1 Samuel 2

 

Previously in 1 Samuel, we were introduced to a man named Elkanah and his wife Hannah.   Hannah desperately wanted a son, but the Lord did not answer her prayer until she vowed a vow to give him to the Lord as long as he lives.  The Lord knew the man He needed for that time in Israel’s history, so He waited until Hannah’s heart was in the right place to give her request.  When the child was weaned, she brought him to the house of the Lord, and put him in the care of Eli the priest.  We also saw Hannah’s prayer of triumph and thanksgiving, and how it resembled Mary’s prayer in the Gospel of Luke.  I think it is interesting that some of the most remarkable prayers recorded in the Bible were prayed by women.

As we pick up in the next chapter, we find out more about Eli and his two sons.  The Scriptures tell us that Eli’s two sons, Hophni, and Phinehas, were wicked and did not know the Lord.  They followed religious rituals, but they did not have a relationship with the Lord as did their father.  This is the deceptive nature of religion, it gives a person the idea they are ok, but it only masks the sin that is within.  Eventually, they no longer attempt to hide their sin, but practice it openly as Hophni and Phinehas did.

When a man would offer a sacrifice to the Lord, a portion would be given to the Lord first, a portion would be given to the priest, and then a portion would be given to the person making the offering.  The best part (the fat) was supposed to be given to the Lord, and the priest would then get a portion of the breast and shoulder.  At this time, the priesthood had broken away from the Scriptures, and had come up with their own custom.  This is another trapping of religion: many people and denominations get caught up in traditions, and they have been doing them so long that no one can remember why they are doing them.  In many cases these customs supersede the Scriptures.  So, rather than taking their prescribed portion, they would dip the fork into the pot, and whatever came up they would take for themselves.  On the surface this does not seem like a big deal, but it was probably a way for them to get more than their portion, as well as a chance to get different cuts of meat.  They also neglected to burn the fat first, and demanded that the person give them raw meat for roasting rather than boiled.  It could be they wanted the raw meat for themselves, or maybe they wanted to sell it and pocket the money.  If anyone protested, stating they should burn the fat first, the priest’s servant would reply that they must give it to them now, and if not, they would take it by force.  This caused the people to despise the offering of the Lord.  They may have wanted to worship the Lord, but they did not want to deal with Hophni and Phinehas.  This is the unfortunate consequence of corrupt spiritual leaders, it turns people off from Church attendance, and at times, the Gospel altogether.  The Holy Spirit points out to us that their sin was very great before the Lord.  It is always a big deal when people are turned off to the Gospel and biblical teaching due to the conduct of professing believers (especially spiritual leaders).  To add to this, Hophni and Phinehas were having sex with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle.  This was common in the religious practices of the Canaanite cultures, and they had adopted it into the worship of the Lord.

Eli, who was an old man at this point, heard of his sons’ evil dealings from the people, and asked them why they were doing such things?  It was a bad report, and they were causing the Lord’s people to transgress.  He asked them that if a man sins against another man, God will judge him, but if a man sins against God, who will intercede for him?  This was a valid point; these men had rejected God and His word, so they had no provision for their sin which was great.  Unfortunately, Eli’s rebuke was far too late.  The fact his sons had gone this far means that Eli had neglected his duties as a parent a long time ago.  This was not the time for Eli to reason with his sons, but the time to discipline them.  They should have been removed from the priesthood, and according to Old Testament law, put to death.  I am sure that as a parent he did not want to see his sons suffer the consequences of discipline, but it would have been much better for them to experience his discipline (especially earlier on) than the Lord’s which was soon to follow.  It would appear that Eli was following the Lord himself, but he just didn’t want to hold his sons accountable.  He may have been a nice guy, but did not want to stand up for truth.  Sadly, there are pastors who do this today: there are those in leadership or in the congregation who are walking in sin, and the pastor does not want to deal with it.  He may be willing to speak out against the sin, but he does not want to deal with Church discipline.  Unfortunately, this has the potential to harm others in the Church, as well as damage the reputation of the Church and the Gospel.

