There is a clear difference between Hannah and Samuel and Eli and his two sons. Eli’s sons reveal the inner thoughts and actions of leaders who serve their own interests instead of doing the work they are meant to do.
Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord (1 Samuel 2:12)
Eli’s sons had the chance to serve in the temple. Instead of helping the people and honoring the Lord, they focused on their own desires and indulged in gluttony.
When anyone offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,
And 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 (1 Samuel 2:13-14).
Paul captured the essence of the spiritual problem in his letter to the Philippians.
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19
If we make a “god” of our appetites, we will end up being an enemy of our Lord who exhibited self-giving love on the cross. The end result will be destruction and our glory will be turned to shame, because we set our sights on earthly things.
How are we like the “bad guys?
When reading the Bible, it is always a good idea to ask how we are like the bad guys in the story. Let’s ask ourselves how our pleasures, wants, and desires determine our service to the Lord and other people?
A few years ago, I read a highly researched book called Why Nations Fail.
The authors show that the main reason nations fail is because leaders refuse to put aside their own self-interest for the good of the nation. Whether they are political, religious, or business leaders, if they can’t serve the greater good, they doom their country.
Our society often focuses on how business, religion, or political leaders serve themselves. We fail to see that we might be like the ones we criticize. While it’s okay to be concerned about others’ self-interest, we should also examine our own.
Samuel had a solution for this kind of self-interest. He said we should put aside our idols and serve God wholeheartedly. We can start doing that today.
Pleasure Seeking
Eli’s sons were determined to satisfy the pleasures of their bodies. Beyond eating the best of the offerings that were acts of worship to God, they also engaged in sexual relations with women at the entrance to the house of worship.
Now Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting (1 Samuel 2:22).
The Canaanite religions often had temple prostitutes at their places of worship for Baal.
It seems that religion among the Israelites had declined so much that they adopted these practices. Eli’s two sons took advantage of the women who were there to satisfy their own lusts.
Peter reminds us that followers of Jesus are called to live in newness of life. Past sinful behaviors must remain there and a Christ-like lifestyle should prevail.
So as to live for the rest of your time in the flesh no longer by human desires but by the will of God.
You have already spent enough time in doing what the gentiles like to do, living in debauchery, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.
They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme.
But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:2-5).
Self-Interest and Power
Imagine an honest worshiper of God bringing the right gift to Him. But then, Eli’s sons tell him to do the opposite of what God wants.
They even threaten, saying if he doesn’t obey them, they’ll use their power to get what they want.
Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take whatever you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now; if not, I will take it by force” (1 Samuel 2:15-16).
It’s easy to see politicians, business people, or religious leaders misusing their power to harm those they should serve.
The book Why Nations Fail highlights the terrible outcomes when leaders prioritize their own interests over their nation’s. It traces this issue back through many years, even centuries, to show how often it has occurred.
You don’t have to read the entire book to get a summary of its basic premise. There are excellent summaries of the book that can be found on the Internet.
Before we fully condemn our world leaders for their self-interest, we should consider how we might be like them.
In the reform campaign mentioned later in the book of Samuel, we’ll see that ordinary people, like you and me, had to turn away from their own self-interest to truly worship God.
The good news is that we can start this change individually today.
YouTube Discussion
I have covered only a portion of 1 Samuel 2 in today’s article. Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I provide a full story of chapter 2 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 