A Verse
1 Samuel 2:27-36
And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 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? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”
A Comment
We are going to look at this passage today and tomorrow. I cannot pass over the significance of the prophet’s words regarding a faithful priest, but I also do not want to miss the importance of the warning all parents should receive from the prophet’s rebuke to Eli.
Admittedly, this passage is sad. Eli is confronted by the man of God, a prophet sent by the Lord to rebuke him for his failure as a priest and a parent. While Hophni and Phinehas will be held accountable by the Lord for their evil deeds, Eli is also responsible. Eli should have dealt with his sons’ evil. Instead, he was apathetic to their evil. While it may have grieved him personally, it did not grieve him enough to act. And, as a result, his sons did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes.
Every believing parent that reads this passage ought to slow down and reflect on the words of this passage. Eli is accused (rightly) of “honoring” his sons above the Lord by disregarding the Lord’s commands. Maybe Eli felt that he should address the problems that he saw in his sons. Maybe Eli felt that if he honored the Lord above his sons that he would drive them away. But Eli was wrong. It is never right to honor anyone, even your children, more highly than the Lord.
Obviously, this applies to more than just one’s relationship to their children. It could apply to one’s spouse or to one’s profession or a host of other things. But we need to see here that the Lord is jealous for His glory. He will not share it with another. If Eli wanted to show regard for his sons, then he should have shown ultimate regard for God. But he didn’t. And his decision will be devastating for his family.
May we heed the warning to regard the glory of the Lord above all.
A Prayer
Would you pray with me?
A Blessing
May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
The Lord is Jealous for His Glory