For May 28, 2026
The Ark of Destiny by Greg Holmes, D.MIN – Director of Missions serving 17 churches
ISRAEL HAD FALLEN into wide-spread apostasy by and during the time of the high priest Eli. Early tenth-century B.C. events fulfilling a prophetic curse over the house of Eli (cf. 1 Sam. 3:11-14) resulted in the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by Israel’s much-despised arch-enemy, the Philistines. A runner from the front lines came to Eli and announced the loss of the battle, the fact that Eli’s two sons had been killed, and the news that “the ark of God has been captured.” (1 Sam. 4:17b) At this news, Eli fell backwards, breaking his neck. His newly-widowed daughter-in-law, hearing what had happened, went into early labor and died in childbirth, but not before naming the infant son Ichabod, meaning “The Glory has departed from Israel.” (1 Sam. 4:21)