Eli - A House that Will Not Stand - pt1

Introduction

I began to name this the ‘Bible Person Study’, but chose to go with the ‘Bible Character Study’. I hesitated to name it that, as I don’t want to diminish the fact that these are real people we’ll be examining. But the reason that it’s named the Bible Character Study is because we’ll be focusing on the person’s character throughout. But don’t forget that these were real people, with real lives that made real choices that had real consequences.

I. Eli’s Nature

((What is their History / Background?)

The Priest in Shiloh

The Text does not label him the ‘high priest’, but it’s apparent that he is. (Just like the text doesn’t label his sons as ‘priests’, but it’s also apparent that they are).

Why?

It’s Eli’s sin that is the cause for bringing down his entire lineage from serving in the priesthood (1Sam. 2:31-33)

If he were working under another high priest, he would not be held responsible

Eli allowed his sons to serve in the priestly duties (1Sam. 2:15-17)

A priest above him would have taken care of them

Samuel was trusted to Eli’s care

Had there been another high priest, he would have been under his care.

This fact is important, as it not only speaks to the lack of oversight of his sons, but that of the Ark of God as well.

The Priest in Shiloh

A Father to Sons

As mentioned, Eli had at least (and probably only) 2 sons - Hophni and Phinehas.

Their names gives us some insight to the men:

Hophni (def) pugilist, boxer

Phinehas (def) mouth of a serpent

The Bible tells us directly: 1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.”

A Father to Sons

A Steward of Another’s Son

Samuel was entrusted to Eli.

While Eli didn’t give sound raising to his natural sons, he (for all we know) gave good raising to Samuel (who he considered another son - 1Sam. 3:6)

II. Eli’s Notoriety

(What they are known for?)

His Charge of Samuel

As mentioned, he raised Samuel as he was his own son - just better apparently.

Of course, we can’t neglect the parenting that Samuel recieved from his natural parents. Don’t think for a minute that didn’t have impact upon Samuel.

And lest we get too down on Eli, Samuel didn’t have any better luck raising his kids either… (1Sam. 8:1-3)

This leads me to this: Eli wasn’t a evil man - he wasn’t like his sons, who were. (In them there are two pictures emerging: A saved, but compromising man, and religious but lost men)

I think Eli represents a multitude of Christians today. Not out in sin, just compromising on the things of God!

His Charge of Samuel

His Contumacious and Corrupt Sons

Contumacious (def) swelling against; haughty. Hence, obstinate; perverse; stubborn; inflexible; unyielding; disobedient

In other words, rebellious.

Rebellious against God and their father Eli

They weren’t only rebellious, but they were Corrupt

They stole God’s portion

They seduced women laborers

Eli had Contumacious and Corrupt Sons

His Ceding to God’s Will

After Samuel tells Eli the Word of the LORD, we see in 1 Samuel 3:18 “And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.”

This was the attitude that Eli had - and it was the right one. By his own admission, he said: 1 Samuel 2:25 “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.”

Eli just said ‘Whatever God says, He should do’

His Ceding to God’s Will

His Calamitous End

The death of 30,000 - attributable to Eli (I’ll explain why later)

The death of his two sons

The taking of the Ark of God by their enemy

The death of his daughter-in-law

Him falling off his chair and breaking his neck and dying

That’s a lot for one day!

His Calamitous End

III. What Makes him Noteworthy

(What Lessons we can Learn from them?)

Truth without Integrity is Useless (1Sam. 2:22-25)

Eli knew the truth about his sons - in fact, EVERYONE knew about them!

Eli even spoke the truth to his sons.

The problem was, Eli was in a position to DO SOMETHING with the truth, but lacked the integrity to do it.

Knowing the truth and standing up for it are two different things.

There are a lot of people today - within the church - that know what truth is (The Bible), but instead for a variety of reasons, will not stand up for the truth and do what’s in their power to make it paramount.

You and I are in an ever increasingly rare position:

We know the source of truth (the Bible)

We know (largely) what the Truth says concerning a variety of issues

Yet, too often we neglect to stand for the truth when we have opportunity. We fail to enforce the truth in our own lives, homes and in our community. Eli was weak in that he lacked the strength to do what was right when it was within his power to do so.

(Ill. - Possibly the Boys & Girls club - how no one wanted to attach their names to the dissent)

Truth without Integrity is Useless

Compromise

If I had to use one word to describe Eli, it would be this one.

There’s a variety of ways one looks at compromise. Some see it as essential, others as heretical. Compromise is good in some circumstances - but when it comes to the things of God, We MUST NOT compromise! No where in the Bible are we commanded or are men commended for compromising on the things of God!

Puts you In the Dark (1Sam. 3:2-3)

We see in these two verses Eli’s eyes dimming and the lamp of God went out. I think it important to understand the symbolism found here:

As Eli continued allowing this sin within his sight, he began to grow blind to it. So blind that the lamp of God went out from him, and he didn’t even realize it.

It’s amazing in that sin doesn’t hardly shock people anymore. It takes something like the spectacle of testicles at the Olympics for people to be shocked! Seeing women less-than half dressed doesn’t shock people anymore. Hearing foul language doesn’t shock people anymore - because we’ve become desensitized to it, as we have been inundated with it!

