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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? I chose your father 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 father's house all the offerings made with fire 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?'“
"Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before Me forever.' But now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from Me! Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line and you will see distress in My dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. Every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.’
'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you — they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in My heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before My anointed one always. Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."'"
1 Samuel 2:27-36
This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Within our study of the second chapter of 1 Samuel, we have read about the wicked escapades of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas…about how they had no regard for the Lord and treated His sacrifices with contempt…about how they displayed shameless sexual immorality around the holy Tent of Meeting by sleeping with women at its entrance. We have also read how Eli scolded his sons and warned them that there were dangerous consequences attached to willfully sinning against the Lord.
In today’s message, we see where Eli’s words come to pass as the Lord passes His judgment, not only on Hophni and Phinehas but Eli too.
First, we find God speaking to Eli through a man which is commonplace when He wants to send a message for He typically communicates by way of a messenger or sometimes in the form of a vision or dream. In the first paragraph of God’s message, we see how He reminds Eli of what He has done in the past to appoint spiritual leaders for His people. In this case, it was the establishment of a high priest, clearly revealing Himself to Eli’s “father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh” and later choosing Eli’s father “out of all the tribes of Israel to be (His) priest…to go up to (His) altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in (His) presence.” Further, God had given Eli’s “father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites”. This “father” mentioned was none other than Aaron, the brother of Moses and the very first appointed high priest. A high priest himself, Eli was carrying on the legacy of many Levites who served before him.
Well, after God finished reminding Eli about what He had done in the past and then telling him how he (Eli) had also been appointed to his place of honor, He asked the following questions, wondering how Eli could have allowed the priesthood to be so desecrated on his watch:
“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?“
Now, before we start to wonder who God would condemn Eli for the sinful actions of his sons, we need to keep in mind that there’s no evidence in the scriptures that he had done anything to stop Hophni and Phinehas from doing what they were doing. This made him complicit in their acts and so we find the Lord holding him just as accountable as them.
Perhaps there’s a warning here for all parents who might feel free from God’s consequences for the actions of their children, even though they were fully aware of what was happening and chose not to intervene. The takeaway for us is that the Lord expects us to act when we see people openly sinning against Him. We’re not to simply look the other way or allow the sinful behavior to continue like it’s not our problem as Eli did. When it comes right down to it, condoning transgressive behavior is akin to partnering with the sinners yourself. It’s this message that we find God sending loud and clear.
And so what would the end result be from all this? What consequences would result from the actions of Eli’s sons and Eli’s inaction?
God answers these questions in the remainder of the verses of chapter 2. There, we read where God intended on removing Eli’s right to serve Him…and his families right as well. For although God had “promised that (Eli’s) house and (his) father's (Aaron) house would minister before (Him) forever”, He would remove that promise from Eli, vowing to “cut short (his) strength and the strength of (his) father's (Aaron) house, so that there (would) not be an old man in (Eli’s) family line”.
The family line of high priests under Eli’s lineage was going to end with every descendant either “cut off from (God’s) altar” or spared only so their eyes might be blinded with tears and their hearts grieved. In the end, all of Eli’s descendants would “die in the prime of life” with his “two sons, Hophni and Phinehas” dying “on the same day”.
So who would serve the priesthood after Eli?
Well, God answered that question as well telling Eli that He would “raise up…a faithful priest” to “do according to what is in My heart and mind”. God required that His servants be obedient and partner with Him in like-minded fashion. And so His newly selected and appointed priest, the Lord promised to “firmly establish his house” so he could “minister before My anointed one always”.
As for Eli’s family members, “everyone left in (his) family line (would) come and bow down before (the new priest)”, asking “for a piece of silver and a crust of bread” while pleading, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."
Indeed, hard times were ahead for Eli and his family…and the sad part of all this is that it never had to be that way. It was all completely preventable.
Friends, we need to wake up now to the fact that God despises sin and will not tolerate willing disobedience and disrespect. He is GOD…and in absolute authority and sovereignty over all things in Heaven and on earth. He is an almighty, infinitely powerful God who has no rival. He is not someone who is to be disregarded or disrespected. Rather, He is a God who is to be revered, worshipped, and honored always…now and forever…a God who said this in our passage today:
“Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained.”
In other words, one must first honor God to be honored by Him. Eli and his sons chose to dishonor him and received His wrath and punishment. Let’s make sure we don’t repeat their mistake ourselves.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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