“The Sin of Eli’s Sons” – 1 Samuel 2:18-36

Well again, good morning, we welcome you to Kootenai Community Church adult

Sunday school and This morning. We're in chapter 2 the final portion of chapter 2 and 1st

Samuel so while you're turning there, I would just like to Thank you for your participation

And I pray this morning before we start Heavenly Father, we just thank you

Lord for your word. I thank you for the Conviction and the instruction that we receive from your word and this morning as we examine this text

I pray that your Holy Spirit would illuminate each of us with understanding not only to understand

What you have said through your servant Samuel, but also That we might partake of the precepts that you have given us

So we just ask this to your glory and we pray this in Christ's name.

Amen so the portion that we will be examining this morning starts in Verse 22 and we will be working toward the end of the chapter in verse 36

Before we start I'd like to read the text Now Eli was very old and he heard all that his sons were doing

To all of Israel and how they lay with the woman women

Who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting? He said to them

Why do you do such things? The evil things that I hear from all these people know my sons

For the report is not good, which I hear the Lord's people are

Circulating if one man sins against another God will mediate for him.

But if a man sins against the Lord who can intercede for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father for the

Lord desired to put them to death Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and favor

Both with the Lord and with men Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him

Thus says the Lord Did I not indeed reveal myself to the house of your father?

When they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be my priests?

To go up to my altar to burn incense to carry an ephod

Before me and did I not give the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel?

Why do you kick at my sacrifice at my offering which I commanded in my dwelling and honor your sons above me

By making yourselves fat with the choices of every offering of my people

Israel therefore the Lord God of Israel declares

I Indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk 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 will lightly be esteemed

Behold the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's house

So that there will not be an old man in your house you will see the distress of my dwelling in spite of all the good that I do for Israel and An old man will not be in your house forever

Yet I will cut off every man of yours from my altar so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve and All the increase of your house will die in the prime of life

This will be the sign to which will come concerning your two sons

Hoffney and Phineas on The day both of them will die

But I will raise up for myself a fearful priest who will do according to what is my heart and My soul and I will build him an enduring house and he will walk before me anointed always

Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say

Please assign me to one of the priests offices so that I may eat a piece of bread well, this is a stark judgment of God Against Eli and all his family to come

Deservingly so in this text we see three major points the first The moral sins of Eli's sons in verses 2 22 through 25 second

Hannah's son Samuel who's physically and spiritually growing in favor with God and all of Israel and the third is

The judgment against Eli's sons in all his household Eli's treatment of the sins of his sons is just approached timidly

Listen to how he addresses this Verse 22 now Eli was very old and he heard all that his sons were doing

To all of Israel and how they lay with women who served at the doorway of the tent meeting now there was a multitude of Grievous sins that these two godless men did even in their position

Appointed as priests over Israel to offer sacrifices to the Lord They were gluttons

They were full of lust and carried out all this evil at the tabernacle in Shiloh Think of this two men the sons of the high priest

Eli Appointed to bring forth sacrifices to God and Offer them before the people

They did so in such a way that it disgraced God and it desecrated the tabernacle

They were evil in all they did Now one reformed commentator makes this statement referring to this passage

He says this They knew nothing of self -control they gave rain to the lusts and indulged in vices

That were commonly associated with the idol worship, which was made

By all the pagan idolaters and They made the place of worship terrible to the

Israelites Imagine they were coming there to honor God with their sacrifices

They brought the best of the meats to be offered before the

Lord. They did so with voluntary desire to please the

Lord and Here's Hophni and Phinehas Taking extra portions, not only that but as we'll see as we go through this text

They violated all the protocol of the priest as we look at this

They hardly cared about disguising their participation in these indulgences

We cannot help but see the stark failures of the priest Eli Before we examine the response of Eli to his sons in verse 23.

Let's consider Who Eli was and what were his duties?

Eli though he was a High priest of Israel had heard of the wickedness and the treatment that his sons had done

There's nothing recorded about Eli's early life. He was a descendant of Aaron and held the office of a high priest a descendant of Aaron through Ithamar Eli is generally

Supposed to have been the first of the line of Ithamar to hold the office of high priest

Eli Acted as a judge over Israel as well Being the immediate predecessor of Samuel The last of judges

He was also the first judge who was of priestly descent and is said to have judged

Israel for 40 years think of it at first perhaps he served with vigor and reverence to the

Lord but gradually he became insensitive lacking discernment as We look at his life.

