About the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, Don't be afraid; for you have brought forth a son. But she didn't answer, neither did she regard it.
Most of the Israelites evidently thought that since Israel had lost the ark she had lost God. [Note: For a further discussion of the role of the ark at this time in Israel’s history, and how Samuel’s ministry related to it, see Clive Thomson, "Samuel, the Ark, and the Priesthood," Bibliotheca Sacra 118:417 (July-September 1961):259-63. For a more critical study of the ark, see P. R. Davies, "The History of the Ark in the Books of Samuel," Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages 5 (1977):9-18.] However, because the people had not lived in proper covenant relationship with Him, Israel had only lost God’s blessing, not His presence. They were disregarding God’s Law, so God’s glory had departed from Israel (1 Samuel 4:22; cf. Exodus 19:5-6; Ezekiel 10). His people could not enjoy fertility.