Honor God Above All Else

1 Samuel 2:12-36

If you truly know and love God, then you will put Him in His proper place. But if you don’t know Him, you won’t love Him. If you don’t love Him, you won’t keep His commands. This seemed to be the problem that Eli’s sons had. So, at the end of this lesson we talk about knowing God better so we honor God’s ways and live out our calling. But Eli had another problem which we also touch on. He knew and loved God, but he put his sons above Him. When we put others over the Lord, we are seen in the same light as them.

Eli’s Sons Disregard God’s Laws – 1 Samuel 2:12-17

Eli, the high priest, had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Though they served God in deed, they didn’t really know Him. Therefore, they paid Him no honor and used their positions as priests for their own gain. Eli had mistaken Hannah for a worthless woman, but the passage says that his sons actually were worthless. This phrase literally meant “child of Satan.” So, they followed Satan’s ways instead of God’s.

There were specific rules for sacrifices and priests, but Eli’s sons did not follow them (Leviticus 7:22-36). Instead of burning the fat before cooking the meat, then only eating the piece designated to them for each specific type of sacrifice, they asked for raw meat to cook with the fat still on it and when the meat was being cooked, they would just take whatever piece they could grab first. They had complete disregard for God and His ways. They were supposed to be examples to others, but even the people knew this was wrong. But when they objected to the priests mishandling their sacrifices, they were threatened.

God Gives Back to Hannah – 1 Samuel 2:18-21

On the other hand, even as a child, Samuel was serving the Lord honorably, even wearing the required clothing for a priest. Then, when he was not ministering, he wore a robe that his mother made new for him each year and would bring when they came to make sacrifices. While at the tabernacle, Eli would bless Samuel’s parents asking that the Lord would give them multiple children to repay them for the one they gave up. Then, Hannah proceeded to have five more children, 3 boys and two girls. God is so good to us!

Eli Rebukes His Sons – 1 Samuel 2:22-26

Eli kept hearing bad things about his sons, notably that they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Finally, Eli confronted them, letting them know that he was hearing reports from the people that they were doing many bad things. He explained that God would mediate for them if they were sinning against someone else, but by sinning against Him they could expect no such grace. But his words had no effect on them.

He was trying to help them understand the severity of their actions, but when that didn’t work, he should have followed through with harsh consequences. Ultimately, they should have been stripped of their priestly duties and honors. Not only were they not performing their duties out of service to the Lord as was their purpose, but they were going directly against Him. Because of this, God wanted to put them to death.

All the while, Samuel continued to serve the Lord honorably which earned him favor with both God and the people he ministered to.

The Lord Rebukes Eli – 1 Samuel 2:27-36

Because Eli did not correct his sons, God sent an unnamed prophet to rebuke Eli. God had given the prophet the exact words to say, and He spoke as if it were God Himself. First, God reminded him that He had specifically chosen Eli’s family to serve Him when they were still serving the Egyptians. When God sent Moses to deliver them, He also chose Aaron and his descendants to be priests.

This meant they were the ones who would approach God’s altar with sacrifices and burn incense. They had their own unique uniform that demonstrated that they had been set apart for the Lord. In return for their service, He fed them with the people’s sacrifices. But instead of eating the portions of meat designated to them, his sons took advantage of the people, along with God’s kindness, and took the pieces of meat they preferred. Eli had put his sons above the Lord by continuing to allow them to disregard Him. It’s as if Eli was disregarding God’s laws himself so he didn’t have to punish his sons.

God had promised that Aaron’s descendants would serve him forever, but that didn’t mean the priesthood had to remain in Eli’s family. Aaron was the first high priest. When he died, the responsibility was given to his son Eleazar. God renewed His promise through his son Phinehas when he stood against his fellow Israelites in their sin (Numbers 25:10-13). But Eli’s lineage was from Aaron’s other son, Ithamar.

Since Eli’s sons were not worthy of this honor, God said they would die at the same time and many of his descendants would be killed, too. Then, God would raise up a faithful priest outside of Eli’s lineage who would do what was in His heart and mind. The priesthood would be built through him and his descendants would follow. Then, because Eli’s sons had eaten whatever they wanted, the descendants that survived would be left begging for food.

Put Nothing Before Him

Eli put his sons’ feelings before God’s laws. As their father and as the high priest, he had the power to relieve them of their duties. But he either didn’t want to upset them or he just didn’t have the heart to punish them. As a result, God punished the whole family. Because Eli didn’t stop it, He was complicit. Matthew 10:37-39