You can see even in this book as we look at the first chapter of what he did to Hannah Hannah a godly woman goes to the temple and She's praying to the

Lord. She's Her heart was just poured out before the Lord.

She prayed and only her lips were moving and yet She was praying her heart out to ask

God for a son she did so Not only to honor

God But she wanted to dedicate this son if God were to grant her that To the

Lord all his days So even though she had no children, she was barren

She went to the God of all creation When Eli saw her praying rather than realizing this woman of God was

Interceding and praying and pouring her heart out before God What's he do?

He accuses her of drunkenness Can you imagine here's the high priest a

Woman comes in a woman of God who has been faithfully Worshiping there at the tabernacle for years in Shiloh and yet He doesn't even understand or recognize how holy person she was she was set apart for God for a very specific purpose and She wanted to honor

God and yet he accuses her of drunkenness it would be as he was comparing her to those who were the temple prostitutes and all the pagan land and yet she was

God's child so as we look at the many aspects of Eli's son

We recognize that they were guilty of theft and robbery by taking

Portions other than the right shoulder and breast which belonged to the priest that was

Specific outline and given to them in the Levitical law there was procedure and reverence for the priest as They took offerings and brought the offerings for the

Lord, but no Hoffney and Phineas they would take the meat even before it was burned and Select the best portions for themselves

They're also Guilty of the sin of gluttony but more so they were shameless in their immorality and It was known all

Over Israel think of it Israel brings their sacrifices

Here's two people two men Who have been appointed to serve as priests simply because they were in a line of the priesthood because They belonged to Eli However as we consider these men they had it says that they did not know

God They were not believers They were holding this position and yet they themselves

Did not reverence God So their sins were grievous and not only did they

Cause God's name to be blasphemed But all of Israel was affected by their sin

They wanted to Take whatever they wanted. They were immoral men and yet there was nothing done to them

Now when we think about that What should have been the response of Eli when he first discovered what they were doing what should he have done

Discipline they should have taken their lives according to Levitical law and as we

I'll do a reference from Ecclesiastes in chapter 8

This is what we read Because of the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly

Therefore the hearts of the sons of men Among them are given fully to do evil.

Do we see the effects of this? the essence of what these men modeled as priests

They desecrated the name of Christ and also the tabernacle by their ongoing unrepentant sin

How often do we see this today? among Leaders in the church in which they're living two lives

One in public life one in private life secretly Perhaps in sin never addressing it.

God will judge them severely This shows the sorrowful state of the high priest

Eli Given that his son's responsibilities and duties before the tabernacle and Shiloh were prominent before all

Israel and as we think of this We recognize

Eli held this high office of high priest He was going to be judged by God the sins of Eli's son were committed against God and impacted all of Israel and God was going to deal with that severely

What strikes me in this passage? Is Eli did not show hatred for this sin?

Rather he gives them a rather mild rebuke Nothing like it should have been they should have been removed and Dealt with severely, but God was going to carry out his judgment and his wrath upon them

In verse 26 It says this now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the

Lord and with men it almost seems like a parenthetical statement because first we're introduced to the sins of Hophni and Phinehas and then

Eli gives him this mild rebuke and all of a sudden the author turns to Samuel and He talks about how his stature

His physical growth and his spiritual growth was

Bringing favor to God and all of Israel people were starting to recognize

Here's a man Who truly may be one of God's servants which he was?

So as they looked at him, he became an example for Israel Yes, Brian Absolutely the

Statement that Brian was bringing forth here. Is that how often do we see parents?

