Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

This morning we are going to be examining the story of the downfall of the house of Eli.

Eli is a priest, in fact he is functioning as the high priest, he is the spiritual head of all of Israel, and he yet allows himself to make some pretty bad spiritual decisions that cause God to judge not only Eli himself, but the rest of his family legacy.

That is how bad things got for Eli.

I want to share with you one verse in this story as we begin.

It is the verse that we will be driving towards as we tell this particular story.

(KJV 1900) — 30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Eli, made a series of bad spiritual decisions (we would call that sin), that ultimately led him, to despise the very name of God.

How is it, that Eli (and by way of extension any of us) could allow sin to get so bad in his life, that he ended up despising the very name of God?

I. Scene #1- The Big Problem (2:12-17)

a.

When we sin we exchange God’s ways for our own ways for selfish reasons (2:12-15)

i.

In the OT Law God had already provided a system for the priests to be provided for.

A. (KJV 1900) — 34 For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.

35 This is the portion of the anointing of Aaron, and of the anointing of his sons, out of the offerings of the Lord made by fire, in the day when he presented them to minister unto the Lord in the priest’s office; 36 Which the Lord commanded to be given them of the children of Israel, in the day that he anointed them, by a statute for ever throughout their generations.

B. Hophni and Phineas devised their own methods for getting the very best pieces of meat.

They would send out a servant with a three pronged fork and take exactly what they wanted.

C.

They would even take the meat before the fat was burned.

The fat was usually burned for the Lord.

a. (KJV 1900) — 5 And Aaron’s sons shall burn it (the fat) on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord.

b. (KJV 1900) — 25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.

b.

Sometimes our sin can force others to disobey God or it can do damage to other’s view of God.

(2:16-17)

i.

The laypeople in Israel were at least trying to get the priests to give the Lord his portion first.

But if they refused the priests would take the offering by force.

ii.

“The MT suggests that the priestly actions were causing the worshipers (Hb.

hāʾănāšîm, “the men”) to look disrespectfully upon the freewill offerings made to the Lord.

Priestly abuse was giving religion a bad name in Israel.”[1]

iii.

It was for this reason, the fact that they were causing the worshipers of God to look disrespectfully upon the offerings of the Lord, that the sin of Hophni and Phineas was VERY GREAT in the sight of the Lord.

How is it, that any of us could allow sin to get so bad in our life, that we end up despising the very name of God?

Proposition #1- Sometimes we allow sin into our lives because we do not see the seriousness of our sin through God’s eyes

Application: Each young person must diligently seek to see their sin through God’s eyes, they must honestly ask themselves if their life is honoring God above everything or everyone else or if their life is despising God.

II.

Scene #2- The Big Contrast (2:18-21)

a.

When we are struggling in our sin it is helpful to remember the value of walking closely with God

i.

There is not much detail given about Samuel and his parents.

They were simply living year after year in faithful obedience to God and as a result they were experiencing the blessings of God.

Samuel grew in the presence of God.

Elkanah and Hannah were blessed with five more children.

ii.

Yes Hophni and Phineas were indulging in prime rib with the fat still on, but look at what they were missing out on!

No steak is worth that.

iii.

There is an incredible contrast going on here- Eli and his sons who are rejected by God, who are publicly disgracing God, with a father who will not deal with them the way he should, and who ultimately receives a server judgment by God- v.s- a family chosen by God, who has a child growing in favor with God and man, parents who are exemplary, and who receives a great blessing by God.

We don’t have time to fully develop this contrast, but it is not to be missed.

How is it, that any of us could allow sin to get so bad in our life, that we end up despising the very name of God?

Proposition #2- Sometimes we do not understand the close relationship with God that we give up when we continue in our sin

III.

Scene #3- The Big Failure (2:22-26)

a. Honoring God sometimes requires us to make very difficult choices

i. Eli, when he is very old, hears all that his sons were doing in Israel.

(Why has he not stepped in and dealt with these issues a long time ago?)

ii.

The sins of Hophni and Phineas have progressed to sexual immorality with the women serving at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

A. “Perhaps these women were Nazirites involved in volunteer service at the worship site (cf.

; ); alternatively they may have been cultic prostitutes.

However, they were being treated as though they were pagan shrine prostitutes (cf.

).”[2]

iii.

Eli does call them on their sin, and gives them a stern warning.

They are sinning not against man only, but against God.

Since their sin is against God who can intercede for them?

It is like going to court against God- does anyone have a chance of winning that kind of court case?

iv.

Hophni and Phineas would not listen to Eli’s warning- it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

v. Eli didn’t go far enough in dealing with this sin problem.

It was necessary for him to take further action to deal with this sin problem, even if they were his own children.

Honoring God should have been more important to Eli, that keeping his sons from the consequences of their sins.

How is it, that any of us could allow sin to get so bad in our life, that we end up despising the very name of God?

Proposition #3- Sometimes we are unwilling to obey God when dealing with the consequences of sin

Application: Parents must honor the Lord in their lives even if it means making hard decisions in the lives of their children.

IV.

Scene #4- The Big Confrontation (2:27-36)

a. God’s grace should cause us to honor Him with our lives (2:27-28)

i. God revealed Himself to house of Eli’s father (Aaron) when they were in Egypt

ii.

God choose Aaron out of all the tribes of Israel to be His priest

iii.

God gave Aaron the privilege of serving Him, to go up to the altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Him.

iv.

When we stop and think about all that God by His grace has given us that should cause us to be grateful and to serve and honor Him with our lives.

b.

Willful refusal to deal with sin is akin to despising God (2:29-30)

i. God asks Eli, “why do you kick” the sacrifices and offerings of God?

To kick ⇔ scorn v. — to look down on with disdain, conceived of as kicking someone.

Eli was guilty of scorning the sacrifices of God- this seems to imply that he was actively participating in the sins of Hophni and Phineas.

ii.

Eli is also condemned for honoring his sons above God by fattening himself on the choicest parts of the offerings of God’s people.

Again Eli is complicit in the sins of his sons.

It is interesting how God view Eli’s sin.

He views Eli’s sin as honoring his sons above God.

iii.

Thus Eli had broken God’s contract- If Eli had kept God’s laws he and his household would have gone in and out before Him forever, but not any longer.

Why?