1 Samuel 2:27 Commentary and Bible Study

Then comes a prophet, as it were, out of nowhere, a nameless prophet, and condemns Eli and brings a word to Eli saying, it's too late. Eli has neglected his privileges and he hasn't reproved his sons, and therefore it's too late, and they going to be severely judged. It is Eli that is rebuked here, even though it is his sons who have done the evil. He too is guilty because he has failed to guard the commission given to the priestly line. In delivering this rebuke the Lord sends his prophet to the one who bears the chief responsibility. In a household it is the father; in a marriage it is the husband; in the temple it is the high priest. Every institution that God appoints has its structure of responsibility. We are to recognise privilage when it is given to us by the Lord, and we are to react accordingly. We must appreciate the gifts of God and be grateful for them, and one way in which we express that gratitude is to treat very solemnly all privileges given to us by the Lord. We are not greater than oithers to receive this calling, but once we have received it we must respond to it. God’s choice is not be based on anything in us, and we wonder that we should receive anything from the Lord, but we must endeavour to live worthy of the calling we have received. The call of Aaron’s line to be priests serving in the temple was unmistakable. Out of all the tribes of Israel Levi was chosen, and out of the families of Levi, Aarrons sons were chosen. They were given what was not given to any other, and they were to guard the gift down their generations. The instructions were very clear, and they came with certain benefits, but they must never forget that they deserved none of this. Great privileges demand great service. ‘Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more’ (Luke 12:48).Eli honoured his sons above the Lord. The believer must continually be making choices which show what really matters to him. Often, implicit choices are made. The situation that Eli was faced with demanded a certain response. Perhaps if he had acted more decisely and earlier, it would have acted as a correction to his sons and they would have been brought to repentance. Perhaps if they had seen how seriously their father took these things, they would have been jolted into realiseing how terrible what they had done was. Failure to appropriatly reprove rebellious children is not an act of kindness, but of cruelty. In spite of the testuimony of their consciences, the final judgment that fell on the sons may have come as a surprise to them, because their father failed to endorse the message of conscience. Let parents berware! When children turn against the Lord, if we do not act and reprove them with the severity that their sin demands, we side with them against the Lord. Because he had failed to reprove them, Eli was held responsible for his sons’ sins and became a partner with them, even though he did not do the same thing.Eli was guilty of presumption in assuming that the privileges given through his forefathers would continue regardless of how they lived. He remembered the strong assurance given by the Lord to Aaron and his descendants (Exodus 29:9; Numbers 25:13), and he almost acted as if the Lord could be bound by his own word at any price. This is a very dangerous way to think. We can never manipularte the Lord, or trap him into serving our interests even when we abuse his ordinances. God makes strong promises to us for our sake, to encourage us to trust him, not so that we can take advantage of him and sin that grace may abound. His promises are conditional, and here he says that although the priesthood was given perpetually, it will be taken from Eli’s line. This would not involve any real failure in the promise, for Samuel would be raised up instead, and even when the Mosaic priesthood eventually came to an end, it continued in the one true Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. The overriding principle is that God honours those who honour him. No one will be allowed to dishonour him and not face the consequences.The judgment was to com on Eli’s descendants. Why when the family went on down the centuries would there be certain judgements on them as a family: the descendants would always be poor, the young men dying early? Is that fair? Actually, there is nothing in the judgements to prevent the descendants, even with these afflictions, from turning to the Lord and being personally godly, and knowing him, and walking with him, but nevertheless there would be a blight upon the family. Why? Because the Lord is vindictive? No, but there must be for years to come a public sign or demonstration that to profanely abuse the worship of God and to bring the house of God into disrepute is a terrible evil, and that must be marked for many, many years to come: that the people, the priests, and the Levite's will be warned, and the prophets and the kings. So it is a warning sign that there is going to be a judgement upon their posterity. God values the purity of worship above all else. Nothing is more powerful to teach people about the greatness of our God; nothing is more harmful than to allow abuse of worship.Eli is to therefore receive a fearul sign: the death of his sons in one day. He did indeed see it (1 Samuel 4:11), but what caused his death was something still more terrible to him: the capture of the ark by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:17-18).Again, we see the justice of God’s judgments. He is the God who reverses all false gain, and takes away all the profits of sin. The sons lived by abusing the temple service. In their indulgence, they greedily took far more than they were entitled to of the offerings. God will therefore turn their descendants into beggars. There is nothing unjust about God’s judgment on future generations, for each one is also punished for their own sins. God owes his grace to no man, and when he chooses not to restrain fallen human nature, it is inevitable that sin will result which he justly punishes.