1 Samuel 2:12-36
The Wicked Sons of Eli
12 Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD. 13 And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. 14 Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.”
16 And if the man said to him, “They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires,” he would then answer him, “No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.”
17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
Samuel’s Childhood Ministry
18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD.” Then they would go to their own home.
21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD.
Prophecy Against Eli’s Household
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24 No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD’s people transgress. 25 If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.
26 And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men.
27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 28 Did I not choose him 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? 29 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?’ 30 Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the LORD says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die, both of them. 35 Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever. 36 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, “Please, put me in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”
It is written here that the the sons of Eli were corrupt because they did not know the LORD and continually acted on their sinful desires for self-satisfaction. They pretended to serve the LORD in the house of God but stole people’s sacrifices meant for God and demanded the people give directly to them as well to swell their own bellies, threatening all who questioned or resisted them. They were wolves adorned with priestly robes under Eli their father as if above questioning and masquerading as sheep of the flock of God’s people. Matthew 7:15 likewise warns us in the completed people of the Lord God, the church, about such interlopers who dress in the fashion and speech of true believers but are only out for their own gain. They are marked by self-serving and cunning deceit (Ephesians 4:14) with words that speak of authority and often sound the part, yet are opposed to serving the Lord and subsequently subtly devour His flock by fleecing their offerings of goods and selves to the Lord. These sons of a godly man were quite the opposite, proving one cannot quote a scripture of raising children as a guarantee (Proverbs 22:6) they will come to know, follow, and serve Him themselves. Each is personally accountable to the Lord and responsible for their own repentance of God-given faith exercised in response to His calling as already written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and parents are responsible to teach them (Deuteronomy 6:7, 2 Timothy 3:15) that if called they will know the scriptures to ha able to repent and be reborn when called. By contrast, young Samuel served the LORD faithfully in the house of God under Eli even though them sons of the priest did not; this demonstrates that our faithfulness is not genetic but as a calling from God, not as a position inherited from our parents but as a pronouncement of the Lord according to His purposes and plans. Even when warned by Eli, his sons did not relent or repent from their evil dealings and their causing others to share in their sins (Ephesians 5:6-7, 1 Timothy 5:22, 2 John 1:9, 10-11). As a type of Christ (Luke 2:52), Samuel by contrast to these “grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men.” God then confronted Eli and reminded him of the necessity of faithfulness to his calling with these words of promise to keep Eli’s house as ongoing to serve, ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.’ By contrast to those honoring Him, He promised that those who despise the LORD would themselves be lightly esteemed by Him. Do we take our lives as living sacrificial offerings (Romans 6:13, 12:1-2) lightly? He took away the blessing because Eli failed to keep the covenant of promise to serve the LORD as he did not stop or attempt to restrain his two ungodly sons, Hophni and Phinehas. God would take both of them off the earth at the same time and prophetically promise a true and righteous Priest to faithfully do just what is in His heart and in His mind forever, a picture of the Christ, the Messiah, to come (Hebrews 2:17, 7:26-27, 28) with a house built on a solid foundation (Matthew 7:24, 1 Corinthians 3:10, 11) and anointing (Psalm 18:50) to minister righteously. Those who muse so calls in faithful service will desire to serve Him rightly and with true desire, unlike the wolves who only use the appearance of service to abuse their positions disguised as callings. May we then distinguish between the two and make certain our calling (2 Corinthians 13:5-6, Ephesians 1:4, 2 Peter 1:10-11) as we follow faithfully like living sacrifices to and priests of (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) the Lord in serving Him and others. We are called to serve and to beware the wolves (Ezekiel 22:27, Matthew 7:15, 10:16, Acts 20:29) among the flock that we might serve faithfully (2 Corinthians 4:2) and to expose them (Ephesians 5:11) with the truth in word and deed.
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