1 Samuel 2:12-21--Eli's Worthless Sons

1 Samuel 2:12-21
English Standard Version

Eli's Worthless Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt.

18 Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went 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 by this woman for the petition she asked of the LORD.” So then they would return to their home.

​21 Indeed the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD.

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We start to see in this passage the LORD's greater purpose in the birth of Samuel.  As we saw in the book of Judges and even a bit in the book of Ruth, the people of Israel have become so corrupt that they are hard to distinguish from their pagan, Gentile neighbors, and the book of Judges ended with stories of how this corruption had even affected some of the Levites, and now we see that moral depravity even making its way into the family of the high priest of Israel.  These are strong words for the LORD to look at Eli's sons who are serving as priests and to call them "worthless" and "good for nothing."  They were such poor examples to the people that it would be better for the people to have no example than to have their bad example.  In fact, they were serving as priests, but they themselves did not know the LORD.  While it happens today, imagine a pastor trying to lead a church and preach the Word of God who is himself not a Christian.  That would be inconceivable!  In the same way that we would say that pastoral leadership from a non-Christian would be worthless and worse than no leadership, so it was here with the sons of Eli, and the LORD is not going to let them continue to lead the people, for the days of Eli are numbered and his sons will not be allowed to hold his office as high priest.

Samuel gives an example of how they used the priesthood to serve themselves instead of serving the LORD and His people.  They did not trust the LORD to provide for them by lot as they were supposed to and instead looked in the pot while the sacrifices were being cooked (boiling) to select the portions that looked best to them and they took the fatty portions that belonged to the LORD and were to be burned with fire for themselves and if the priest that was to prepare the food for them would try to refuse to give them the raw meat (for they said they would roast it themselves) then they would come and take it by force.  In this way, the text says that they showed contempt for the LORD and for the office of the priesthood, and their sin was very great.

The problem did not lie solely with Eli's sons though, for part of the issue here was the Eli was negligent in his duties both as high priest and as father.  He failed to discipline his children and he allowed his sons who did not even know the LORD to serve as priests.  The LORD would be faithful though and would provide Samuel as an adopted son to Eli and though he was not of the tribe of Levi, the LORD would allow him to serve as judge, prophet and high priest for the nation of Israel for a time.  The days of the house of Eli are numbered and judgment is about to come upon Eli's sons.

The text hints at this by telling us that Samuel wore the priestly garments (the ephod) and ministered before the LORD and the LORD accepted the work that he did before Him.  The text also tells us that his mother made clothes for him and brought them to him every year when she came to visit and that Eli would pray a blessing over Hannah and Elkanah every year, specifically to request that the LORD would give them even more children.  The LORD honored their request and the prayers of Eli and Hannah had three sons and two daughters born to her after Samuel, but Samuel remained at Shiloh serving in the Tabernacle and ministering before the presence of the LORD.