Goliath has the Ark

Reading:   1 Samuel 4

The Philistines (the ancestors of Mr. Goliath) waged a mighty war on the Israelites and killed 45,000 plus!  At one point during the battle, the Israelites called upon the Ark of the Covenant to bolster their resolve and rally the troops.  the Ark did give the Philistines much cause for concern as they knew of its power, but unfortunately the priests accompanying the Ark where Eli's two wicked sons and therefore the Ark did nothing.  Tens of thousands of Israelites died, including the two evil priests, and the Ark was captured by the Philistines.

One Israelite escaped the slaughter and returned home to inform Eli of the terrible news, "We lost the war.  The Ark was stolen from us.  Oh, and both of your sons are dead."  As you can imagine, the news had a mortifying effect on Eli and, being a heavy man, blind, and ninety-eight, he fell from his seat and broke his neck.

One of the sons had a pregnant wife who went into labor upon hearing the news of her husband's death, she of course died as well, but the child was born.  A woman (possibly a nurse) who stood by and bewailed the death of the mother, took the newborn child...

1 SAMUEL 4:21-22

21 And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 

22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 

She named the child Ichabod which translates, "Where is the Glory."  The child lost his mother, father, uncle, and grandfather, all on or around the day of his birth.  The Ark of the Covenant was also lost around the same time.  The glory of the child's birth was definitely lost.

The death of Eli and his wicked sons fulfilled the prophesy of Samuel and was proof that Samuel was indeed a true prophet of God.

~Kipling