1 Samuel 2; 1 – 36
My Boss Is Firm And More Than Fair
1 And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 “No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God. 3 “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. 4 “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, and she who has many children has become feeble. 6 “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. 7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and He has set the world upon them. 9 He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail. 10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.” 11Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest. 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 flesh hook 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 flesh hook 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. 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. 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.” ’ ”
Let me ask you a question – ‘What do you think about your boss at work? Is he or she someone that you hate or someone that you like?
Here are some opinions of other people;
A good boss makes his men realize they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could.
Charles Erwin Wilson
People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.
Theodore Roosevelt
By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.
Robert Frost
A leader is admired, a boss is feared.
Vicente del Bosque
I think my favorite response and covers my thoughts about my ‘boss’ is by a David Lauren. He says, ‘My dad is my best friend, my father, and my boss. When I do something that is exciting and he likes it, it feels three times as good as you can imagine.’
I think that most of you know my boss personally. His Name is El Shaddai – Almighty God.
God Is “light.” He Is self-revealing in information of Himself
Only what God has chosen to reveal of Himself can be known. The fact that God has revealed knowledge of Himself should not be neglected. Creation, the Bible, and the Word made flesh (our Precious Lord Jesus Christ) will help us to know what God Is like.
God Is our Creator and that we are a part of His creation and are created in His image. Man is above the rest of creation and was given dominion over it. Creation is marred by the fall but still offers a glimpse of God’s works. By considering creation's vastness, complexity, beauty, and order, we can have a sense of the awesomeness of God.
God Is eternal, meaning He had no beginning and His existence will never end. He Is immortal and infinite. God Is immutable, meaning He Is unchanging; this in turn means that God Is absolutely reliable and trustworthy. God Is incomparable; there is no one like Him in works or being. He Is unequaled and perfect. God Is inscrutable, unfathomable, unsearchable, and past finding out as far as understanding Him completely.
God Is just; He Is no respecter of persons in the sense of showing favoritism. God Is omnipotent; He Is all-powerful and can do anything that pleases Him, but His actions will always be in accord with the rest of His character. God Is omnipresent, meaning He Is present everywhere. God Is omniscient, meaning He knows the past, present, and future, including what we are thinking at any given moment. Since He knows everything, His justice will always be administered fairly.
God Is one; not only Is there no other, but He Is alone in being able to meet the deepest needs and longings of our hearts. God alone Is worthy of our worship and devotion. God Is righteous, meaning that God cannot and will not pass over wrongdoing. It Is because of God’s righteousness and justice that, in order for our sins to be forgiven, as you know our Lord Jesus had to experience God's wrath when our sins were placed upon Him.
God Is sovereign, meaning He Is supreme. All of His creation put together cannot thwart His purposes. God Is spirit, meaning He Is invisible. God Is a Trinity. He Is three in one, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. God Is truth, He will remain incorruptible and cannot lie.
God Is holy, separated from all moral defilement and hostile toward it. God sees all evil and it angers Him. God Is referred to as a consuming fire. God Is gracious, and His grace includes His goodness, kindness, mercy, and love. If it were not for God's grace, His holiness would exclude us from His presence. Thankfully, this is not the case, for He desires to know each of us personally.
So folks this is a small description of my boss. I like Him. In fact I am thankful for Him.
Would you like to work for such a boss? Would you do all your best for this boss? Would you ever believe that there are many people who have been allowed to serve Him hate Him by their thoughts, words, and actions? I think you know the answer to this question.
Today we are going to learn about a few of them and the ultimate consequences for not loving and serving such a great Boss with all their hearts, minds, and strength.