Where their children are notably practicing sin? continually without repentance and yet fearful of perhaps

The children turning against them. They refuse to bring reproof correction and instruction and righteousness

They fear man more than they love God and the results are often disastrous

Yes Exactly Good point

Mike was saying that we have to realize the faith that Hannah exhibited

She brought her only son to the tabernacle in Shiloh Knowing that the high priest himself had not corrected his own sons

So her trust as it was just brought out was deep and Mature she understood

That He was not just her child

But she had dedicated him to God and she was trusting that God would not only protect him but God would lead him despite of these two men who were known sinners and reprobates and Knowing that Eli himself

Had not done anything and yet she entrusted him to Eli Remarkable faith we might look at it from the perspective of Why would what person do that and yet she had confidence in God that this was part of what

God was going to do He would protect Samuel. He would use Samuel even to the point of bringing

Pronouncing the judgment He would be one of the last of the judges over Israel The sins of Eli's sons were committed against God There's no question but all of Israel was impacted by this sin

They looked here and they even disdained the

Aspect of knowing that they were bringing choice offerings to be sacrificed to God and yet They were not trusting what these two men were doing.

They were giving out of a heart and love for God regardless Because they wanted to bring honor and worship to the

Lord In verse 27 through 29

It goes on and the author says this

Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him thus says the

Lord Did I not indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt and bondage to the

Pharaoh's house? Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest?

To go up to my altar to burn incense to carry an ephod before me and did

I not give the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel why do you kick at my sacrifice and my offering which

I have commanded in my dwelling and Honor your sons above me

By making yourselves fat with the choicest of everything of my people

Israel Here We look at this term

Then a man came a man of God in the Old Testament That term a phrase was used to speak of a prophet of God Now what was the role of a prophet?

It was to bring a message from God it could be something of the past it could be something present or perhaps in a future event, but it was a message from the

Lord and Prophets as we know were tested If their prophecy did not come to pass and they were found to be false prophets

What happened to them they were done? completely done so here this

Prophet comes to Eli, and he brings this message in Exodus 299 it says this

You so gird them with sashes Aaron and his sons and bind caps on them

And they shall be the priesthood by a perpetual statute so you shall ordain

Aaron and his sons so here was the Introduction of the household of Aaron to carry out the role of the priesthood and God is giving this instruction

During this time of Exodus Aaron and his sons were ordained for a perpetual priesthood which

Was consisted of three tasks, and it's in the text first to go up to my altar that is to bring the people's sacrifices before the

Lord for the Sins that they had committed wouldn't take away, but it covered the sins the second

Was they were to burn and incense which speaks of the priests ministry and in accessory prayer

Third they were to wear an ephod Referring to the vestments and robes of the priests high priests now as we consider this robe

It was a cloak that was also adorned with 12 12 precious stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel That was the adornment that the priest would wear when he brought forth the sacrifices

By allowing his sons to violate the priesthood Eli regarded regarded their honor above that of God This happens as was just mentioned throughout the

Universal Church where ministers dishonor the Lord through sin unrepentant and continue to do so without any chastisement

Eli was not responsible for everything his sons did They were held accountable for their own sin but Eli was responsible for their committing sins while remaining

Priest he could not stop them from sinning, but he could have removed them from that office

But more so he could have carried out the law of God with great

Chastisement as We look at how sacrilegious these priests were we go to verse 30 and He says this therefore the

Lord God of Israel declares I Indeed say that your house and the house of your father

Should walk 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 Will be lightly esteemed

God had promised Aaron's house the privilege of serving as priest

But there was a clear obligation connected to that promise That is

They were to honor God Because Eli did not honor the office of the priesthood and by allowing his sons to continue as priests in Shiloh He was also

Partaking as an accomplice to the desecration of the burnt offerings and sacrifices to the

Lord God therefore Revoked his grant of a perpetual priesthood

The promise made to Aaron's family as a whole from Exodus 29 9

He says this you shall gird them with sashes Aaron and his sons and bind caps on them and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute

So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons in other words all his

Ancestry after that all the lineage of Aaron Eli as well as his sons

Hophni and Phinehas had shown themselves to be completely unworthy of serving in this office this was a holy office and Yet they desecrated it by their wicked sin

They also caused the priesthood to be shunned shunned by all of Israel These people knew what they were doing and they knew that there had been no consequences

So they had little to no regard for these priests and it's understandable

For a considerable time after the death of Eli the high priesthood almost lost all its significance all of Israel turned to Samuel who the

Lord established as his prophet by the means of revelation in whom

He chose as the deliverer of his people God had promised

Aaron's house The privilege of serving as priest but there was this clear obligation and Let's think about this for those who honor me

I will honor those who despise me will be lightly esteemed Because Eli despised the

Lord in this way by disregarding the sinfulness of his sons Only one would be left this is the latter part of the verse says

One will be spared to weep his eyes to grieve his heart While Eli's other descendants

Would go on to increase They would also die in the prime of their life.

