Worthless Men and a Faithful Priest

Northwest Gospel Church - East Vancouver

1 Samuel 2:12-36 | Andrew Murch | Last week, our narrative opened with the backstory of Samuel and his miraculous birth. As Samuel is dedicated to service in the temple, we turn to the priesthood and to Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas. In our passage this week, the focus shifts from the faith of Hannah to the folly of Eli’s son and the failing of Eli to properly address and correct his sons as priest and father. The text isn’t shy in describing these sons. It’s short and straight to the point, “the sons of Eli were worthless men” (2:12). These young men were using their position and power amongst the people of God for selfish gain. They used food (sacrifices) and women however they pleased, and God is clearly not pleased. These narratives bounce back and forth from the wickedness of the sons to the development of Samuel before the Lord. The text turns the head of the reader from one to the other and is clearly setting up for the rise of Samuel in the place of the corrupt priesthood. Samuel’s origin story is still in development but this is a critical moment for Israel. Will the priesthood spiral into essentially paganism as it did in the time of the Judges, or will God use this young man to redeem the priesthood? Reports of Eli’s sons’ mishandling of the sacrifices and their appalling behavior with the women at the temple eventually reach Eli. In response, Eli’s less-than-authoritative response to his sons’ behavior stands in stark contrast to his positions of priest and father given to him by God. Eli should have literally stripped them from their priestly garments. Yet with a slap on the hand they continue with business as usual. The reaction from these young men reminds us of the heart of Pharaoh. As they chose to not listen, just as Pharaoh chose to harden his heart, the Lord continues them on that trajectory and their consequence is queued up for the right moment. Turn the head and once again we look at Samuel who continues to grow in “stature and in the favor of God” (2:26) and of men. Samuel’s path stands in sharp contrast to the path chosen by Hophni and Phinehas, and God responds to Eli and his family in a way that affirms in our hearts and minds that we must honor God before men.