This prayer-prophecy should be seen as continuing the thought of chapter 1. It does, however, summarize the message of the whole book, leading up to the exaltation of our Great Holy Father’s Righteous King, and the promise of an everlasting king arising from David’s house. In it Hannah prophesies concerning the greatness of YHWH, and of his dealings with the righteous as against the unrighteous, and then she gazes ahead to the establishment of the glorious, ideal kingship which past prophecy had led true believers to anticipate. This kingship had been prophesied in Genesis 17.6; Numbers 25.17; Deuteronomy 18.14-20. Once the king came all their problems would be solved. So God had from the beginning led His people to anticipate the coming one day of a great king who would do all His will (Genesis 49.10; Deuteronomy 18.14-20), and, as we know, the people had already experimented with kingship. Now as she dedicates her son to YHWH Hannah looks ahead to this greater gift that YHWH will one day give to His people. In view of what follows it is clear that this dream of a coming king was something that was in the minds of all God’s people, as it had also been in Judges, and it was in the light of this desire that we must see the later request for a king . God’s disapproval would not be of their desire for a king, but of the kind of king that they had in mind, one who essentially displaced YHWH and was like the kings of all the nations.
We can divide her prayer up as follows:
• 1). The Greatness and Saving Power of YHWH. She exults in the deliverance and security that she anticipates for herself and her people from YHWH. They lived in dangerous days and none were more aware than she was of how much they needed God’s continued deliverance and protection. It was this confidence that would sustain the godly in Israel in the dark days that were to come. But it also indicated her own triumph in her deliverance as something accomplished by God in the face of her own adversary (2.1-2).
• 2). A warning to the proud And arrogant. She warns of the need of all men for humility before YHWH in the light of the fact that He knows all things and weighs their actions. She may especially have had in mind here the well publicized behavior of the priests. But she no doubt also had in mind her own persecution at the hands of Peninnah. As readers we may also see it as pertinent to the behavior of Saul throughout the first half of the book. It was his arrogance that led to his downfall. If anyone needed this advice, he did (2.3).
• 3). God humbles the proud and raises up the humble and needy. Hannah was very much aware that this was what YHWH had done for her and she emphasizes YHWH’s continual care for the weak, hungry and barren, in contrast with His dealings with the powerful, rich and seemingly well-blessed. Here she has in mind her own experience, as seen in the light of God’s continuously revealed concern for the poor, the widow, the fatherless and the needy. Her own experience of barrenness had given her a realization of the heartfelt needs of the people (2.4-5). She had become one with them in their need.
• 4). YHWH’s Sovereignty over humanity As Giver of life and as their Creator. In these verses she beautifully expresses YHWH’s control over life and death as Creator, and over people’s future prospects and destinies, having special reference to his love for the downtrodden and His readiness to exalt them. She especially felt that this applied to her because YHWH had given life to her in the giving of her child. But these things were all her people’s everyday concerns and this also reflected her compassion and hopes for her people (2.6-8). That indeed was why she had given her child to YHWH, so that he might be a blessing to the whole people. But also reflected in these words we can see David’s rise to power out of seeming death.
• 5). She glories in the Power of YHWH and in His coming King. In closing she emphasizes YHWH’s care for ‘His holy ones’ and warns those who vaunt themselves against Him of the consequences. And all this is in the light of the future glorious day when YHWH will rule over the whole earth through His coming anointed king. The hoped for Shiloh will come, and to Him will the gathering of the people be It was her dream that her child might have his part to play in this glorious scenario (as indeed he would). This found partial fulfillment in the enthroning of David, but the ending of 2 Samuel in a plague caused by the king’s disobedience (2 Samuel 22) demonstrates quite clearly that even to the writer he was only to be seen as a prototype and not as the real thing. The real thing would lie in the final everlasting king from David’s house described in 2 Samuel 7.13, 16.
1 And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 “No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.
Hannah exults in YHWH Who has given her a son, and even more over her great privilege of giving him to YHWH. This has raised her status above all women in Israel (her horn is exalted in YHWH, i.e. she can now toss her head like the horned stag in his triumph). At the same time she no longer has to keep silent in humiliation in the face of her adversaries because she has borne a son to the discomfiture of all her enemies who had criticized her. For God has saved her from her humiliation and proved that none is holy like Him, none can be compared with Him, and none is so firm a foundation as He is. The idea of God as her rock comes from Deuteronomy 32.4
3 “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.
Hannah may have had in mind here her treatment by Peninnah and other spiteful women of her acquaintance who had expressed their own pride and had given her a hard time. But in mind also may have been the behavior of the current priesthood as soon to be described. It is, however, a general warning to all. She wants all to humble them before YHWH as she has, so that they may also enjoy similar blessings to the ones which she has received from the One Who has weighed her actions and responded accordingly.
