In First Chronicles thirteen, verse three, the Ark had been captured and held by the Philistines for seven months, as in First Samuel four, verse eleven, and chapter six, verse one, respectively. Then returned to Israel and kept at Kirjath-jearim, a city of Judah, ten miles from Jerusalem, as in First Samuel seven, verse two. Throughout the reign of Saul, the Ark of God had been neglected and had remained in darkness. The Ark had been left in the house of Abinadab at Kirjath-jearim for twenty years after the Philistines sent it back.
The abandonment of the Ark and the generality of the people contented themselves with going to Gibeon and offering sacrifices there, not caring. However, the Ark is the soul of the Tabernacle and resided in another place. As soon as David had power, he would use it for religion. It ought to be the first care of those enriched or preferred to honor God with their honors and to serve him and the interests of his kingdom among men with their wealth and power.
In the days of Saul, so it was in the days of Samuel, but the charge is upon Saul than him. Partly, because Samuel was exercised with continual wars, or expectation of wars, with the Philistines all the time of his regency, and therefore wanted the opportunity to bring back the Ark, which Saul had and neglected; partly because Samuel took care to stir up and maintain religion among them by other means and in an extraordinary manner. The one branch of Saul’s impiety was joined with a contempt of all religion, as the history of his life shows. And partly because it was more proper to accuse himself and the present generation, who were guilty of this neglect, than to rake into the ashes of their deceased progenitors and lay his charge against those who were dead and gone some good while since.