The Sin of Eli

I. Introduction
A. I have tried to focus on sins the Bible draws attention to.
1. This is the first one not mentioned in the NT, though God does clearly rebuke it in the OT.
B. Who was Eli?
1. High priest of Israel: overseeing the tabernacle in Shiloh with its sacrifices, in the time of Samuel
2. Raised Samuel the prophet in the temple (1Sam.2:29; 3:18)
3. He was the one who spoke to Hannah in the tabernacle when she was praying to have a child.
4. Israel’s judge as well - 1Samuel 4:18 “Thus he judged Israel forty years.” I.e. Israel’s ruler as well
C. 1Samuel 2:22–29 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death. 26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and also with man. 27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ (Continues with promises to curse Eli’s house in various ways.)
D. 1Samuel 3:11–14 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
E. All of these sermons on Great Sins of the Bible are chronological, except this one. I thought Eli would make a good study on Fathers Day, so I moved him up a few weeks.
1. I expected to emphasize the idolatry of the approval of others, and especially the idolatry of our children’s approval. And I’ve included some thoughts on that subject at the end of the notes.
2. However, as I dug more into the story of Eli, I concluded that this isn’t so much a story about parenting. This is a story about exploitation.
3. Eli’s sons are grown men, not youths. In 2:22 “Eli was very old, and ...his sons were [laying] with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” He was 98 when he died. Very old people don’t generally have teenaged sons. And the day Eli and his sons died, Phinehas’ wife gave birth to at least her second child.
4. So, Eli restraining his sons was about much more than good parenting.
II. The sins of Eli and his sons (Hophni and Phinehas)
A. 1Samuel 2:12 tells us that Eli’s sons “were worthless men, and that they did not know the LORD.”
1. 1Samuel 2:13–17 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt.
2. So these two young men were in the habit of confiscating the choicest parts of the sacrificial meat, parts that worshipers would bring to sacrifice to God, parts which were supposed to be reserved for God alone, even under threat of violence.
3. We already saw how they were laying with the women who served at the tabernacle (1Sam.2:22).
a. But let’s talk a little more about what this means and who these “women at the tabernacle” were.
(1) Exod 38:8 There were women who devoted themselves to the temple: Nazirite vow in Num.6.
(2) (And I personally think this is what happened to Jephthah’s daughter in Judges 11:34-40.)
b. Could this have been consensual? I don’t think so. Let me tell you why.
(1) There is no blame placed on the women by the writer of this story, but all the blame is placed on the men. They were the ones who had no scruples. They were the ones who were taking advantage of people with no conscience. They were the ones who were worthless and did not know the Lord.
(2) You can see how these men operated, they were not just smooth talkers who wormed their way to what they wanted. They demanded it and threatened to take it by force if necessary.
(3) This is not one woman, this was a category of women. Were they all promiscuous?
(4) These men were in a position of power over them. They were not just their bosses. They were the sons of the high priest of God! And their father was not only the high priest, he was also the judge (1Sam.4:18). That is, he was in charge of the church & of the state! He was the only one there was to appeal to, and he was already aware of the situation and looking the other way. So, these women had no recourse. They were helpless victims of these ruthless men.
B. But we’re not talking about the sin of Eli’s sons this morning. We’re talking about the sin of Eli.
1. And what was the sin of Eli? We’re told in 1Sam.3:13 “I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.”
2. Everyone knew. “My sons; it’s not a good report I hear people spreading around.” 1Sam.2:24
3. Eli was obviously capable of leadership and assertiveness. He could not have served as high priest or as judge of Israel without that. And yet, for some reason, he refused to intervene.
4. Why would he not act? Why was he so weak in the face of his sons? For at least 2 reasons:
a. They were his sons, and he didn’t want to lose their favor. They worked together and he didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t want to suffer their complaints and their ire. That is understandable.
b. But there’s another, more sinister reason. He too was on the take. Eli was weak before his sons because he was enjoying the benefits of their sin.
(1) This is clear from the words of God’s prophet in 1Samuel 2:29, “Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?”
(2) Eli liked those choice parts of the meat his sons were stealing from the worshipers.
(3) Why else would 1Sam.4:18 tell us that Eli was a heavy man? Scripture rarely talks that way.
(4) When you’re surrounded by evil, your ability to confront that evil is undermined if you’re on the take. And Eli was on the take. He was enjoying his cut too much to put a stop to the deed. He was an accessory to the crime.
(5) Alcoholic pastors don’t confront alcoholism. Porn-addicted pastors don’t confront porn use.