Her point is not that she has been blessed because her good actions have outweighed the bad, but that God has weighed up the longing of her heart and the purity of her purpose. That is why He has blessed her.
4 “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, and she who has many children has become feeble.
Hannah here contrasts the proud, self-sufficient warriors with those who stumble on their way, and is pointing out that it is God Who brings down and disarms the one while giving strength to the other. That is what He has done for her. In her weakness He has girded her with strength.
She then contrasts the rich with their high standard of living with those who go hungry, and warns that God will cause the rich to have to fend for bread, while the hungry will cease being hungry because their needs will be supplied, in the same way as God has fed her own hungry soul.
In both cases the warning is to the proud and arrogant of what God does to those who are so proud unless they consider their ways, while at the same time being gracious to the weak and helpless, something that she has now experienced for herself.
The third example of the three is especially pertinent to her case, and again warns against arrogance in the face of other people’s sufferings. She who was barren has borne a child who has fulfilled her desire. To her he is the equivalent of seven children the divinely perfect number. In contrast the one who has many children will languish (either because of her pride and unkindness to those less fortunate than herself, with Peninnah in mind, or because she loses her children and is left bereft).
The overall point is that all such people should take into account God and His ways so that they are not caught out. For she has learned through her own experience what matters most is not to trust in one’s own strength and resources, but to trust in YHWH.
6 “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. 7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and He has set the world upon them.
Hannah now turns her thoughts to YHWH’s overall sovereignty both in life and death, and in regard to wealth and poverty. She is very much aware of this because of the life that God has given her in her son. There is no reference here to resurrection. The thought is rather that life and death are in His hands. Some die, others are ‘given life’, or revive after illness. But all depend on YHWH. Some are brought down to the grave world (Sheol), others are raised up from their beds of sickness. And in the same way it is He Who makes men poor or rich, Who brings men low, or raises them up. This indeed is what has happened to her, she herself feels that she has been lifted out of a living death, and has been made rich and exalted in her bearing of a son.
She has come by it to recognize that YHWH Is The One Who lifts the poor and needy from the dust and from the dunghill (the place of misery and humiliation), and makes them enjoy the privilege of being princes, and of sitting on a glorious throne. No doubt at that moment she felt that she, who had spiritually been mourning on a dunghill, was indeed now enthroned in glory at her joy over Samuel’s birth.
It’s very continuance is dependent on His provision, as is demonstrated by the fact that ‘the pillars of the earth are YHWH’s, and He has set the world upon them’. This vivid description pictures the world as being like a house or temple. If He were to pull the pillars away the house would come crashing down.
We gain from this some understanding of how Hannah’s soul is exalted, for in her eyes all these descriptions bring out what YHWH has done for her. He has turned her world upside down. And her point is that He not only does it for her, but will do it for others.
9 He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. “For by strength no man shall prevail. 10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.”
Hannah finishes her words with an expression of confidence in the fact that YHWH will keep the feet of His chosen ones, while disposing of the wicked who will be put to silence in darkness. They will end up in Sheol. For no man can prevail by his own strength, which is why His chosen ones need Him to keep their feet from failing, while the unrighteous will end up in darkness and those who strive with Him will be broken in pieces. Indeed He will thunder against them in the heavens. Again we can compare David and Saul.
Have you ever heard from someone the statement, ‘I would rather be in hell with my friends where there will be partying forever.’ We read in verse 9, ‘the wicked shall be silent in darkness.’ In ‘hell’ people will alone forever. You will not be able to see anyone or converse with anyone. You will be in complete darkness yet cognizant of your existence. This is the ultimate horror.
We will now see the careful build up of Samuel’s ministry and of his own spiritual growth. But deliberately interlaced within it is the continuing description of the downfall of the house of Eli. The lesson here is simple. Even in the same environment some develop and grow nearer to God, while others continue headlong on the way to disaster.
2.11 ‘And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child ministered to YHWH before Eli the priest.’
