Critical Perspectives on Good Fathering
1 Samuel 2:12–36
Paul J. Bucknell
The Passage (1 Samuel 2:12-36)
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord 13 and the custom of the priests with the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw.” 16 If the man said to him, “They must surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men despised the offering of the Lord.
18 Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come 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 from this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own home. 21 The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23 He said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24 No, my sons; for the report is not good which I hear the Lord’s people circulating. 25 If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord desired to put them to death.
26 Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men. 27 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? 28 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 carry an ephod before Me; and did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29 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?’ 30 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. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 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. 33 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. 34 This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die. 35 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. 36 Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.” (1 Samuel 2:12-36, NASB unless noted)
B. A Closer Look At Life
We need a more detailed look at their lives to understand this question. Some might think a funeral service is a good place to get a clear summary of a person. However, during funeral services, you usually only hear the good. If you don’t hear much, it shows there’s a lot that’s wrong. The Bible isn’t concerned with what people think. Instead, it cares about accuracy because it also reminds us that on the last day, all things will be exposed — not for how they were presented, but for what they truly were. All the intentions of the heart will be revealed on that day.
We can find more information about Eli’s two sons, but not by their names—rather through references to their father Eli. The first mention of them should give us reason for great hope. Two sons of a well-known priest were naturally priests themselves, as the priesthood was passed down through family lines. However, 2:12 destroys any hope we might have held for them or for Israel. It states, “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.” The passage continues to explain how they stole sacrificial meat from God and ate what they should not have. While it might not seem like a serious offense, verse 17 states otherwise: “the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD.” This shows that when one fleshly sin isn’t addressed, others—similar or different—tend to grow. Verse 22 then mentions how Eli’s sons were engaging in fornication. 1 John 2:15-17 provides an appropriate commentary for them.
“Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
We might feel sorry for these two young men who made wrong decisions in life and for their country during such a critical time. However, the Bible didn’t show such blind sympathy. Verse 2:12 states that they were ‘worthless men” or literally “sons of Belial.” Would any father write “worthless man” on a tomb? But when we consider the value of these men, we find it to be nothing at all. Worse still, they distracted people from gaining spiritual faith and hope. They lived against the holy principles of God through their perverted ways, ignoring self-control in areas like appetite or sexual drive. These sons had no positive influence on others or on themselves. “They did not know the LORD.” What a frightening summary of a priest’s life, or anyone’s life. But we need to take a closer look at this scene to truly understand what the scriptures are really trying to tell us.