Errors of Omission

God’s Oath Against Eli
Audio MP3

I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering ¹for ever.—1 Samuel 3:14, ASV

Mikolay Grudzien

The message of God’s oath against Eli came by the mouth of the young boy Samuel, who was pledged to the Lord’s service by his mother Hannah after she had received him as an answer to prayer. In this case the messenger is just as important as the message. We will recognize from this whole story that the Lord God of Israel was taking preliminary action to the events in 1 Samuel chapter 3.

Eli lived at a time in Israel’s history when an era was coming to an end. It was the period of rule by judges. It was a formative period for the nation and included such heroes of faith as Gideon and Samson. We are told that Eli judged Israel for forty years and that he lived to an old age of 98 years, when he died under sad and tragic circumstances. Samuel, who was raised by Eli, matured to become the last judge of Israel, and also the first notable prophet (Acts 3:24), who would be used by the Lord to anoint the first king of Israel. Samuel also lived to a great old age and had the privilege to seek out and anoint young David as the king of Israel who would replace the fallen Saul.

Thus we understand that Eli and Samuel were the last two judges of Israel² and during their time the nation went through a transition. For Eli in particular it was also a time of silence from the Lord: “And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision” (1 Samuel 3:1). The Urim and Thummim were silent. Eli held the office of high priest and his two sons were priests with him in Shiloh.

God’s recorded dealings with Eli really began with Hannah and her family. This we know from a brief statement in 1 Samuel 1:5, “But the LORD had shut up her womb.” Hannah was full of faith and with her loving husband lived according to the traditions of their forefathers. They made their yearly pilgrimage to offer sacrifices unto Jehovah God, and when afflicted she approached God with prayer and supplication. God knew that Hannah’s faith would be true under this test; indeed the result was that Hannah and her husband Elkanah produced a boy child who was conceived in faith and dedicated to God’s service. Hannah weaned Samuel, or as we would say today, reared him up in the knowledge of God, and, perhaps at age twelve³, presented him to Eli. It was this child, Samuel, whom God had prepared, who would be used to communicate with Eli: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?” (Romans 11:33,34).

Hannah’s faith and sincerity toward God led her to give up her desired son; her husband also proved faithful in giving up his firstborn son from his better wife. Samuel would serve God all the days of his life rather than inherit his father’s goods as the family’s firstborn son. Hannah had reminded Eli that she was the woman who prayed earnestly for a son so many years ago. What a wonderful way Eli was blessed to know and experience the workings of our heavenly Father: “And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:20,21).
__________________________
1. Or, for their life time.
2. Editor’s note: Samson may have been con temporary with both.
3. Editor’s note: Presented at age twelve might be inferred from Josephus V, x, 4, though it is not specified in the Bible.

God communicated somewhat directly with Eli, whether in the years Hannah raised her son, or the years that Samuel grew before Eli. A man of God came unto Eli, no doubt a faithful prophet, though his name is not recorded. We can read the words of this unnamed prophet in 1 Samuel 2:27-36. Essentially, Eli is told that because of the corrupt practices of his sons, he and his house would be cut off (verse 29). The sign given would be that both his sons would die the same day. The prophet went on to prophesy that God would raise him up a faithful priest.

We observe how graciously God dealt with Eli. He was given the benefit of a direct message, a warning, and additionally he was given the benefit of close association with God’s careful working in raising up a new priest who would be fully faithful, namely Samuel¹. Evidently Eli was not an evil man; actually he was faithful in fulfilling his own priestly duties but was weak in disciplining his sons in their corrupt and wrong priestly practices. We may say that Eli loved his sons so much that in criticizing their poor behavior he was not willing to take disciplinary action against them. Therefore he became a part of their folly. This seemingly small error on the part of a parent toward a loved child became an abomination in the sight of God: “For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (1 Samuel 3:13).