In a few poignant words the traumatic moment of the separation is rapidly passed over. There is no mention of Hannah. Her prayer has said all that needs to be said. As the head of the house Elkanah leaves Samuel with Eli, and returns to his house in Ramah without his son, for his son has been given to YHWH. And Samuel remains behind at Shiloh and begins to minister to YHWH under Eli’s guidance and instruction. He has been adopted by YHWH and is under Eli’s protection. How Eli must have wished that his own sons were like this.
The lives of the two sons of Eli were the very opposite of Samuel’s. They too had been ‘given to YHWH’ when they had been made priests, but their behavior revealed how far they were from YHWH
2.12 ‘Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know YHWH.’
These men who had the responsibility for ministering to YHWH on behalf of Israel are described as ‘worthless men’. No wonder then that Israel languished. And the result was that ‘they did not know YHWH’. We know from 3.7 that this refers to the fact that YHWH did not reveal His word to them. Thus those who came to Shiloh seeking spiritual assistance and guidance went away empty. We must not, however, see Israel as totally empty of such guidance for, as 2.27 reveals, YHWH still had local prophets (‘men of God’) who would pronounce His word. Throughout the ages this has always been so. God has always had His ‘local prophets’. But the central place at which that guidance should have been made available was empty. The fountain had dried up. It was a pattern that would be revealed again and again throughout history.
2.13-14 ‘And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand, and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot. All that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.’
The Law had laid down clear instruction in the book of Leviticus 7.29-34 about the priest’s portion, which consisted of the breast and shoulder. But these two men took no notice of the Law. Instead of simply accepting the breast and shoulder, whenever a sacrifice was offered they sent their servant with a three pronged fork, and when the flesh that had been taken off the sacrifice was still boiling, in went the fork, and whatever came out was claimed by the priests. This may have been additionally to the breast and shoulder, or it may simply be that the fork was designed in such a way as to ensure the collection of much larger portions. Either way they were taking more than was allotted to them. This was what Shiloh had come to under their priesthood - A place of daylight robbery. And no one dared to argue with God’s ‘holy’ priests.
In the same way we also should ask ourselves whether we are similarly robbing God. For we too are His servants, and all the wealth that is committed to our care is His. The danger for us also is that we can use for our own purposes what we should really see as His, for as Jesus informed His disciples when He directed their attention to the widow who gave her mites in the Temple, our giving is judged on the basis, not of how much we give, but of what we keep for ourselves. Others of us want more than God intends for us, and spend time that we should be spending in His service on obtaining more wealth for ourselves.
The priests got tired of boiled meat and so they devised another plan in order to satisfy themselves.
2.15-16 ‘Yes, before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, “Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not have boiled flesh from you, but raw.” And if the man said to him, “They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as your soul desires,” then he would say, “No, but you must give it to me now, and if not, I will take it by force.” ’
This second breach of the Law was even more flagrant than the first. They actually demanded that they be given the raw flesh before the fat, which had to be given to YHWH, had been burnt. Presumably therefore it was before it had been removed. At such a gross breach of the Law the people protested. The Law emphasized that the fat must first be given to YHWH and burned on the altar. It was sacred. Then the priests could have as much as they wanted. As we have read the people were then threatened that if they did not do as they were told force would be used so that the priests would get their way. None, of course, could prevent it. No one would dare to strike a holy priest or his servant. That would have been sacrilege. So they had to give way. Thus the two priests and their servants blatantly insulted YHWH by ignoring all His requirements, taking advantage of their privileged position.
After 9/11 myself along with some other Pastors joined the Philadelphia Police Department as Chaplains. I aim was not to be a police officer or have a badge to get out of tickets [however it has been nice and has caused me some benefits]. Our desire is to minister to those who place their lives in harm’s way each day and to be ready and available if an emergency came up.
They say ‘one bad apple spoils the bunch’ and it is true. On one occasion a chaplain was doing an officer’s funeral and he had the Gaul to ask the grieving wife for some money for doing the service. Can you imagine that a minister asking for money to minister? Sadly, it goes on all over the place. Just like Eli’s sons it gives our Precious Master Lord Jesus a bad rap.
2.17 ‘And the sin of the young men was very great before YHWH, for the men despised the offering of YHWH.’
