1 Samuel 4:9
Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
The Philistines were urging one another to be strong, fight bravely like men, and resist becoming servants to the Hebrews as the Hebrews had been subject to them. They said this after Israel shouted over the arrival of the ark into the camp, for they believed Israel's God had come with it and they were afraid of the mighty power that had struck Egypt with plagues in the wilderness. The ark was only a symbol of God's presence and power, and its mere presence could not secure favor or victory apart from God and obedience. Israel trusted and worshiped the ark instead of the God it represented, looking to it for victory without repentance while breaking His commandments under polluted priests. Therefore God did not grant victory but let Israel be defeated with thirty thousand slain, the ark taken, and Hophni and Phinehas killed, showing that transgression brings disaster while obedience brings deliverance as the later victory on that same field proves.
Philistine Fear and Resolve
The words are the Philistines urging one another to be strong, to act bravely like men, and to fight hard so they would not become servants to the Hebrews as the Hebrews had been subject to them. They spoke after hearing Israel's great shout over the arrival of the ark of the covenant brought from Shiloh with Hophni and Phinehas, when they understood that the ark had come into Israel's camp and believed that Israel's God was there. That rallying cry belongs to the battle in which merely possessing the ark could not save Israel.
They were afraid because they thought God had come into the camp, that no such thing had happened before, and that these were the mighty gods who had struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. They believed the ark represented Israel's God and brought with it the power behind the mighty works done for Israel, so they regarded the coming battle as a struggle against that God. They remembered the bitter servitude Israel had endured when Philistine power held sway over them, and the fear of defeat and of suffering that same oppression themselves gave them desperate courage. Though afraid, they put their trust in Dagon and prepared to fight.
Roused to desperate resolve by that fear, they then fought and defeated Israel. It was the earlier battle in which Israel fled, thirty thousand footmen fell, the ark of God was taken, and Hophni and Phinehas were killed.
False Confidence and Application
The ark was only a symbol of God's presence and power, and its mere presence could not secure blessings, favor, or victory apart from God and obedience. Possessing it did not guarantee victory, for Israel had turned it into a source of confidence while neglecting the law it contained. Israel wrongly trusted and worshiped the ark instead of the God it represented, trusting the ark more than God to secure victory over the Philistines without repentance of wickedness. They expected the sacred object to protect them while they continued in wickedness and neglected the law within it, but its presence could not shield them from the consequences of sin.
At that time Israel had broken God's commandments and made His house a place of disorder, following polluted priests. The ark was carried by doomed, wicked men against God's counsel, and the law beneath the mercy seat, which represented God Himself, condemned the people's disobedience rather than guaranteeing victory. God would not grant victory in that condition, but removed the ark, and Israel suffered defeat and loss with their enemies triumphing. That loss marked the removal of Israel's national standing as God's chosen people and their scattering, though God continued to favor the obedient and reveal Himself to faithful people in captivity.
In contrast, when Israel obeyed God and the ark was carried as He commanded, God brought deliverance. The later Israelite victory on that same field stands against the earlier defeat, showing that transgression leads to disaster and defeat while obedience to God is the path of safety and happiness. The call to be strong and act courageously applies to Christian workers, who are to serve Christ humbly and give their abilities and learning to God. They are to accept labor and sacrifice in His service and work as Christ worked without losing sight of the sacred nature of their mission, since sin continues to damage God's moral image in those who fail to do so.