They wouldn't die as infants They wouldn't die in their old age But they would die in the vitality and vigor of their lives

God Brought this judgment upon Eli's house His descendants

This promise is actually fulfilled in the days of David when doig the

Edomite slaughtered all of Eli's descendants at the tabernacle with the sole exception of Abathar That was in 1st

Samuel 22 6 to 23 Abathar served

David as a high priest until he supported the usurping of Adonijah against David's heir

Solomon when Solomon expelled Abathar from the priesthood the scripture notes this so Solomon Dismissed Abathar from being the priest of the

Lord in order to fulfill the word of the Lord which he had spoken concerning the house of Eli 1st

Kings 2 27 Abathar was replaced by Zadok who was to be a more preeminent family line

Aaron thus restoring an earlier promise of This family that would hold the priesthood in numbers 25 6 through 13 in this way

Eli's descendants were forced To the sidelines during the glories of Solomon's race rain, excuse me looking with envy on the house permitted to the priesthood and Surviving off the generosity of the men who supplanted him as 1st

Samuel 2 36 says But I will raise up for myself a faithful priest

Who will do according to what is in my heart in my soul and I will build him an enduring house and he will walk before me and my anointed always

All this would take place in generations to come But Eli would see its proof for the

Lord said this will be a sign to which Will come concerning your two sons

Hophni and Phinehas on The same day both will die.

This was a proclamation and the judgment of God For Samuel 2 34, it would be a long time until Eli's wicked sons would be slain on a single day

Revealing Eli the further judgment was yet to come The principle behind God's rejection of Eli's house is one that we should note

Those who honor me I will honor those who despise me will be lightly esteemed

This is a fixed principle for all of God's people For while the world honors those who serve its cause

The Lord promises to honor those Who honor him?

Those who despise the Lord may often rise to a place of power and fame

But the Lord will carry out his perfect and just punishment upon all those who do not repent and turn to God those who are

Corrupt political leavers leaders throughout history have used their positions of power to Satisfy their own desires and have no concern for the people

They want the power the prominence and to take care of themselves only their own interests

Of course, we don't see that very often There are numerous examples throughout the

Old Testament and New Testament in which Kings Emperors carried out cruel and evil treatment of the people who under their harsh leadership were treated despicably

But we can think of this also today. What about Executives who use people under them?

to rise and success power and wealth Profiting from the labors of those beneath them and yet willing to compromise standards to bring make sure that they

Get the golden retirement Regardless of the employees below them and are corrupt

So that all can see They try to benefit to the harm of others throughout human history since the fall mankind has

Sin He wants to do what's right in his own eyes always trying to satisfy his own lust and his own desires neglecting

God RD Phillips in his commentary on 1st

Samuel says this regarding this passage an example of God's honoring those who honor him was in that of Eric Liddell Who was born and raised in China as a

Christian missionary son of Christian missionaries He returned to Scotland in his adolescence

He emerged as one of the finest runners Britain had ever produced at that time when

British national pride coveted the Olympic Glory Liddell was favored to win the hundred -meter race in 1924

Olympics But a problem emerged that is to run the race it was going to be held on Sunday and Eric Liddell's conviction was this was a

Lord's Day. He wanted to honor God on Sunday so he refused to run the race as A result

He was denounced by newspapers as a traitor and personally he was pressured by the

Prince of Wales to enter that race Because they knew he was the only hope to win that race and bring the

Olympic medal to Britain Liddell held firm determined to honor the

Lord above his personal well -being even before his own country a Compromise was reached in which

Liddell would bypass the hundred -meter race and compete instead in the 400 meter race