When God’s judgment against Eli was finally pronounced, God did it by the mouth of a youth whom Eli undoubtedly loved very much. Samuel had the qualities his own sons lacked. Eli relished hearing what words God had spoken to him; Samuel hesitated, but then in childhood innocence repeated everything fully. If there was ever an opportunity for Eli to show hidden pride or envy, this would have been the time. Instead, Eli’s humble response stands as one of the most memorable expressions of Scripture: “It is the Lord: Let him do what seemeth him good” (1 Samuel 3:18).

There is an important lesson for the Lord’s people in Eli’s life and position as priest. We as Christians are privileged to be called into a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9-11). We carry the responsibility to take action on difficult issues regarding our own children, our brethren, and, most importantly, to take the necessary action with our own fleshly inclinations.

Here is a helpful statement about Eli and his family from the writings of Pastor Russell: “From this story we may draw a lesson as to what God expects of us and our families. If a child were meddlesome, thieving, immoral or otherwise an injurious person, the Christian parent should not allow such things to go on. He is obligated to bring the matter to some kind of termination. If, however, a child has a thought different from our own as to what constitutes reverence to God, we are not to assume that he should be brought under restraint.”—Reprints, p. 5297.

A Possible Type and Its Application

The Pastor went on to say that Samuel and Eli are a fitting representation for the little flock and great company at the end of this age: “Samuel would seem to represent more clearly the little flock class, and Eli the great company class—the latter being weak in some respects, but loyal at heart to the Lord. But it is the Samuel type that we should seek to copy —so fully out of sympathy are we with unrighteousness and sin, and so fully in accord with righteousness. We are ready to speak God’s message, which must necessarily be a very unpleasant one. As it is unpleasant for us now to tell forth the approaching disaster that will involve both church and state, so to Samuel it must have been a very unpleasant duty to go to his best friend, his benefactor, bearing from the Lord a message of disaster to himself and his family.

“We would do well to speak sympathetically of these things, rather than coldly, rather than exultingly.”—Reprints, p. 5297.
__________________________
1. Editor’s note: It is questionable whether Samuel became a priest; he was born an Ephraimite, though raised by a Levitical priest (whose sons alone were eligible for the priest hood). Nevertheless, Samuel did sacrificing which would be characteristic of priests.

We should not overlook a detail in God’s oath against Eli or the class Eli represents: “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle” (1 Samuel 3:11). This means that when God executes judgment between his faithful people, all those that hear of it (the Israelites here represent Christendom) will have a ringing in their ears. God’s judgment, God’s truth, God’s justice, will blast into the ears of the greater Christian world as one of the works to be accomplished in the time of trouble ending this age.

After God’s oath against Eli was pronounced, Israel went into battle against the Philistines and lost four thousand men. Next they brought the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield and lost thirty thousand men. The Philistines captured the Ark and that day both the sons of Eli were killed, as prophesied. Upon hearing the news of the great slaughter, the loss of his sons, and especially the loss of the Ark, Eli being old and blind, sitting on a stool fell backwards, broke his neck, and died.

The story does not end here because the Philistines promptly returned the Ark after suffering disease sent by God; the Israelites who received the Ark, proceeded to defile it, using it as a relic or idol, which brought about God’s punishment to them. There were 50,070 Israelites slaughtered by God for their sins (1 Samuel 6:19)¹.

Finally after approximately twenty years Samuel intervened on behalf of the people and they put away the worship of idols and false gods (1 Samuel 7:2-5). This is a fitting picture showing that through severe judgments Christendom will finally put away its errors.

Samuel continued to judge Israel and when he was old, he made his two sons to be judges over Israel. But his two sons were evil and corrupt just like the two sons of Eli (1 Samuel 8:1-5). Samuel had exactly the same problem as Eli, though we believe he probably handled it differently. The people no longer wanted any corrupt priest. They wanted a king. This represents the transition into the rulership of the king, Christ head and body, in the blessing phase of the kingdom. Samuel and Eli both fittingly represent the closeness of walk in life’s experiences between the Lord’s people, both the little flock and great company.

Our desire is to be as Samuel was and inherit the full blessedness of priestly office; however, we are comforted to know that our loving God dealt so graciously with Eli that even though severity and judgment fell on him, God has in store a blessing for those who remain humble in his presence. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
________________________