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In chapter 8 of I Samuel the people and the leaders of Israel come to Samuel and request a King to rule over them. Samuel doesn't like this request. God doesn't seem to like it either. And yet, God tells Samuel to obey the voice of his people and give them a King. 
And so, the monarchy begins in this ambiguous and enigmatic way.
Maybe this chapter is about something else bigger altogether? 
Maybe this is yet another story that God keeps telling us over and over again all through the Old Testament.

The Ark has been traveling and creating a debris field of trouble, among both the Philistine and Israelite people. The idea is to hide it away and go about life. 
But that doesn't work either.
So, Israel begins to lament into repentance.

Chapter 7 is our turning point for the nation of Israel and Samuel. 
There is a way to be close to God and not die in the process! 
And Samuel is just the one to show them how to do it.

The God of Israel has been conquered because His people have been defeated and the Philistines have His place of mediation, the Ark of the Covenant. 
But God has not been defeated, and it will become clear over the next 7 months that the Philistines will want nothing to do with the Israelite Yahweh. They won't be able to subdue or appease Him and God runs wild over their land with disease and pestilence. 
This is a humorous story if you are an Israelite, but a terrifying story if you are not.
What is God trying to tell us with this story?

Please come prepared to be transformed by the Word of God,

Pastor Don 

In 1 Samuel 4:12-22, we get the concluding portion of the stolen Ark narrative, and the response of the people of Israel, and specifically Eli and his daughter-in law, to that horrible news.
But the awful and horrifying response, in our context, feels a bit overstated and exaggerated. So, it would do us well to slow down and try to understand what the Glory of God means, and why His central place in Israel meant everything to their identity.