Compare and Contrast

1 Samuel 2:12-20

¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. ¹³ The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, ¹⁴ and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. ¹⁵ Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” ¹⁶ And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” ¹⁷ Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. ¹⁸ Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. ¹⁹ And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home. ²¹Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord. ²²Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. ²⁴ No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. ²⁵If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. ²⁶Now the young man Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

Tragically, it is difficult to live as a witness to the love and power of God when there are those around us who say they know God and yet behave in a manner that shows where their true heart lies. It is a terrible thing when those who purport to speak for the Lord wouldn’t actually know Him if He shook their hand. It happened during the days of Samuel, just as it happens today. We are almost immune to the stories of men and women who claim to hear God’s voice and speak His words only to see them fall to some public and shameful sin, giving excuses all the way down. Sadly, these incidences do not make it any easier to witness about the love of Christ to an unbelieving world. But we still get to try.

The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were perfect examples of the clergy gone bad. They would interrupt people making their sacrifices to steal the meat for themselves. They would also make use of the temple prostitutes outside of the pagan worship centers in such a public manner that everyone knew of their behavior. There was no shame before God and no regard for Him whatsoever. The text clearly states that they did not know God at all, and yet they were priests in His temple by right of their birth as Eli’s sons. While this was a terrible thing for God’s people to accept, imagine the impression made by those who did not know God. They must have laughed at God and His people because of their behavior, just as non-believers do today when a prominent Christian falls.

In contract to their story, we find that Samuel continues to faithfully serve in God’s temple, with the help and support of his mother. Yearly she came to visit him and brought him a new linen tunic (ephod – worn by the priest class, as she prepared her son for the life ahead of him in this subtle way) while making her sacrifice. This was she was able to check on his progress and remind him of her prayers and love. Intermingled in these verses we find two families that are very different and the outcome of those differences is equally stark. I’m not sure I would have handed my precious boy over to a man who clearly did not do a very good job with his own sons. But Eli was the priest and Hannah had made a promise to give this child to the Lord. She follows through and God blesses her faithfulness by protecting Samuel and by giving her 5 more children. Be careful not to make the wrong application here though. While God always blesses us, sometimes it isn’t quite as tangible as Hannah’s blessings. The reward of blessed life is not guaranteed anywhere in Scripture, no matter how “good” you try to be. While you may not receive riches or everything your heart desires, you will receive the blessing of having lived in relationship with the living God. The creative ways He chooses to bless you will be up to Him and will be greater than anything you could ever dream of experiencing. (See Ephesians 3:20).

This discussion circles around the intangible. It is difficult to grab onto the concept that a life of peace is yours when it is lived in the Lord. Even though circumstances may be extremely difficult, if you are connected to the Lord, as were Hannah and Samuel, you are at peace. And even if it looks like you have everything, like Hophni and Phinehas, you will never be at peace for the Peace-Bringer is not a part of your life. Give some thought to that today and see where you are perhaps denying yourself God’s peace by going it on your own.