Eli and the Boy

Dei Break

1 Samuel 2:1 – 36

    Hannah's praise song is another instance of a woman praising God for His gracious love toward her. When Hannah indicates that she has had seven children, we notice right away that she only had six children. Remembering that this is Hebrew poetry, we realize that seven was just a number that indicated completeness. God had restored her joy completely. Hannah's song is all poetry. As poetry, phrases like "…the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He set the world on them" aren't meant to be taken literally.

Eli's sons were evil. We don't know why they chose their way. Notice that the story doesn't say that they were raised in a dysfunctional home; they were deprived; or that society didn't accept them. These men made evil choices and God held them responsible for their actions and attitudes.

Their choices were intensely rebellious toward God who had instructed that the fat of the offering was His. It was to be burned as a sacrifice to God before the priests took any of the meat to eat themselves, but Eli's sons demanded the best for themselves (vs.16) Having sexual relations with the women serving at the tent of meeting was a custom of the pagan Canaanite religions, but Eli's sons did the same in God's presence vs.22) . Verse 12 says that these men "did not know the Lord", but this doesn't mean that they didn't understand their sin. We see later in the passage that they knew the law but chose to rebelliously desecrate the priestly office. For their sin, Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day.

Eli failed to control his sons with his admonitions. There were other things that he could have done to prevent the abominations going on in the priesthood, but He placed peace with his sons above his duty to God. God promised to destroy Eli's entire family and raise another priestly leader among His people.

Next time: God's plan for Samuel