1 Samuel 4:7-8 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there has not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? These are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
Israel had brought the Ark of the Lord into the camp, and there went up a great shout. When the Philistines heard the shout and saw what happened they were afraid and said “woe unto us,” They were wrong in thinking that the Ark was an idol god, but they were right in thinking that this God (“these Gods” according a pagan worldview) had great power to bring defeat. For they had heard the stories of the Exodus and the ten plagues defeat of Egypt.
Either way, the very Presence of God in our midst should strike fear in the hearts of unbelievers. The Almighty Power of God is here to judge their wickedness and condemn. But they do not know (and can’t know unless told) that the Presence of God is also the Almighty Love of God that cares, forgives, saves, delivers, protects, and defends those who will believe. This Gospel would cause them to repent of sin, believe God, and love Him, as God strikes love in the heart.
Israel was wrong in treating the Ark as an idol, a kind of magic charm, and hoping that as God did once He will do again. But they had strayed far from the Lord and were not faithful believers in their hearts. So also our spiritual victories come through a continually renewed relationship with the living God through Christ.
Here we learn the Scriptural truth: the Law strikes fear in the heart so that, being genuinely afraid, the Gospel strikes love in the heart so that we genuinely repent and believe and receive life. This Christian life is characterized by fear and love of God, so that we want to live rightly.