When the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
In Israel’s first encounter with the Philistines in 1 Samuel, the enemy slew 4,000 Israelite soldiers (1 Samuel 4:2), and in the second, 30,000 Israelites fell (1 Samuel 4:10). Between these two encounters the Israelites sent to Shiloh for the ark. The ark had always been the place where God dwelt in a special way among the Israelites. It contained the tablets of the Decalogue and the mercy seat where the high priest atoned for the sins of the nation. It was for these reasons a symbol of God and His presence. During the long period of the judges the Israelites as a whole had adopted an increasingly pagan attitude toward Yahweh. They felt that they could satisfy Him with simply formal worship and that they could secure His help with offerings rather than humility. They were treating the ark the same way they treated God; they believed the ark’s presence among them in battle would ensure victory.