200401FW 1Sa4:1–11 The King Vindicates His Glory

There had been no king in Israel, and everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. Now, the Lord has asserted Himself, bringing His Word through Samuel. But the whole nation is using the ark superstitiously, just as Hophni and Phineas had taken Yahweh's worship lightly. So the King asserts Himself—first here against Israel, and then in coming chapters against the Philistines as well.