My dear readers,

Honourest Thy Sons Above Me? (1 Samuel 2: 27-34)

1 Samuel 2:29 “Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?”

The book of 1 Samuel is seen as the end of the period of Judges where every man did what was right in his own eyes in Israel. “What was right in his own eyes” was a philosophy of the Gentile nations (past and present included) but it must not be so for the people of God, Israel. God gave them His holy and perfect Word of Life. God did not give His perfect Word to the Gentiles! Israel must not be like the nations of the world but be the light to them and point them to Christ by their life of holiness. Sadly the period of Judges was a failure of gigantic proportions that lasted more than 350 years. God had to send judges to deliver His people after oppressors suppressed and persecuted them until they looked up and cried to the LORD for deliverance. The main culprits behind Israel’s failure were the priests, especially the high priests. They were supposed to be the most spiritual ones in all of Israel. Instead they were the most carnal. What happened during Eli the high priest’s time summarises the depravity that a failed leadership can bring to God's people.

Eli’s two sons, Hoph’-ni and Phin’-e-has, were priests. God described them as “sons of Belial” and they knew not the LORD (cf. 1 Sam 2:12). Their sins were evil and debaucherous. Their sins caused the people of God to despise the worship of the LORD. Those who came to worship were abused by them and they bullied into submission anyone who would resist them. God described their transgressions and its despicable impact on the people in 1 Samuel 2:13-17 “And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. 15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. 16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.” Their sins were great in the eyes of the LORD.

Tragically their sins were not great in the eyes of Eli, the high priest and their father! Eli knew what his sons did, probably for some time already as Eli was described by God as very old when Eli “rebuked” his sons. This was what God revealed concerning Eli’s attitude toward his sons’ great sins in 1 Samuel 2:22-25 “Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress. 25 If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.” [Emphasis added] Such a mild rebuke from Eli was a great travesty of God’s justice of which the high priest was appointed by God as the chief guardian and enforcer! Eli failed God, God's people, the ministry of priesthood and His own sons!

The serious nature of the sins of Hoph’-ni and Phin’-e-has required the punishment of death many times over. The sins of fornication and desecration of the priesthood ought not to be let off by Eli with a mere “rebuke” and no judicial punishment which was the death penalty! It should have been done much earlier and not ignored till Elis old age. The damage would have been much reduced. Sadly Eli did nothing close to the truth and his failure to rebuke his sons resulted in a very severe punishment from the LORD. The LORD never over or under punishes for any sin. The LORD’s punishment is always meted out in perfect equitable justice. How severe a sin is in the eyes of the LORD can be known by the punishment He metes out.

Hoph’-ni and Phin’-e-has were killed in battle by the Philistines in one day. 1 Samuel 2:34 “And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.” Soon after this prophetic pronouncement, both Eli’s sons lost their lives.

Eli’s punishment was much more severe. 1 Samuel 2:27-33 “And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? 29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. 32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.” [Emphasis added]

The lineage of Ith’-a-mar (the fourth son of Aaron the first high priest) would be cut off by the LORD! The sin of Eli as stated clearly by the LORD was that he honoured his sons above the LORD!

When we honour our loved ones above the LORD and disobey the Word of God, it is a great sin, like the sin of Eli as seen by the punishment meted out by the LORD! Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind is the only condition acceptable to the Lord in all our witness, service and worship. Amen.

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service

Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew, Pastor