1. (1 Sam 2:27-33) An unknown man of God pronounces judgment to Eli: his family will be cut off from the office of High Priest.
(Verses 27-29) 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 wear an ephod before Me; and did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?'
Then a man of God: We don't know who this was. This man of God was a prophet commissioned by God. It amazing to read that even when Israel was in the midst of such religious decay, God still raised up a messenger to deliver His message. The title man of God is applied throughout the Old Testament to prophets such as Moses, Samuel, Elijah and Elisha. It doesn't matter who this man is; he is a man of God, and God has raised him up to speak to Eli and Eli's whole family at this important time. (Side note: Until the sudden appearance of this man of God, no mention of a prophet in the story of Israel had been made since the days of Deborah (about 150 years prior to this event).)
Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father: The interrogations of God's message do not ask a question in hopes of receiving an answer. Rather, this is an appeal to Eli's conscience. These questions repeat well-known facts that Eli would have replied with a silent, "Yes." God often uses this method of interrogation when calling men to repentance. God shows His people His endless great mercies, which illuminates God's abundant kindnesses in the midst of man's abundant sins. One such example is Micah 6:3-5, " My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Answer Me. Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and ransomed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam. My people, remember now what Balak the king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD." The house of you father refers to the house of Aaron, the first high priest, from whom, through Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron, Eli was descended.
1 Samuel 2:28 is a wonderful summary of some of the duties of the priesthood in Israel.
1. To be My priest: First and foremost, the job of the High Priest was to minister to the LORD. Before he served the people, he was a servant of God. The High Priest was to uphold all of God's laws and serve Him first. A secondary job was to serve the people.
2. To offer upon My altar: The priest was to bring forth sacrifices for atonement and worship. The altar was the place where atoning blood was both shed and applied, blood that would cleanse from sin. The altar was also the place where were vows were paid, peace and thanksgiving offerings were made.
3. To burn incense: The burning of incense was a picture of prayer, because the smoke and the scent of the incense would ascend up to the heavens. The priest was to lead the nation in prayer, and to pray for the nation.
4. To wear an ephod before Me: The priest was clothed in specific garments, "for glory and for beauty" (Exodus 28:2). He was to represent the majesty, dignity, glory, and beauty of God to the people.
5. All the offerings: The priest was also charged with the responsibility to receive the offerings of God's people and to make good use of them. The priests and their family were allotted portions to eat from the offerings made at the altar. "Then Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, 'Take the grain offering that is left over from the LORD'S offerings by fire and eat it beside the altar, for it is most hold. You shall eat it, moreover, in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons' due out of the LORD'S offerings by fire; for thus I have commanded. The breast of the wave offering, however, and the thigh of the offering you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you; for they have been given as your due and your sons's due out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. The thigh offered by lifting up and the breast offered by waving they shall bring along with the offerings by fire of the portions of fat, to present as a wave offering before the LORD; so it shall be a thing perpetually for you and your sons with you, just as the LORD has commanded'" (Leviticus 10:12-14).
Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel: After such abundant privileges had be bestowed upon this favored tribe of Israel, and such ample provision for all its wants had been made for it, it was a crime of the blackest intentions that its leading members should greatly dishonor their King and Benefactor by committing such lewd sins.
Why
do you kick at My sacrifice: The imagery is taken from Deuteronomy 32:15,
"But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked--you are grown fat, thick and
sleek--then he forsook God who made him, and scorned the Rock of his salvation." The
image given is one from a pastoral life--the ox or the ass is over-fed,
pampered and indulged. It then becomes unmanageable
and refuses obedience to its kind master.
Honor your sons above Me: Although Eli knew what was right, he foolishly set his fondness for his sons above their wickedness and contempt for God. In essence, he is setting his love for his family above his love for his Creator. Jesus warns about loving our family above Him in Matthew 10:36-37, "'A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." If we are to love God above all else--loving Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind" (Luke 10:27), we must love Him more than our own family.
By making yourselves fat: To pamper yourselves. This they did not out of necessity, but out of luxury.
With the choicest of every offering: Not contest with the parts which the LORD had allotted them, they indulged in the best parts reserved for God.
(Verses 30-33) Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, 'I did 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. Behold, the days are coming when I will break the strength of your father's house 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 not 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.'"
I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever: By Eli acting as an accomplice in the irreligion of his sons, he (and his descendants after him) will now suffer the consequences. The promise referred to is a promise God made to Aaron and his descendants in Exodus 29:9. God did not remove the priesthood from the line of Aaron, but He did remove it from the line of Eli. The promise made to Eli was conditional, and he failed to fulfill the conditions. God promises that the priestly line would not stay with Eli and his descendants, but would pass to another line of descendants from Aaron. This was fulfilled many years later, during Solomon's reign. Abiathar (from Eli's family) was deposed as High Priest and replaced with Zadok (who was a descendant of Eleazar). "Then to Abiathar, the priest, the king said, 'Go to Anathoth to you own field, for you deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and because you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted. So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh" (1 Kings 2:26-27).