Now I want you to think about this 100 meter race is 109 yards the 400 meter race is 437 yards for a track athlete to train for a hundred yard sprint is entirely different Than trying to run the 400 yard sprint

He did not train for that He was not conditioned for that and yet he chose to run that race because it was available on the next day

As he prepared to run the 400 meter race a member of the British training staff approached

Liddell and handed him a note Eric opened the piece of paper and read the note just prior to the race

On the note was written a portion of 1st Samuel 2 30 for those who honor me

I will honor He crumpled that up and kept it in his hand

With a piece of paper all balled up Liddell ran the race not only winning the

Olympic gold medal But also he shattered the world's record in that 400 meter race the author of Eric Liddell's biography

Said this in his book and he gives this account The people of Britain cheered

Liddell and he became a national hero Yet instead of continuing to live in Britain as an

Olympic hero He fulfilled his commitment to return to China as a missionary

When he departed from Scotland the crowds were so large To see him off that more than a thousand additional people were unable to be admitted to his farewell

Thousands of people went to see him off 20 years later

Eric Liddell was still honoring God in China when he died

Valiantly in a Japanese internment camp shortly before the end of World War two in quote

This man was considered and named the Flying Scotsman Scotsman He loved and honored and served the

Lord and he wanted God to get the glory Samuel would be one of God's servants

He lived in contrast to the condemned house of Eli God was preparing to tear down the house of Eli at the same time providing a godly leader for his people

Israel God had this planned and This is the providential plan of God Verse 35, but I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and my soul and I will build him an enduring house and He will walk before my anointed ways

We can see the beginnings of the purpose taking shape in Samuel's life

He indeed would be a faithful servant and priest to the Lord and as Israel's prophet and Judge he would do

God's will these words also refer to faithful Zadok and The priestly line of his house.

They would serve in the days of King Solomon, but this divine

Resolution could only be fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ who is

God's true high priest for all eternity a Priest was ordained.

God says my priest to go up to my altar back in 228 The priests were also called

To offer burnt sacrifices to atone for the people's sins This was but a shadow of the things to be filled through Jesus Christ in a book of Hebrews the author brings these profound truths

Jim has already covered this in the first portion of Hebrews, but in chapter 2 verse 17

The author says this Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in all things

So that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of his people also

Later on in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 verses 11 through 14.

The author gives us this profound truth Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices

Which can never? Take away sins But he having offered one sacrifice

For sins for all time sat down at the right hand of God waiting from that time onward

Until his enemies Be made a footstool for his feet for by one offering

He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified

Jesus thus ministers forever as a priest in the house where he is both

Savior and King Finally in the book of Hebrews in chapter 7 verses 25.

He says this therefore he is able To save forever those who draw near to God through him

Since he always lives to make intercession for them Just as the high priest was to wear the ephod bearing the twelve stones of Israel God's presence also

Christ is The true and eternal priest who bears all the redeemed on his heart and secures their place in glory

Says this in Isaiah 49 behold. I have inscribed You on the palms of my hands this sometimes as a practice referred to by the nail marks

Which Jesus has it in that context that was? addressed to Israel But the

Matthew Henry commentary. He says this this practice was established after the

Lord had delivered his people from the hand of Pharaoh Which God miraculously delivered his people from the armies of Pharaoh?

They would strap phylacteries on their arms as A reminder that God had delivered him now.

This was a little leather pouch And they would tie it on their arms or put it on their forehead and it would have parchment strips in there with precepts from God's Word But I will raise up for myself first 35 in chapter 2 of Samuel I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and in my soul, and I will build him an

Enduring house and he will walk before my anointed always

I'm going to stop there because We're at the end of this time in class.

I want to leave you with this as We think about What God has done for us?

Do we honor him in our daily lives in our thought life or inward as well as our outward?

Do we really recognize? the Holy God that saved us and is sanctifying us and Will bring us into glory.

I urge you to consider this text as He makes this statement those who honor me

I Will also honor those who despise me will be likely less likely

Excuse me for I Just want us to go away with this promise from God Understanding that we are to honor him with all that we do now we ask

God to continue to bring forth his word through the preaching and Through the praise and offerings may he be glorified