Raising Up Faithful Servants

Introduction:

-EBC Band had to go

-God raised up a Faithful Leader of the music with Adam

Hannah said with complete certainty in her prayer:

1 Samuel 2:7 “7 “The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts.”

1 Samuel 2:9 “9 “He keeps the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a man prevail.”

It is an indisputable fact that God will humble those who reject his name, seek to steal his glory and who mislead others away from Him.

1 Peter 5:5 “5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

The subject matter of these verses today are the contrast of the faithful and unfaithful. This really has been the theme in our first two chapters. Hannah was compared to Peninnuh. Now Hannah’s offspring Samuel will be contrasted with Eli and his offspring. All of this is to draw a clear line in the sand between faithful servants and unfaithful ones.

I. Unfaithful Servants Will Be Humbled

A. Eli, Hopni, and Phineas Exposed

The writer gives us a clear introduction to Hopni and Phineas, the sons of Eli who were serving as priests in the temple. As descendants of the Levites, Eli and his sons were called to serve God’s people in the worship of the Lord. You could say there is no higher calling than to serve the Lord and His people.

But as we have seen throughout Scripture, sin always disrupts the holy things. God has called his leaders to serve Him and many of his leaders have fallen into a unrepentant sin that leads to their destruction.

In Numbers, we read about Korah and the 250 men who rose up in rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Korah was a Levite and served in menial ways in the tabernacle. They were not priests and yet they still held a position of service to the tabernacle.

But his discontentment led him to gather enemies against Israel’s leadership of Moses and Aaron. The result was God’s displeasure with their rebellion. In judgment, the Lord opened up the ground beneath Korah and these 250 in his alliance and they were consumed for their treachery against the Lord leaders over Israel.

In our story today, the treachery against the Lord is higher up the ranks of leadership. Eli and his sons are priests before the Lord. As we will see, they display qualities of disqualification in their office and in their relationship with the Lord as a whole.

They serve as a warning, not just for leaders in the church, but for all who confess Christ, to consider whatever means of leadership they are given. Are we being faithful to lead as God has called in his leaders? Are we being good stewards of those God has placed before us to lead? This could be leading our children, leading in your workplace, or leading in the Lord’s church. Let’s note a few observations about these unfaithful leaders of Israel…

An Absent Devotion

1 Samuel 2:12 12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord”

It is the most damning of descriptions to simple have these TWO statements said of your leaders…

Sons of Wickedness

The term Belial is a OT word that means worthless or wickedness. The literal wording here is that the sons of El were “offspring of wickedness or Belial.” It was their heritage and they were walking in step with rebellion against the Lord. The term “Belial” in the NT began to be used for Satan as a proper name because he is the archetype of wickedness and evil.

they did not know the Lord

The reason for their title is because of their heart. It is said in v 12 also that they did not KNOW the Lord. They were not devoted to him and therefore they were hypocrites in serving him as priests before God’s people.

We must make no mistake here to think these men just made some mistakes in leadership. All leaders make mistakes, even in the church. The writer is clear that is more than missteps. This is outright unbelief.

“They did not know the Lord nor the customs of the priests”

They seem to not even be familiar with thier roles as priests and how God’s word directed their very specific actions in worship. This disregard for the Lord and his design for worship is evident in the fruit of their actions.

All this is to say that leaders can easily play the part, but not possess the heart for their role as leaders. How can you lack love for the Lord and yet serve as a priest? How can you desire to shepherd and despise the dirty, often obstinate sheep?

Eli’s sons are simply described as NOT KNOWING THE LORD.

An Abuse of Leadership

Secondly, the text tells us that a fruit of their lack of loving the Lord is a lack of reverence and concern for the holy things of Israel’s worship. We should not expect them to honor God’s people as they worship and honor the design of God’s worship if they do not love the Lord. This is why in so many churches today, we see an entertainment value going through the roof of church production. This appeasement of the world and culture is not about a love for Christ and His holy church. It is merely to gratify the flesh of people who want to be entertained on a Hollywood level of awe and wonder. There are people on harnesses and trolley systems mounted in the rafters of churches. It is not any different than leading live animals into the sanctuary for a Passion play. Its about pizazz not piety.

Eli’s sons, who are lovers of self, they are clearly out to benefit from the luxuries of the priesthood. Look at how they take advantage of the design of God’s worship and they turn it into what I call a feasting of frivolity and fatness.

1 Samuel 2:13–17 “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.

Now there are at least three offenses listed here regrading the worship of Israel which are breaking the ordinances that God set out for the priests. The descendants of Aaron were commanded by God to benefit from certain aspects of the offerings that were brought by the people in worship. Look with me at Numbers 18:8–9

“8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. 9 “This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even every grain offering and every sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons.”

Now these were called contribution offerings elsewhere and it simply meant that portions of the offerings of Israelite families were set aside for the priests who served the temple to consume. Like all other aspects of worship, the Lord was specific about which parts of meat were reserved for the priests, how much of bread was set aside, etc. It was very specific as to how things were to be carried out.