THIS IS WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO KEEP OURSELVES SEPARATE, TO GUARD OUR EYES AND EARS SO THAT WE DON’T WIND UP IN THE DARK AS WELL!

Once his eyes grew dim, the light of God went from him.

In other words, Godly discernment was leaving him as well.

Compromise puts you in the dark

Leads to Catastrophe (1Sam. 4:10-11)

As I thought about this verse, I thought about what a conversation would be like with Ichabod.

Ichabod (def) the glory is departed

“Ichabod, how did you get your name?”

Well, my momma named me that right before she died. Yeah, they say that she was real upset and didn’t want to have anything to do with me, then she died.

“Why was she so sad?”

Well, she found out that my daddy (her husband) and my uncle were both killed by the Philistines - along with 30,000 other men, and they took the Ark of God, and that same day when they told my granddaddy, he fell out his chair and died. So when she saw me she said ‘the Glory is gone!’

This is (I believe) the direct result of Eli’s actions.

Brings an Unceremonious End (1Sam. 4:18)

Men have died in battle, men have died in beds - but few die from falling off a chair and breaking their necks. This of course is not a glorious ending.

The sad thing is, this was a man of God. He judged Israel for 40 years, and this is how he went out - not with a BANG, but with a THUD.

There’s been plenty of men of God that compromised on the things of God and went out in the same fashion… not exactly, but in the same manner - unceremonious.

Brings an Unceremonious End

Overlooking Sin makes us Guilty as Well (1Sam. 2:29a)

Notice that the man of God didn’t say ‘kicked they at my sacrifice’, but ‘ye’. In other words, because Eli had the power to correct, but didn’t, God was holding him as accountable as He was his sons.

James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Luke 12:47 “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.”

If we neglect our duty - as Eli was here - we’re not ‘innocent bystanders’, we’re guilty by omission!

Overlooking Sin makes us Guilty as Well

Coddling does more Harm than Good (1Sam. 2:29b)

This is far too prevalent in our society today - especially in the churches. The order of the home is so askew. In most homes today, the kids run the show. Whatever little Johnny want, little Johnny gets.

We make sure:

No one ever hurts their feelings

They never have to go without

Whatever they want, they get

ENTERTAIN AT ALL COSTS!

God forbid they go a meal without watching a cartoon on the phone

Their wants come before all others in the home

We treat them as though the world revolves around them, we wrap them up in bubble wrap and wonder why they fall apart emotionally when they’re out in the real world!

Their wants are met before their needs are

I’d like to know the percentage of Christians who have their kids at the ball field on Wednesdays instead of church. Why would you do that?

(Ill.) Not long ago, I spoke to someone about this, and come to find out their coach was the youth leader at another church!

Q: Do you really think the child benefits from this?

Q: What does that testimony look like to those who are lost? (That you put sport above the things of God?)

Otherwise known as Child Idolatry

When you put your child above God, your child has become your idol - and we see what God thinks about that right here!

I know this is unpopular, but the day that I start worrying about what the congregation WANTS to hear instead of what I believe it NEEDS to hear, I’ll just go ahead and quit.

The point of the matter is this: Giving in to his sons desires and whims didn’t help them, it only HURT them! They did not benefit from daddy’s coddling!

If you’re a parent and you say ‘your child is the most important thing to you’ then you’re out of order! Remember the words of Christ: Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

You will hurt them more than help them with that attitude

A Faithful Priest does both the Heart and Mind of God (1Sam. 2:35)

It isn’t just one, but both that a faithful priest will do.

What I mean, is that as said before, God is multi-dimensional.

You hear so much about the ‘Spirit of Christ’, but many fail to regard the mind of Christ.

They will cling to the Jesus that said: Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Yet they will reject the same Jesus who said: Matthew 10:35 “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” Matthew 10:37“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

They will read John 8:10b-11a “Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee:” Yet forget the rest which says: John 8:11 “… go, and sin no more.”

You and I are a royal priesthood (1Pert. 2:9), but if we’re to be faithful priests, we must regard both the heart AND MIND of God

God Does what He Says, and Finishes what He Starts (1Sam. 3:12)

God says what He means, and means what He says - This should give us comfort considering the promises He’s made unto us!

But not only that, we know also that what God begins, He finishes!

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

God does what He says, and Finishes what He starts

God Should be Guarded (1Sam. 4:4)

Lastly, we see that people came and got the Ark of God.

How could that be? The Ark was behind the veil, only to be approached by one man, once a year! Yet, men came in and took it!

(Understand, the Ark was NOT God, but His throne)

There’s no record of Eli objecting - probably because he gave into his sons wishes as he always had.

The point is, Eli should have fought for God. He should have refused to allow them to take the Ark! Instead, he sat back and allowed the Ark of God to be taken, and ultimately hijacked.

This church, is what’s happened to God today. Because the Truth of the Word of God - and the Truth of God Himself was not guarded, is the reason this false / distorted image of God has prevailed, because God has been hijacked - and just like in that day, a lot of people are paying the price for it!

God should be Guarded

Conclusion