1 Samuel: Chapter 2
Chapter 2 focuses on the household of Eli.
Chapter Recap
The chapter starts with Hannah's prayer and praise to the Lord. After which Elkanah and his family went home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest. Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him during their annual sacrifice. Eli blessed Elkanah and Hannah, saying, "May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.
Eli’s own sons however, were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. Further, they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Eli heard this and said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke.
Because of this, a man of God carrying the word of the Lord came to Eli and prophesied against his household. Since Eli honored his sons more than the Lord by fattening themselves on the choice parts of every offering made by the people, no longer would members of his family minister before the Lord. Moreover they will die in the prime of their lives, such that no one in the family reaches old age. What is about to happen to Hophni and Phinehas (Eli's sons) will be a sign - both will die on the same day. In the place of Eli's household, the Lord will raise up a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in the heart and mind of the Lord. His priestly house will be firmly established and they will minister before the Lord's anointed one always. Then everyone left in Eli's family mine will come and bow before him for food and refuge.
Eli
Eli the high priest, was also a judge for Israel. He undeniably had a passion to serve the LORD, and he was acceptive of the judgement on his own family. But it is bothersome that a man who served the LORD faithfully, was unable to teach his own children the same. The willful ignorance and disrespect Eli's sons show towards the LORD is baffling, which in turn sealed their fate. Perhaps, there might have been something which Eli could have done differently to stop this? Maybe, maybe not.
Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel. I Samuel 2:22
The verse makes it a point to stress that Eli hears about his sons doing, only when he was very old. The implication could be that either, Eli didn't literally know that his sons were turning away from the LORD until he was really old, or that Eli's sons, started acting up when they realized that their father is very old. The latter reasoning could be based on the sons thinking that the priesthood would follow them, and they'd have absolute power and control, so they don't have to play by the rules.
To Eli's credit, he does try to talk them out of it, but it wasn't enough. Maybe he didn't take a stand, or he felt that there isn't anything left to do. But, in hindsight, based on the message from the LORD, it seems like Eli, could have indeed did something differently. Eli's sons dishonoring the LORD, is quite a big offence. Even more so, is that Eli, didn't outright stop them from continuing to do the same. The following verses explain this.
The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s. “‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’” Leviticus 3:16-17
If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force. This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. I Samuel 2:16-17
I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ I Samuel 2:28-29
It was the LORD who chose Eli's ancestors to serve as priests. And that entitled them to the sacrifices offered to the LORD, except for specific things. This was supposed to be a lasting ordinance, a covenant made between the LORD and the priests. However, this vow, is being dishonored and broken by Eli's sons, and instead of preventing them from taking this any further, he too was "fattening" himself on the choice parts of the offering made to the LORD. This was Eli's biggest sin in the eyes of the LORD. He honored his sons more than the LORD. And for this, he and his family payed. Though Eli accepted this judgement, he could have prevented all these. Like with many other things, in hindsight, everything is clear, but often useless to the person who could have used the insight, beforehand.
Hannah's Prayer
Hannah's praise and prayer in this chapter is an acknowledgment to the acts of the LORD. The overall essence which Hannah drives at here is that the LORD is all in all and anything and everything which happens is by and because of the LORD, either directly or indirectly. Seeking the LORD with the right heart, blesses the person who seeks, while people who willfully go against the LORD suffer. The LORD also supports, sustains and lifts up the helpless.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; on them he has set the world. I Samuel 2:8
Looking at the lives of Hannah and Eli, we see that they did a lot of things right. But in the case of Eli, there was one glaring misstep which he didn't realize. Had he known the gravity of what he was doing, or what he didn't do, he would have indeed acted differently. We too likewise, might often miss out on things, only to relent later. Sometimes, it isn't a big deal, but other times, it could very well take a huge toll from us. The examples we see through out the Bible, are written in to show us what to do, and what not to do. Learning and understanding their lives, are valuable lessons to us.
To wrap up, let us in all things honor the LORD, and he will take care of us. While we can give many things to honor the LORD, one of the simplest and probably the most crucial thing we can honor the LORD is by giving our time. So lets set apart a specific time each day for the LORD, and use it to pray and meditate, thereby honoring the LORD in everything we do. See you in the next one. Take care of yourself and each other!
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