A Warning for Eli’s Family
Note the widespread consequences for disobedience.
The time sequence in this lesson jumps back and forth. More details from this lesson will come up in future lessons of 1 Samuel.
1 Samuel 2:27-36 NLT
A Warning for Eli’s Family
27 One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the Lord: “I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. 28 I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. 29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!
30 “Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. 31 The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age. 32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. 33 The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death. 34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!
35 “Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever. 36 Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”
Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 2:27-36 NLT
A Warning for Eli’s Family
27 One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the Lord:
“A man of God” is the phrase usually used as a synonym for “prophet”.
- God had a message for Eli.
Matthew 11:15 NLT
15 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Isaiah 28:23 NLT
23 Listen to me;
listen, and pay close attention.
Proverbs 8:33 NLT
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise.
Don’t ignore it.
Jeremiah 7:24-27 NLT
24 “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. 25 From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. 26 But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.
27 “Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond.
- Many people choose not to listen when God speaks to them.
“I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt.
Exodus 3-4
Moses and the burning bush.
Signs of the Lord’s power. (Moses and Aaron)
Moses staff turned into a serpent etc.
- God revealed himself to Eli’s ancestors.
28 I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served me.
Exodus 28:1-3 NLT
28:1 “Call for your brother, Aaron, and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the people of Israel so they may minister to me and be my priests. 2 Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful. 3 Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.
- God chose Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be his priest, to offer sacrifices on his altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served Him.
And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests.
- One of the primary duties of the priests was to offer sacrifices on the alter. (That was their job.)
29 So why do you (Eli) scorn my sacrifices and offerings?
Eli was the high priest.
Luke 12:48 NLT
48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.
Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!
“you give your sons more honor than you give me”
“you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!”
- Eli showed a preference for the wishes of his sons above the will of the Lord and was therefore unworthy of the Lord’s blessings.
1 Samuel 2:22
22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel.
- Eli benefitted from his son’s activities, and God held Eli accountable for letting them continue.
30 “Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests.
Exodus 29:9 NLT
9 Wrap the sashes around the waists of Aaron and his sons, and put their special head coverings on them. Then the right to the priesthood will be theirs by law forever. In this way, you will ordain Aaron and his sons.
Numbers 25:10-13 NLT
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned my anger away from the Israelites by being as zealous among them as I was. So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger. 12 Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him. 13 In this covenant, I give him and his descendants a permanent right to the priesthood, for in his zeal for me, his God, he purified the people of Israel, making them right with me.”
- The descendants of Aaron had a right to the priesthood.
But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.
- Because of flagrant disobedience, the house of Eli would forfeit their priesthood. Although the descendants of Aaron had a right to the priesthood, priests could forfeit their position by their sins.
31 The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests.
- The man of God declares a curse for Eli and all his descendants.
- Sin has consequences.
All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.
- The judgement of untimely death followed Eli’s descendants.
Unusual way for this to occur.
1 Samuel 22:16-19 NLT
16 “You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted. 17 And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!” But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests.
18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. 19 Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.
20 Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.
32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel.
1 Kings 3:14 NLT
14 And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”
But no members of your family will ever live out their days.
A short life often expresses God’s disfavor, while a long life represents God’s blessing.
A short life vs. a long life.
33 The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death.
1 Samuel 22:
20 Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.
34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!
1 Samuel 4:17 NLT
17 “Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,” the messenger replied. “The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.”
A confirmation of God’s message told by His prophet.
- Hophni and Phinehas were killed by the Philistines.
35 “Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever.
The priesthood was taken from Abiathar, descendant of Aaron’s son Ithamar, and given to Zadok, descendant of Aaron’s son Eleazar.
Human terms:
1 Kings 2:27 NLT
27 So Solomon deposed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, thereby fulfilling the prophecy the Lord had given at Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli.
- The priesthood was taken from Abiathar, descendant of Aaron’s son Ithamar
1 Kings 2:35 NLT
35 Then the king appointed Benaiah to command the army in place of Joab, and he installed Zadok the priest to take the place of Abiathar.
- The priesthood was given to Zadok, descendant of Aaron’s son Eleazar.
Ezekiel 44:15 NLT
15 “However, the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok continued to minister faithfully in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for idols. These men will serve as my ministers. They will stand in my presence and offer the fat and blood of the sacrifices, says the Sovereign Lord.
Ezekiel 48:11 NLT
11 This area (designated land around the temple Temple) is set aside for the ordained priests, the descendants of Zadok who served me faithfully and did not go astray with the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites.
- The descendants of Zadok served God faithfully and did not go astray with the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites.
Spiritual terms:
Hebrews 5:4-10 NLT
4 And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. 5 That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
6 And in another passage God said to him,
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 10 And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
- Jesus Christ is our great high priest.
36 Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”
Members of the family who had gorged themselves on the sacrifices were now begging for food.
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- God had a message for Eli.
- Many people choose not to listen when God speaks to them.
- God revealed himself to Eli’s ancestors.
- God chose Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be his priest, to offer sacrifices on his altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served Him.
- One of the primary duties of the priests was to offer sacrifices on the alter. (That was their job.)
- Eli showed a preference for the wishes of his sons above the will of the Lord and was therefore unworthy of the Lord’s blessings.
- Eli benefitted from his son’s activities, and God held Eli accountable for letting them continue.
- The descendants of Aaron had a right to the priesthood.
- Because of flagrant disobedience, the house of Eli would forfeit their priesthood. Although the descendants of Aaron had a right to the priesthood, priests could forfeit their position by their sins.
- The man of God declares a curse for Eli and all his descendants.
- Sin has consequences.
- The judgement of untimely death followed Eli’s descendants.
- Hophni and Phinehas were killed by the Philistines.
- The priesthood was taken from Abiathar, descendant of Aaron’s son Ithamar.
- The priesthood was given to Zadok, descendant of Aaron’s son Eleazar.
- The descendants of Zadok served God faithfully and did not go astray with the people of Israel and the rest of the Levites.
- Jesus Christ is our great high priest.