The writer sums up the situation. The sin of these young men, Hophni and Phinehas (verse 34), was very great before YHWH, in that by their actions they were demonstrating that they despised the offering of YHWH. The result was that the offerings would become despised by the. The whole sacrificial system was being brought into disrepute because of the scandalous behavior of these two priests. And it seems that Eli did nothing about it.
In total contrast the young Samuel, dressed similarly to a priest even though still a child, ministered before YHWH, and continued to grow in righteousness
2.18 ‘But Samuel ministered before YHWH, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.’
We are not told what Samuel’s duties consisted of, but he clearly carried them out faithfully. And there in the Tabernacle he diligently served YHWH, and wore a linen ephod, which distinguished him as a ‘holy’ child, a child set apart wholly to the worship of YHWH. An ephod was a garment which went over the head and covered the shoulders and was secured round the waist. It was mainly distinctive of the priests, although it could be worn by others when engaged in sacred activities. There was a special ephod for ‘the Priest’ (the High Priest).
2.19 ‘Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and used to bring it to him from year to year (literally ‘from days to days’), when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice (the sacrifice of days’).’
The ‘little robe’ was similar to the garment that ‘the Priest’ wore under the ephod. A new one was brought by his mother every time that she attended the regular feasts, which she did regularly in order to offer a sacrifice through her husband. She never forgot her son, and she never neglected to worship YHWH.
2.20 ‘And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, “YHWH give you seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of YHWH.” And they went to their own home.
It would seem that Eli watched out for Samuel’s parents and gave them his personal attention. No doubt Samuel had won his heart, and he was undoubtedly thankful to have him ministering in the Sanctuary. Thus when he offered sacrifice on their behalf he blessed Elkanah and his wife, and prayed that God would continue to answer her petition by giving her more children. And with that blessing they went to their own home.
Have you ever come across a situation where a Pastor has been in sin yet at the same time his ministry is doing well? You see the people are the Lord’s sheep and He will still care for them even if His co-shepherd has veered from following the True Shepherd whole heartedly. We all know however, that when the Lord Is ready this Pastor’ life and ministry will come crashing down.
2.21 ‘And YHWH visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before YHWH.’
So partly in response to her prayer, and we are no doubt intended to see partly due to the blessing of the Priest, YHWH again ‘visited’ Hannah, and the result was that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. God was giving her a family to fill the gap that Samuel’s departure had unquestionably left. God is no man’s debtor. You give to the Lord and He will multiply it back to you. In the Gospel of Mark chapter 10 our buddy Peter questioned our Lord Jesus about what he and the apostle should get because they committed their lives to Him. We read, ‘Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, “who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
Our hands are open to You Lord.
While Samuel was growing and developing, Eli’s sons were shriveling and disintegrating. By this time Eli was an old man. His time as Priest was coming to an end. And while Samuel cheered his godly heart continually, the news that he heard about his two sons grieved him greatly. Indeed it had become so serious that he determined to give them a severe warning.
I have noticed that almost all of the time a Pastor’s son cannot just inherit the church. Just recently I witnessed the same kind of arrogance that we are reading about here in 1 Samuel where this spoiled son was giving his dad a hard time. Was he disciplined? –No! Was the son rebuked by his father/Pastor? – No!
2.22 ‘Now Eli was very old, and he continued hearing all that his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who did service at the door of the tent of meeting.’
Notice the extent of the influence of these godless men, now somewhat older, but certainly no wiser. Indeed they had become even more sinful, for they not only continued to sin before all Israel, but they lay with the women who were in the service of YHWH, the women who did service at the door of the Tent of Meeting itself. This was not only adultery, but adultery carried out in the very face of YHWH. We do not know whether the women freely consented, but it is probable that they at least had pressure put on them by the priests. So they disgraced their office in a new way.
You can be the biggest nerd that ever existed yet if you wind up with a church leadership position you all of a sudden become a catch for some gorgeous women. You become quite attractive to them. They seek a man who is called by the Lord. Women are amazingly more spiritual than men. Sure they led man away from God in the beginning by giving Adam the forbidden fruit. Yet it is predominately women who are in the forefront of leading men back to God. Thank you sisters.
