Eli, a man who judged Israel for forty years, died on a day of great conflict between the children of Israel and the Philistines. He did not die in battle, nor was he killed by the sword of his enemy. Instead, he died a sad death upon hearing news of the battle.
“The man said to Eli, ‘I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.’ And he said, ‘How did things go, my son?’ Then the one who brought the news replied, ‘Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken.’
“When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years” (1 Samuel 4:16-18).
There were four troubling pieces of news that Eli received before he died.
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