Psalm 78:60-61

Psalm 78:60-61

The ark in captivity

There was, of course, no holy site in Jerusalem for the Tabernacle of God, until the reign of King David. The Temple was built by his successor, Solomon, and so the focus of worship had to be somewhere else in the land from the time of Joshua onwards. The place chosen was Shiloh which means “His gift” or “peaceful one.” Many teachers say that the name refers to Messiah and some translations of the Hebrew blessing given by Jacob to his son Judah read, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Genesis 49:10.

So, the Ark of the Covenant came to rest in the Tabernacle at Shiloh, a city centrally placed in the land. Here it remained for three centuries, and the tribes of Israel would visit for feasts or peace offerings. From the time Israel entered the land until the time of the prophet Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant remained in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. This was also the central location from where the land was divided up into 12 sections for the 12 tribes – see Joshua 18. 

Shiloh was the background for Hannah’s story when she visited the tabernacle to pour out her heart to God, begging Him for a child. When we first meet Hannah, we know she’s barren and wept bitterly for a child. So much so, the Priest Eli thinks she’s drunk. But God hears her prayers and helps her birth one of the greatest men in the Bible, Samuel. Hannah takes her son back to the tabernacle once he’s weaned because she promised to dedicate his life to God. At the time, Eli’s own sons were wicked and didn’t fulfil their duties nor did they honour God. But as the story goes, the hearts of God’s people grew cold too. After several warnings from the Lord to turn back to Him, the Ark was then captured by the Philistines and God left His dwelling place and thus we have the two verses in Psalm 78 before us today. The Ark was captured, and the city of Shiloh was destroyed. 1 Samuel 4:10-11.

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