Hophni and Phineas, ignored those commands and they feasted and gorged themselves. When the meat was cooking, instead of taking the alloted portions of the meat, they could plunge the fork into the pot or kettle and take whatever came up on the prongs.

Note the second offense in v. 15-16

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.”

Now it was also commanded in Leviticus chapter 3 that the fat of the meat being offered was first first to be offered by fire to the Lord. Then the meat could be boiled and divided up with the alloted portions to the priests. These evil men forgo the burning of the fat and instead are taking raw meat in order that they may roast it for themselves. Perhaps they were tired of boiled meat and they wanted a little grilling time. Therefore they once agian abuse their leadership in the worship ordinances, seek to gratify their flesh, and in totality dishonor God.

A third offense:

1 Samuel 2:22 “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.”

The third offense should not surprise us. If these men were taking advantage of the Lord’s calling as priests in order to serve their bellies, we can assume they would gratify all of their flesh as well. In V 22, we see these men were also being sexually immoral with some of the women who were outside the tent of meeting. There is a few interpreters who think these are Israelite women who serve the temple, like Nazarites. But based on their actions, it must likely to interpret these women as cult prostitutes. This was not a practice of Israel but it was common practice of their religious neighbors. This could not only be sexual promiscuity but also a syncretism of Israel/Caananite worship.

Now this third offence may really left was mouth wide open as to such an offense as sexual immorality among GOd’s religious leaders. We have seen in recent years the confession of many prominent leaders in Evangelicalism that have given themselves over to lust and adultery. It simply leaves us stunned as the church of Jesus Christ. We valued the preaching of many of these men and we cannot believe their hidden sins when they are exposed.

But lets return to the first two offenses. This is where we are really challenged in our understanding of obedience and God’s holy commands. Our human nature here wants to ask: Does it matter which meat was eaten? Whats the big deal? So they wanted raw meat to cook? Who Doesn’t?

Friends, we remember that the law was meant to expose the human heart and our propensity as humans is to rebel. Eli’s sons are revealing a depraved heart that seeks to go its own way away from the commands of the Lord. Our sin nature yearns to rebel against what God ordains as holy meat. Our hearts say, “that not a big deal to creep over the line that God deems as unholy.” But friends, remember the story of Uzzah who saw the Ark falling to the ground when it was being transported on a cart. He reached out to save the ark from falling to the ground by touching the ark with his hand. His intention seemed good but he still violated the holy commands of God. He was killed by the Lord in judgment.

All of his word matters All of it is meant to be obeyed. All of it is holy. If God says this is sacred or this is forbidden, then we need not understand why God deemed it as holy, we just need to obey. The Lord in his infinite wisdom has good and perfect reasons. His law, whether it be ceremonial, civil or moral, exposed the unrelenting desire of Israel to rebel. While we do not adhere to the Old Covenant civil and ceremonials laws anymore, the moral law still has a power to reveal the evil human heart.

But we are not through… for we now must see two more instances in these verses, for Eli is also not innocent of his failures as priest over Israel.

An Apparent Neglect

The next two offenses that we need to look at fall on Eli. When God begins to declare a judgment on these sins, He goes to Eli much like God addresses Adam, not Eve, as the responsible position of leadership. Eli is being held accountable for God for his sons. Why? They as if seem grown men so why would Eli be held accoutnable now?

It is clear that Eli neglected his leadership as father and as priest over the worship of the Lord.

Look at the language of v 22-23 again,

1 Samuel 2:22–25 “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.”

It seems that the wording “now Eli was very old and he heard all his sons were doing” is a notation of the dereliction of duty as a father and priest over Israel. Its as if the Holy Spirit is showing us that Eli is rebuking his sons too late, “in his old age.” He has overlooked their sin too long. He has turned a blind eye as we might say to their offences against the Lord.

One reason that we might deduce as to why he didn’t correct their offenses in eating the unsanctioned meat is because he was doing the same thing. This is somewhat of a speculation but I want to point out the Lord’s rebuke of Eli here in v 28-29

1 Samuel 2:28–29 “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?’”

Now it is interesting that the Lord says “making yourselves fat.” He could be just talking about symbolically about the abuse of Hophni and Phineas overindulging in their eating the food of sacrifice. But there is a connection. Look with me at chapter 4:18 at the death of Eli

1 Samuel 4:18 “18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.”

I would like to argue that Eli didn’t correct the abuse of his sons because he was a benefactor of the choicest of contribution offerings. As a benefactor, he would not disagree, if he too was indulging in the sin. It is as if he got fat on abusing the sacrifice and God used his weight to judge him in his death as a metaphor for the consequences of our sin.

Note with me the second offence of Eli’s failed leadership

An Adjunct Love

and honor your sons above Me

Ultimately, Eli’s sin was no different than his sons. The Lord rebukes Eli in such a way to expose his priority of family over faith in the Lord. You honor your sons above me. Eli had allowed and participated in the abuses of their leadership over the sacrifices. He was not only a bad example to his sons when it comes to living holy, but he loved his sons more than he loved the Lord. This too was an issue of the heart.

