When the priesthood of Eli had come to ashes, God brought forth a new priest by the name of Samuel, one who had ministered in the very presence of Eli and in subjection to him, In the bitterness of her soul God’s chosen Hannah had "asked for" Samuel, and God granted her request. His very name Samuel means "asked for." "And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision" (1 Sam. 3:1). In other words, a clear Word, a real vision from the LORD, was a rare thing. But it was the prelude to a new day when Samuel would arise as the oracle of God to His people. There is a Hannah in the earth today. She cries out in the distress of her spirit for a son... a "manchild" ...a people who will come forth in the full image and likeness of Christ out of a dying religious order, and who will be God’s oracle to a confused Church, and a world in need. They do not panic in the hour of panic. They are a people with eternity in their hearts, and they are prepared to wait for the Lord to do what He has purposed. Nor do they stagger at the tremendous task that lies before them, as they see God’s plan beginning to unfold. They know it is not their task, but the Lord’s. Not their battle but the Lord’s. And they simply desire to move according to God’s time and according to His ways. As things continued to get worse and worse in Israel, God’s plan and purpose was drawing closer and closer to fulfillment. This is the way God always works; but only those who understand God’s ways are able to recognize it. Israel was under constant attack by the Philistines. God had delivered them many times, but the hour had come for God to execute swift and certain punishment because of their iniquity and the iniquity of the priesthood. A man of God had warned Eli that this would happen; but along with the warning he also promised: "I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house" (1 Sam. 2:35). The immediate promise was that Samuel would arise--a true and faithful priest. But there was to be a far greater fulfillment when, in the fullness of time, Christ Himself would come forth, a true and faithful Priest, as well as a righteous King. As the Israelites suffered defeat in battle against the Philistines, they took counsel and decided to bring forth the ark of the covenant from the Tabernacle in Shiloh to save them from their enemies. Was it not the ark of God that struck fear into their enemies as Israel fought the Lord’s battles in times past? It was one last, desperate attempt to save themselves from disaster. No greater calamity could have befallen them. They were not only defeated, but the ark of God was captured by the Philistines, and taken into the house of their fish-god Dagon. Besides this, Hophni and Phinehas, who carried the ark into battle, were slain by the Philistines. The heirs to the priesthood were cut off in one sudden stroke. When Eli heard the fateful news he fell backwards and broke his neck and died; while the wife of Phinehas, shocked at the death of her husband and the capture of the ark, gave immediate birth to Ichabod, whose name was destined to become a byword in Christendom throughout all her generations… for his name means, "The Glory has departed" or, "Where is the Glory?" But God plagued the Philistines because of the ark in their midst, and they finally had to send it back to the camp of Israel. It was finally brought to the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim, where it remained perhaps a hundred years, throughout Samuel’s judgeship, Saul’s reign, and well into the reign of David. (The 20 years mentioned in 1 Samuel 7:2 does not seem to refer to the ark, but to the period of time that elapsed before Israel began to seek the Lord and to lament before Him because of their waywardness.)