the trunk of his body was left intact.
That is why to this day, neither the priests of Dagan nor anyone who
enters the Temple of Dagan in Ash, Dudd will step on its threshold.
Then the Lord's heavy hand struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby
villages with a plague of tumors.
When the people realized what was happening, they cried out,
we can't keep the ark of the God of Israel here any longer.
He is against us.
We will all be destroyed along with Dagan, our God.
So they called together the rulers of the Philistine towns and asked, what should
we do with the arc of the God of Israel?
The rulers discussed it and replied, move it to the town of Gath.
So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath.
But when the Ark arrived at Gath, the Lord's heavy hand
fell on its men, young and old.
He struck them with a plague of tumors and there was a great panic.
So they sent the arc of God to the town of Akron.
But when the people of Akron saw it coming, they cried out.
They are bringing the ark of the God of Israel here to kill us too.
The people summoned the Philistine rulers again and begged them, please send the
Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or it will kill us all.
For the deadly plague from God had already begun and great fear
was sweeping across the town.
Those who didn't die were afflicted with tumors.
The cry from the town rose to heaven.
This concludes today's immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.