I will break the strength of your father's house: The literal Hebrew translation is: "I will cut off your arm." The arm in ancient Hebrew was the symbol of strength and power. It is used extensively in the Psalms (10:15, 37:17, 77:15, 78:61, 89:10, etc.). Cutting off one's arm was symbolic of someone losing their strength and power.
There will not be an old man in your house: Due to the severity of the sins committed by Eli and his sons, God promises a severe punishment: no one in the house of Eli will reach old age. The judgment is a harsh punishment and is repeated for a total of three times (verses 32 repeats the punishment and verse 33 uses slightly different words to repeat the judgment). The punishment is fulfilled by God. First, Hophni and Phinehas die by the sword (1 Samuel 4:10-11). Then at Nob, Doeg the Edomite slays the house of Eli at the command of Saul. ("Then the king said to Doeg, 'You turn around and attack the priest.' And Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and he killed that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen and donkeys and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword" 1 Samuel 22:18-19.)
You will see the distress of My dwelling: This gives reference to the capturing of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines during battle (1 Samuel 4:4-11). After the Ark of the Covenant was captured, the tabernacle would be robbed of it glory and pride. God used the Ark of the Covenant as a place to commune with His people. "There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the Ark of the Covenant of law, I will meet with you and give you all My commands for the Israelites" (Exodus 25:22).
Yet I will not cut off every man of yours: A remnant will survive to experience grieve and sorrow, which the sins of Eli and his sons have afflicted on their posterity. The phrase is similar to that of "Rachel weeping for her children" (Jeremiah 31:15). Although the actual person has perished, the pain and anguish continue to be mourned by the subsequent generations.
All the increase of your house will die in the prime of life: The prime of life in ancient Israel was thought to be around 30 years of age. At age thirty, the young man was able to enter the tabernacle and begin his service to the LORD as a priest (Numbers 4:3).
2. (1 Sam 2:34-36) The sign and the promise: both sons will die on the same day.
This
will be a sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and
Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die. But 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. Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a
piece of silver or a load of bread and say, 'Please assign me to one of the
priest's offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.'"
This will be a sign to you: The immediate fulfillment of one prediction will serve as a sign of assurance that the rest of God's promises will not fail to come to pass. Such dual prophecies with one immediate sign and a promise for the future are common throughout Scripture. Examples include 1 Samuel 10:7-9, 1 Kings 13:2-3, 2 Kings 20:8-11, Luke 1:13-20.
On the same day both of them will die: The literal fulfillment occurs in 1 Samuel 4:11. This is a foreshadowing prediction of the horrible disaster that was about to happen to Eli's sons. Also, it serves as a confirmation that Eli's house will suffer early death and removal from God's presence in future generations.
A faithful priest: The faithful service to the LORD is here contrasted with the wicked and unfaithful sons of Eli. As seen throughout the Bible, whenever a corrupt leader arises, God always raises up another individual who is faithful and true to God's word. Many years to come, during the reign of King David, God will raise up Zadok (whose name means righteousness) to share the high priest role with Abiathar. Abiathar, who is a descendant of Eli, will lose the high priest office during the reign of King Solomon. “And unto Abiathar the priest said the king (Solomon), ‘Get yourself to Anathoth, into your own fields, for you are worthy of death, but I will not at this time put you to death, because you have bared the ark of the Lord GOD before David, my father, and because you have been afflicted in all which my father was afflicted.’ So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD, that he might fulfill the word of the LORD, which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh”(1 Kings 2:26-27). King Solomon gives the high priest office solely to Zadok: “And Zadok the priest did the king put in the position of Abiathar”(1 Kings 2:35).
I will build him an enduring house: This prophesy is repeated again to the house of Zadok in Ezekiel 44, when God promises the sons of Zadok shall minister before Him in the yet-to-be-built temple. “But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, says the LORD”(Ezekiel 44:16).
He will walk before My anointed always A better translation of this sentence would be: "He shall walk before My anointed all the days of his life." Zadok fulfilled this prophecy in his close relationship with King David and Solomon (and ultimately, when the sons of Zadok will minister before the LORD in the yet-to-be-built temple).
Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver: Everyone left of Eli's house who do not perish shall be reduced to total poverty. This is a fitting judgment, since much of the sin of Eli's sons was greed and stealing from God's people. Instead of receiving the priestly portions which were rightfully theirs, Eli's family will one day be reduced to begging. An expansion of this prophecy can be seen in Ezekiel's prophecy about Israel's yet-to-be-built temple. "'But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. Yet, they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house and ministering in the house; they shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn against them,' declares the Lord GOD, 'that they shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. And they shall not come near to Me to serve as a priest to Me, nor come near to any of My holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they will bear the shame and their abominations which they have committed. Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the house, of all its service and of all that shall be done in it'" (Ezekiel 44:10-14).
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