In this we see a warning for us as parents as well.  There is clearly a time for teaching and instruction, but when a child deliberately refuses this instruction and insists on his or her own way, it is the time for discipline.  Consider the following Scriptures, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (consistently and immediately).” (Proverbs 13:24) And, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” (Proverbs 19:18) The temptation at times is to let things slide, because we don’t want to take the time to properly instruct and discipline our children.  Maybe we are being lazy or we fear that if we are too strict, we will cause them to rebel.  While it is certainly possible to be too strict, it is also possible to be too lenient, and our children turn out to be spoiled brats who think they’re entitled to everything.  I have heard it said that the greatest contributor to rebellious children is parents who have an anger problem, and I believe there is a lot of truth to this.  If we think about it, we are most likely to become angry when we encounter another angry person.  We are not told if Eli had an anger problem, but based off his interaction with Hannah, he was quick to accuse her of something which turned out to be incorrect.  Being falsely accused of something (especially on a regular basis) is also frustrating, and can provoke children to anger.  Paul wrote to the Colossians, Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” (COL 3:21) According to this passage, there is a link between provoking our children to anger and them being discouraged.  This can be discouragement from doing what is right, or in a broader sense, that discouragement that leads to depression.  Whatever the case, there was a disconnect somewhere in the way Eli parented his children.  If we take the time to lovingly train and discipline our children while they are young, they will be much less likely to turn out like Eli’s sons.

Well, Eli’s rebuke fell on deaf ears, and it states that this was because the Lord desired to kill them.  In other words, the Lord was hardening their hearts in the direction they were already headed, so that He could punish them for all to see.  That is a scary place to be when the Lord wants to kill you, folks!  However, these were bad guys who were leading others astray in their wickedness.  In contrast to these two sons, Samuel continued to minister in the tabernacle, and it states he grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.  He was not influenced by Eli’s sons, but had a heart for the Lord which also caused him to be favored by the people.

Then a man of God (a prophet) came to Eli with a word from the Lord.  The Lord said, “Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father (the tribe of Levi) when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?  Did I not choose him (Aaron) out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?  Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?”  Notice, the Lord is not coming to Eli’s sons, but to Eli, for he was the one ultimately responsible for the conduct of the priesthood.  God had graciously given them this office, and had taken from the people to provide for their sustenance.  Rather than being grateful for this, they kicked at or scorned the sacrifices of the Lord by enriching themselves at the expense of the people.  Eli cared more what his sons thought of him than what the Lord did.  This is also true when we walk in sin: we care more about ourselves and what others think of us than what the Lord thinks of us.  This is always a mistake, for the Lord honors those who honor Him, and He dishonors those who despise Him.  The Lord said He would have established Eli’s house forever, but now He would cut off his strength and the strength of his father’s house.  There would not be an old man in his house forever, but they would all die in their youth.  Those who did not die in their youth would have bitter lives.  The descendants of Eli would be replaced by a different line of the descendants of Aaron, which would be fulfilled during the reign of Solomon.  As a sign that these things would come to pass, the Lord said that his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, would both die in the same day.  The Lord said that He would raise up a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in His heart and mind, and that this priest would stand before His Anointed forever.  This was probably referring to Zadok who took the place of Abiathar (1 Kings 2:27) and who will serve in the Millennial reign (Ezekiel 40-48).  This also appears to be Messianic, as Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchezedek (Hebrews 7:12-17).  The prophet went on to tell Eli that his descendants that remained would bow down to this priest for a piece of silver and morsel of bread, and plead with him to be put in one of the priestly offices so they could have bread to eat.

Wow! This was not a glowing report, but rather a searing message of judgment and condemnation.  To this Eli was speechless, but what could he say?  He and his sons were guilty, and he knew it.  Despite this, Eli does not appear to make any changes, but continues on as usual.  This prophecy would take decades to be fulfilled, but the sign of his two sons dying in one day would come much sooner in the form of national discipline.

Where are you today, reader?  Do you profess Jesus Christ, but deny Him with your actions?    The evidence of truly being born again is your public confession of His lordship over your life and repentance from your sins.  If you have never trusted Him as your Lord and Savior, your religion cannot save you.  You must accept His provision for your sin, His substitutionary death on the cross by placing your faith in Him.  Are you saved and content being a carnal Christian?  Are you driven by greed or engaging in sexual immorality as Hophni and Phinehas were?  The Scriptures state, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:7-8) Do not make the mistake in thinking the Lord will not deal with you in the same manner as He said He would with Hophni and Phinehas.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  The day of reckoning will eventually come, and most of the time, we don’t know what that will look like.  We can rest assured though, it will not be pleasant.  Repent from your sins, and agree with God’s word in what it says about how we are to live.  In the next chapter we will see God personally reveal Himself to Samuel in a very unique and special way.  Thus far, Samuel has faithfully served under Eli’s tutelage, but he has not had a personal relationship with the Lord.  He knew about the Lord, but after this encounter, he will know Him personally.  This will drastically change Samuel’s life, as well as have a profound effect on the nation of Israel.