In the ministry you fight against strong temptations with women, power, prestige, and prosperity. Submitting or giving in to one of these areas will lead to the ending of one’s ministry.
Please take note at where this sin occurred ‘At the door of the tent of meeting.’ This was particularly heinous as this was where people would come to YHWH for judgment on different issues (Exodus 29.42). It was where a woman who was accused of adultery would be tested out ‘before YHWH’ (Number 5.16). And yet now the very women who served there had been made into adulteresses and that by the very priests of YHWH.
2.23-24 ‘And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all this people. No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear. You make YHWH’s people to transgress. If one man sin against another, God will arbitrate for him, but if a man sin against YHWH, who will arbitrate for him?”
Eli challenges his sons on their behavior, but it was something that he should have done long before. He points out that he is hearing about their bad behavior from everywhere. All are talking about it. (Possibly previously he had closed his ears to the ‘rumors’. But now they could be ignored no longer). And he reproves them because the report he is receiving is not good. Why, he asks, are they doing such things? Do they not realize that they are making YHWH’s people transgress? This was serious indeed, because, if a man sins against another, God will step in as arbitrator and judge, but when a man sins directly against YHWH who is there to arbitrate for him? And the answer is, no one for there is no one whose plea would be sufficient in view of the greatness of the sin.
2.25 “notwithstanding, they did not listen to the voice of their father, because YHWH was minded to slay them.’
Whether they would have listened to their father of their own volition even if YHWH had not hardened them we do not know. The probability is that they would not, for they were hardened sinners. Here we see that now there was another reason why they did not listen, and that was because, as a result of the fact that they had hardened their hearts for so long, God had now hardened their hearts. As with Pharaoh previously, the time for forgiveness had passed. YHWH had determined that they must die. They had committed the ‘sin unto death’ (James 5.16-17).
2.26 ‘And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favour both with YHWH, and also with men.’
While Eli’s sons have totally gone off the deep end, and have come under the condemnation of both YHWH and men. Samuel continues to ‘grow on’. He is doing the exact opposite. He is increasing in favor both with YHWH and with men. Happy the one of whom this can be said. All who had contact with him were impressed and found blessing from him. He was in total contrast to the sons of Eli.
Scripture constantly reveals that God is never left without a witness. Always at special times of need a ‘man of God’ appears. In this case there comes an anonymous ‘man of God’ to Eli. He may well, of course, have been known to Eli, but like a number of ‘men of God’ in Samuel and Kings he is not made known to us. He is one of God’s anonymous witnesses. He is, however, important nonetheless, and his message is even more important, for he has come to signal the demise of Eli’s house.
The coming of ‘the man of God’ has significance in the passage. For it indicates that at this point in time YHWH has no one else that He can use in order to convey the message to Eli. But in chapter 3 the situation will change, for there YHWH uses Samuel for the purpose. It is thus an indication that Samuel is by then also accepted as a ‘man of God’, able to receive and pass on a message from YHWH. His status is continually growing.
2.27-28 ‘and there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him, “Thus says YHWH. Did I reveal myself to the house of your father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? And did I give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?” ’
The man of God comes to Eli and outlines in YHWH’s Name all that YHWH has done for his house. He had revealed Himself to the house of his ‘father’ (ancestor) Aaron when he was in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house. He had chosen him out of all the tribes of Israel to be His Priest, so that he might go up to His altar, burn incense, and wear the ephod (of the Priest) before Him. Note the order as it moves forwards from the sacrificial altar in the courtyard, to the altar of incense in the Holy Place, to wearing the Priest’s ephod before YHWH in the Holiest of All. It was a huge privilege that the house of Aaron had been given. And YHWH had also given to the house of his father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire, a part of which was given to the priests, the very offerings which were now being misused by them.
2.29 “Why do you trample on my sacrifice and my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?”
The charge is then laid, that Eli and his house have trampled on His sacrifice and offering which He has commanded in His own habitation, and indeed that Eli, by allowing what he has, has honored his sons above YHWH, and what is more, has by participating in their behavior made himself fat with the best parts of the offerings of His people Israel. Eli is thus not to be exonerated from blame.