(6) Nasty, argumentative Christians don’t speak out for civility.
(7) I think the spirit of Eli is wreaking havoc upon the Christian home, upon the Christian church and upon our society as well. We can’t stand against materialism because we’re materialistic.
(8) We can’t speak out against the idolatry of entertainment because it’s the way we live our lives.
(9) When we sin it often causes us to lower our standards for others. David had the same problem.
III. Let’s talk more about the issue of exploitation of power especially in the context of the church.
A. The Christian church has generally stood on the side of respect for authority, being more afraid of rebellion towards authority than of the abuse of authority. And it’s legitimate to fear the anarchy which comes when permission is given to resist authority.
B. Now the first thing we have to agree on is that the Bible recognizes the reality and danger of both rebellion towards authority and abuse of authority.
1. There are many verses which urge submission and respect toward authority.
a. Family: The fifth commandment (Exod.20:12, Eph.6:1-3)
b. State: Romans 13:1-7
c. Church: Heb.13:7, 17; 1Thes.5:12-13
d. In general: 1Peter 2:13–19
2. There are many verses that condemn the abuse of authority: Ezek.34:1-10; Matthew 20:25–28; 1Pet.5:1-3; Col.3:19, 21; Eph.6:4
3. And there are a number of verses which tell us that there is a time when authority is abused to such an extent that it is our obligation to resist the abusing authority.
a. The Hebrew midwives refusing to kill the newborn boys – Exod.1:15-22
b. Rahab hiding the spies in Jericho – Joshua 2:1-7
c. Elijah hiding the prophets from Ahab and Jezebel – 1Kings 18:13
d. Jehosheba hiding the infant Joash from Queen Athaliah – 2Kings 11:1-3
e. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego refusing to now to the golden statue – Daniel 3:1-12
f. Daniel praying in defiance of the king’s orders – Dan.6:10
g. The apostles preaching even when the authorities forbade it - Acts 4:19, 5:21
4. (Note: There is a definite pattern in these verses: The verses about submission to authority are explicit commands, whereas the verses about resisting authority are narratives, they occur as examples in stories and never as explicit commands.
a. Does this mean that they are not prescriptive, that they don’t apply to us? Not at all.
b. Both kinds of verses apply to us, both are there to tell us what to do. But it’s very hard to define when exactly authority is to be resisted. The Christian church has been developing a just war theory for thousands of years; it’s not an easy job. But if there was a verse in the Bible which said there’s a time to resist authority, that verse would be constantly used to justify all kinds of rebellion. But by giving us examples, God shows us the kind of situation wherein authority must be resisted.)
C. So, the Scriptures have the two dangers covered pretty well. But for too long the church has been too silent about abuse, and not nearly willing enough to confront it and address it.
1. Some people have their fear bent in the direction of the abuse of authority.
2. But many others have their fear bent in the direction of disrespecting authority.
3. It seems to me that we need to be equally afraid of the abuse of authority and of the disrespect of the legitimate exercise of authority.
IV. The story of Eli has much to teach us about exploitation in the church.
A. It certainly doesn’t say that church leaders are always corrupt. There are many church leaders in the Bible who are faithful. So, you can’t assume the worst. That’s unfair, and it’s harmful.
B. This story does say that abuse of authority happens; exploitation is real. It tells us that sometimes the light of the world becomes part of the darkness. And that darkness is the darkest darkness.
C. It tells us that sometimes religion becomes a business, church becomes an end in itself, that sometimes church is all about career and salary and reputation and buildings and prestige. Sometimes church is all about church, and not all about God. Sometimes the church is all about us, and not all about Him.
1. We live in a day of church scandals. And sadly, our day is not unique.
2. But as it turns out, this kind of thing was already going on in Bible days: priests being protected by the church and allowed to continue their abuse. And not just in the Roman Catholic church.
D. This story tells us that being a church leader doesn’t remove one’s love of earthly security or one’s love of approval or one’s enjoyments of creature comforts.
E. It shows that many times corruption thrive in a structure which protects it, that when there is exploitation in an institution, there is often an enabler.
1. There are Hophnis and Phinehas’ in church leadership today - all over the place. And for virtually every Hophni and Phinehas there is an Eli who has been too cowardly to put them out.
2. For every Hophni and Phinehas there is an Eli who’s made an idol out of the preservation of the church or the thrill of successful ministry and the esteem and admiration which goes along with it.
3. In many contemporary cases, the top church leaders have been the enabler, as in the RC church.
4. And in protestant churches, a number of times the head pastor is the father of the perpetrator.
5. Why in the world would the church enable or protect abusers? To protect its reputation, to protect its revenue, to protect careers and incomes, and a misplaced attempt to protect Christ’s name.
