People cannot expect God's blessing unless they remove what goes against his will (see Genesis 35:2; Joshua 24:14).
Ashtoreth was the Canaanite goddess of fertility linked to Baal (1 Samuel 7:4). Worshiping Canaanite gods was a constant issue in Israel's history. The people began idol worship during the twenty years in 1 Samuel 7:2. It may have started in the time of the judges (1 Samuel 8:8; Judges 6:25; compare Amos 5:25–26). Israel's crushing defeat by the Philistines was not only due to the sins of Eli's two sons but also several generations of unfaithfulness to God.