I call this an adjunct love because if his love for the Lord was chief of his priorities, he would have loved his sons enough to discipline and correct their wickedness. This leads all of us to consider and evaluate our devotion to the Lord.

Jesus told his disciples,

John 14:15 “15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Our love and devotion for Christ leads to the fruit of obedience. We do not obey so that we might love Him. We love the Lord Jesus for who He is as Son of God and we respond to Him with the honor and worship that is already due to his name. From that love and devotion comes the fruit of obedience that leads us to love His holy word and to seek to obey it.

As we see the Eli’s son, their was not love and there was no faith in the Lord. They were not denying self, they were gratifying self. Therefore, they were lost and dead in their sins. Because of that, we read these tragic words, “the Lord desired to put them to death.”

We will focus more on their judgment next week, but let us see the great truth that God hates sin and the offences against his holiness. He will not bless and will not allow his name to be profaned. Sometimes we do not see that judgment come as swiftly as we think it should come. When we consider that thought, remember your own life and be thankful God’s judgment is not swift with you. Each of us lived lives of perpetual rebellion and profaning the Lord’s holy things and yet we lived. He showed mercy and grace. He showed compassion and patience with our sin.

But his patience will run out.

Peter writes in his first letter to look to the flood as an example of God’s patience and long suffering with sin.

There Noah preached repentance and God was patient with those who were hearing the warning to repent. Peter writes

1 Peter 3:20 “20 when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

All of the earth was under the impending jdugment of God for their rebellion. But God waited, giving warnings through Noah to repent, waiting as the ark was constructed. Only 8 people listened. Only 8 people had faith in the Lord’s promises of the judgment on sin. Would you have been one of the 8?

2 Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Psalm 86:15 “15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”

Friends, Eli, Hopni and Phineas show us that God is jealous for his holiness to be honored and his name to be glorified. The nature of sin keeps us distant from God and rebellious of heart against his glory. As he waits, there is a way of escape in His Son.

John 3:16–18 “16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Some of you here today may not truly possess a devotion to the Lord. This is evident by the way your flesh rules your life. You, like Eli’s sons do not care what God has commanded nor what he desires. You only want to live to feast and get fat on his blessings. All this leads to is suffering and eternal destruction. God will bring low and silence the wickedness in darkness. Heed those warnings and turn to the Lord before its too late.

For many of us, we can learn from Eli. Perhaps our faith has turned to love and prioritize relationships over the Lord. Maybe its relationships in our family, or with friends. This leads us to forsake the Lord and His holy commands. Perhaps it has led some of us to abuse leadership that we have been given as stewards by the Lord. Let us turn away from flirting with wickedness and let us return to our first love.

Revelation 2:1–5 “1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”

STOP

Lord’s Supper:

JC Ryle on our responses to partaking of the LS

“1) Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a "humbling" effect on the soul. The sight of the bread and wine as emblems of Christ's body and blood, reminds us how sinful sin must be—if nothing less than the death of God's own Son could make satisfaction for it, or redeem us from its guilt! Never should we be so "clothed with humility," as when we receive the Lord's Supper.

(2) Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a "cheering" effect on the soul. The sight of the bread broken, and the wine poured out—reminds us how full, perfect, and complete is our salvation! Those vivid emblems remind us what an enormous price has been paid for our redemption. They press on us the mighty truth—that believing on Christ, we have nothing to fear, because a sufficient payment has been made for our sin debt. The "precious blood of Christ" answers every charge that can be brought against us. God can be "just and the one who justifies, those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

(3) Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a "sanctifying" effect on the soul. The bread and wine remind us how great is our debt of gratitude to our Lord, and how thoroughly we are bound to live for Him who died for our sins. They seem to say to us, "Remember what Christ has done for you—and ask yourself whether there is anything too great to do for Him!"

(4) Right reception of the Lord's Supper into hearts, has a "restraining" effect on the soul. Every time a believer receives the bread and the wine, he is reminded what a serious thing it is to be a Christian, and what an obligation is laid on him to lead a consistent life. Bought with such a great price, as that which the bread and wine call to his recollection, ought he not to glorify Christ in body and spirit, which are His? The man who goes regularly and intelligently to the Lord's Table finds it increasingly hard to yield to sin and conform to the world.

Such is a brief account of the benefits which a right-hearted Christian may expect to receive from the Lord's Supper. In eating that bread and drinking that cup, such a man will have . . . his repentance deepened, his faith increased, his knowledge enlarged, his habit of holy living strengthened. He will see more clearly what Christ is to him—and what he is to Christ. He will feel the roots of his soul's spiritual life watered, and the work of grace in his heart established, built up, and carried forward. No wonder that a true Christian finds the Lord's Supper a source of blessing!”

B. Eli, Hopni, and Phineas Judged

The Word of God Remembered (27-30)

The Justice of God Enacted (31-36)

2. Faithful Servants Will Be Raised Up

A. A Faithfulness Is Blessed (18-21)

B. A Faithful God Fulfills His Plan (35-36)

Compassion and Justice