Chapter 4

Israel goes to battle against the Philistines.  They lose and 4000 men are killed.  They decide to bring the Ark of the Covenant there, and then they'll win.  They didn't pray, they brought the ark.  They fight again, with the ark, expecting "magic".  Instead, they are defeated a second time and lose 30,000 men.  Hophni and Phinehas are both killed.

2021 - There is nothing here that says God sent them out against the Philistines in the first place.  There is no account of them consulting with Samuel.  We don't know who led this attack, and it seems as though Israel started it.  Given these things, it all seems very ill-advised.  The Ark at this time was in Shiloh, which is pretty much straight east of where the battle was going on, all the way across the land of Ephraim. 

2021 - When they sent for the Ark, Hophni and Phinehas came with it to the battleground.  That is why they were there.  God had promised to do away with them the same day.  It is interesting that Chapter 3 ends with Samuel being established as a prophet there at Shiloh also, right where these two corrupt priests were. In hindsight, we can see that this ill-advised battle, and the ill-advised strategy of bring the Ark to the battle, in fact intertwine to fulfill God's justice, and God's prophecy through Samuel, further confirming his place.

The Philistines are afraid when they hear the Ark has come, but they apparently get a pep talk and pull themselves together and fight anyway - perhaps desperately and with extra effort because they fear what will happen if they lose.  After the second battle, a runner returns to Shiloh with the news.  When he tells Eli that his sons are both dead and the ark has been taken by the Philistines, Eli falls off his seat.  His neck breaks because he is 98 years old, and very heavy.  He had judged Israel for 40 years.  His death would seem to pass the responsibility to judge on to Samuel.  God had spent time establishing Samuel for this very moment.  Yet he allowed his sons to corrupt it all.  Likely, at this time, he too was eating the parts of the sacrifices meant only for God. 

Phinehas' wife is pregnant.  When she hears the news that the ark is taken and Phinehas and Eli are dead, she goes into labor.  She has a son, named Ichabod, then she dies.  Ichabod means "The glory has departed".