Her song of prophecy and praise concluded, Hannah left her little Samuel (probably five to eight years old) at Shiloh with Eli. Though her heart had been filled to overflowing with the revelation of the wonder and majesty of God’s purpose given direct to her, still she could not ignore the twinges of motherly instinct. Her son, her precious Samuel, must be left in a strange place, with unfamiliar people!
Certainly, this moment was a crossroads in the spiritual life of Hannah. To make the conscious choice, even in a single instance, to do God’s will rather than one’s own is commendable. But to abandon totally one’s own will, to surrender outright in a matter which strains one’s emotion to the breaking point is the ultimate of loving service.
Here is the challenge of possessions: we must hold nothing back -whether it be time, money, effort, or children! A slave can own nothing! What, after all, can “riches” mean to men and women who have been acquired by God? What “riches” are there for them but the riches of God’s grace and favor? Let us vow that from this time forward we will hold nothing back, we will retreat from our responsibilities no further, we will hide behind silly excuses no more. “Render to God the things that are God’s;” all of life belongs to the Source of Life. What we “lose” will be repaid many-fold: Hannah sacrificed one child and received five more (2:21) while not really losing the first.
The Sons of Eli
The last part of I Sam. 2 recounts the sins of Eli’s sons (vs. 12-17), the feeble warning from Eli (vs. 22-25), and finally the stern warning to Eli from the man of God (vs. 27-34). Interspersed among these bleak sections are brief, tantalizing glimpses of the development of Samuel (vs. 18-21,26), like delightful oases in an otherwise forbidding desert. God’s preparation of a successor to Eli and his corrupt offspring proceeded year by year, scarcely, if at all, noticed by the careless and scornful priests.
The sons of Eli were “sons of Belial” (v.12). Belial is not a proper name but a Hebrew word signifying “wickedness” (NIV) or “worthlessness” (RSV). They “had no regard for the LORD” (NW). Supposing that religious position was a source of gain (I Tim. 6:5), they abused the trust and authority vested in them in the most despicable ways. They stole directly from God His portion of the offering on a continuing basis: “So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither” (v.14).
Because of their exalted rank in Israel, Hophni and Phinehas not only dishonored God themselves; but by their example they also caused others to “abhor the offering of the LORD” (v.17). It is a fearful and a sobering thought that our sins may have disastrous consequences not only to us personally, but also to those closest to us — our families in particular. And, furthermore, as our influence for good grows in proportion to our years in the Truth — so does our potential influence for evil!
Not content with greed and extortion, Hophni and Phinehas “Lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle” (v.22). Complaints were addressed to the aged Eli from “all his people”(v. 32) He could have administered the severest threats, which were certainly within his power to carry out (as high priest and as father). But, instead, Eli satisfied himself with the mildest admonition: “Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear”(v.24)
A warning to fathers
Eli, by his tolerance and weakness, built his “house” unwisely; “and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:27). His sons were “precious seed” cast thoughtlessly to the wind, and one day it was too late to redeem them. We naturally wonder if Eli “loved” them too much ever to tell them “No!” (v.29). Eli’s work was “wood” and “stubble” and it perished, yet Eli himself may be saved “so as by fire” (I Sam. 2:34; I Cor. 3:12-15).
Here are grounds for the most serious self-examination on the part of any married brother who aspires to a leadership position in the ecclesia. He must never forget that his first responsibility is to his own family -to lead them by word and deed. Better to do less on the platform and more by the fireside, if the discharge of other duties in any way hinders the spiritual development of wife and children. “Train up a child in the way he should go” (Prov. 22:6). “A bishop then must be…one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” (I Tim. 3:2,4,5).
Samuel at the tabernacle
The elderly and brokenhearted Eli saw in the faith of Hannah and the young child a second chance for himself and the nation. Eli accepted a just rebuke from God (vs. 30-32) and gave over his declining years, not to frustration and sorrow, but to the education of the young prophet through whom God was now to speak. “He must increase; I must decrease” — it is a difficult role for any man to assume, especially a high priest! The arrogant priests of Christ’s day would not accept God’s judgments and step down from their seats; consequently, not only did their house perish, but also they personally were lost.
“The sin of the young men was very great…but Samuel ministered before the LORD” (I Sam. 2:17,18). “Samuel ministered before the LORD.” How lovely a picture! The little child was growing up in such a holy place and his first impressions of his surroundings would be a blending of reverence and delight. Before him was gradually opened, day by day, that illustrated book which was the tabernacle. As idea after idea unfolded, God would appear in everything around him: the garments, the sacrifices, the lamps, the bread of the presence, the incense rising silently toward the heavenly throne. With solemnity, he would contemplate the veil which hid the holiest place, tracing on it the figures of the cherubim — the living creatures -that mutely declared the unfailing purpose of the Almighty to fill the earth with His glory! All this Samuel saw, and more.
A garment from mother
“Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice” (v.19). This coat was probably a linen robe, the same as that worn by the ordinary priests and Levites. But to Samuel, it would be special almost beyond expression -because it was his only tangible link, for most of every year, to the mother who had lent him to the LORD yet loved him as her very life. As he went about his daily tasks, it constantly reminded him of her devotion.
Mothers still make garments for their children — and not just with cloth and needle! By their deeds, displayed from day to day before young and observant eyes, mothers fashion “robes” that their children wear for a lifetime. What children see, they imitate, almost unconsciously dressing themselves in the characters — whether good or ill -which they see in their mothers in the kitchen or garden. Can there be a stronger incentive than this, to resolve that all our lives, in every part, will be a continuing reflection of our Lord Jesus Christ?
The foundation of God
Associated with the tabernacle was depravity of the lowest order. There, God’s name was profaned in the worst way by scornful pretenders. Yet it remained God’s tabernacle! The ark rested in its place, the lamps still burned, the blood still flowed at the altar, the incense still ascended, and God was there!
“And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the LORD, and also with men” (v.26). Surely this is worth notice, especially by those who often fret that the Truth is in danger of being lost today. Much in these fears may be well-founded as to particulars, but not as to the conclusion sometimes reached — that the only course of action when evil arises is to forsake the assembly and begin again somewhere else. With such examples as the narrative of Samuel before us, surely that is not the answer!
We are reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy: Paul was imprisoned and near to the executioner’s block. Men like Hymeneus and Philetus (is the similarity of names, with Hophni and Phinehas, only a coincidence?) were undermining the faith of some. All around was hopeless, halfhearted “discipleship.” Was it time to give up hope, to flee like a hireling from the wolves of rebellion and pride and error? No, the answer of the aged apostle was clear: “Nevertheless [that is, despite all the difficulties and problems on every side] the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his” (II Tim. 2:19).
So it was in the days of Eli. The Lord knew who was His. He had called him into being in the barren womb of a righteous woman. He had seen him brought to His house. There his soul was nourished with visions of the eternal purpose. There he grew up strong and faithful, amidst the grossest wickedness -waiting for the time when he would be presented to Israel as God’s ordained prophet. The same canopy of divine strength that protected the ark sheltered him. There, in innocence, he slept. The foundation of God stood sure.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One