2.30 “Thus the word of YHWH, the God of Israel, “I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before me for ever.” But now, the word of YHWH, “Be it far from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be lightly esteemed.”
In Exodus 29.9; Numbers 25.13 God had said that the family of Aaron in all its branches would serve perpetually as priests in His presence, but now He was altering the promise as far as Eli’s line were concerned. The time would come when they would cease to act as priests. And the reason for it was because they had lightly esteemed Him and despised Him. For, He declares, ‘those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed’. By this they had excluded themselves from God’s covenant. Thus they would be cut off from the priesthood, and the promise would from then on only apply to the house of Eliezer, that is, to the Zadokites. These last would, of course, also later be cut off as a result of their attitude towards our Lord Jesus Christ by the destruction of the Temple. In God’s eyes Israel therefore no longer has a priesthood, apart from the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ. But that was yet in the far future.
2.31 “Behold, the days come, 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.”
To cut off the arm meant to remove the strength. Thus the point was being made that no male of his house would in future grow to be an old man, because YHWH would not permit it.
2.32 “And you will behold the distress of my habitation, in all that which God has shown of good to Israel, and there will not be an old man in your house forever.”
This cutting off of the arm would have consequences also for the Tabernacle. As a result of the behavior of Eli’s family distress would come upon God’s habitation, thus affecting all that God had given to Israel in their unique form of worship. And distress would come on Eli’s family to such an extent that they would no longer be long-lived (something seen as an indication of God’s displeasure)
So Eli would live to see YHWH’s habitation distressed. This would happen when he received news of the capture of the Ark by the Philistines. The loss of the Ark was a cause of great distress to the Tabernacle, God’s dwelling place. It meant that Israel was bereft of the very symbol of God’s presence with them. ‘In all which God has shown of good to Israel’ would then refer to the loss of all the benefits that the Tabernacle brought to Israel. This would be the consequence of their defeat at the hands of the Philistines. The Ark would be taken, and later the Sanctuary of Shiloh would itself either be destroyed, or fall into disuse.
2.33 “And the man of yours, whom I will not cut off from my altar, will be to consume your eyes, and to grieve your heart; and all the increase of your house will die in manhood.”
And any man of the house of Eli whom God does not cut off from His altar (prevent from being a practicing priest), will be a cause of great sadness and grief of heart to his family, and all the males born in his house will die while still young men. In other words the future for his house is grim. They will never again produce satisfactory priests. It will be noted that they are not being excluded from the priesthood, only from its greatest blessings and benefits, and above all from the High Priesthood.
2.34 “And this will be the sign to you, that will come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas. In one day they will die, both of them.”
The evidence that this prophecy will be fulfilled will be that Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will both die on the same day, an event which will shortly be recorded
2.35 “And I will raise me up a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house, and he will walk before my anointed forever.”
The promise is then that in contrast to Eli and his family, which is now rejected, God will raise up a faithful Priest who will be totally faithful to Him, and He will establish his house and make it sure, and when he comes, this Priest will serve God’s anointed one ‘all the days’. Essentially therefore the promise here is of a faithful and true High Priest who will serve the coming expected ideal prince, the prince who in the future will be the anointed of YHWH. This is Israel’s glorious future. While our thoughts may naturally turn to what lies ahead in Samuel that was not in anyone’s mind when this prophecy was given. The thought was rather of the coming of ‘God’s expected anointed one’, which to them would have indicated, as it did to Hannah, the coming hoped for ideal king mentioned in 2.10, whom God would raise up in accordance with Genesis 17.6. The thought is therefore essentially ‘Messianic’, and find its ultimate fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ Who would become our great and perfect High Priest, acting on our behalf (Hebrews 2.17).
2.36 “And it will come about that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say, “Put me, I pray you, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”
In terms of Messianic expectation the thought here is that the coming High Priest will be so exalted that this current priesthood will have to humble them before Him in order to receive life’s necessities, desiring to serve Him in order to enjoy their bread. We find a fulfillment of this depicted in the covenant meal offered to the crowds by our Lord Jesus, followed by His exposition of it in terms of the need to receive Him as the Bread of life John 6.35. All would have to come to Him in this way. If we would live, we too must eat of Him.