F. This story shows that there’s something uncomfortable about church discipline, and it’s easier to cover it up. It tells us that it takes courage to root out the problem.
1. Even when everyone knows what’s going on, there isn’t always the resolve to put an end to it.
2. I’ve known churches where corruption was known by the congregation, and nothing was done.
3. So often it is not the church through which we find out about scandalous sins.
4. So often it is some victim which goes to the police or to the press.
G. It shows us that it’s easy to not confront this kind of thing firmly enough. It’s easy to slap the hand instead of arresting the behavior, to disapprove but not disallow.
1. Some use a sledge hammer to remove a speck. Others use a Q-tip to amputate a gangrenous limb.
2. Think of Jesus cleansing the temple for a much smaller sin than this (John 2:14-17). Remember the verse, “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”
3. Yes, people make mistakes. And yes we must be ready to forgive. But forgiveness doesn’t mean reinstatement. Leaders are also supposed to be above reproach, respectable & well-thought-of (1Tim.3:2-7). It takes a while to gain those things back after a scandalous fall.
H. It tells us that corruption often coexists with zeal. Eli’s “heart trembled for the ark of God.” in one sense he took his job very seriously. But he was also corrupt, and incredibly calloused toward all the worshipers in Israel who were being harmed by what his sons were doing. He cared more about the furniture in the temple than about the women who served God in the temple.
I. It does show the danger of a leader with no accountability. All of Israel was dependant on this one man. Eli gave his sons their privileged position, and he was in charge of making sure they didn’t abuse it. The wolves were the ones in charge of guarding the hen house.
1. There was one leader, and he was the enabler. And there’s nothing anyone else could do.
2. Every time elders are chosen to lead churches in the NT, it’s always more than one person.
3. The first people shepherds must shepherd is each other.
4. Don’t ever join a church whose leader has no accountability, no matter how godly he seems.
5. There’s a reason some have no accountability. And even if there’s not, one day it’s likely to blow.
6. That’s one of the reasons I’m a presbyterian. There is accountability, and then there’s more accountability above that that can be appealed to.
7. And you don’t just want a pastor who is WILLING to have accountability, but who knows he needs accountability and wants accountability.
J. Finally, we can see from this that God deals with exploitation ever so severely.
1. It would be better for a man to have a millstone tied around his neck & be cast into the sea than to experience the wrath of God for harming one of His precious little lambs (Matt.18:5-6).
2. The three die on the same day in dramatic fashion (read it in 1Samuel 4:12–18), in accordance with a very strong prophecy (1Sam.3:27-34). He is indeed a consuming fire (Heb.12:29).
3. We’re not told whether Eli went to heaven or to hell. However, I never feel too good about a person’s eternal destiny when their death occurs by God basically striking them dead because of their sin. And 1Samuel 3:14 doesn’t give us encouragement either: “I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
V. Application
A. This doesn’t just apply to church leaders: There is a danger of being in any position of power.
1. Marriage, Parenthood, Older siblings, even elder abuse
2. All of us have a position of leadership or power . All of us have the potential to bring shame on the name of Christ by using our position or influence to exploit others. We must all be on guard.
3. “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”1Cor.10:12
B. Sadly, I think it’s safe to say that most of you will someday be in a church going through a scandal.
1. All members of a PCA church have taken a vow to strive for the peace and purity of their church.
2. We all bear a responsibility for the purity of the church. The Bible tells us that we must not stand by and tolerate sin running rampant in the church. It outlines a process for us that must be used to attempt to restore the one who has sinned, and then if that fails, to put them out of the church.
3. And this process church discipline is not just a matter of church leadership. Matthew 18:15-17 “And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.” But notice that it doesn’t say, “And if your brother sins, tell it to the church.”
4. Do you know that in the PCA any member can bring a charge against any other person in the church? And the church leadership can’t just choose to ignore it.
C. The Bible gives us some special instructions about the discipline of a church leader.
1. 1Timothy 5:19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
a. The Scripture is alert to the possibility that sometimes church leaders get falsely accused.
2. 1Timothy 5:20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
a. But if the accusation turns out to be true, and if the leader is unrepentant, then he should be rebuked in front of everyone. This public disgrace is designed to communicate to the rest that this kind of behavior is not tolerated among the people of God.
D. However, in the case of a crime (like rape or sexual abuse), which is what Eli’s sons were involved in, the matter should be brought to the civil authorities, not just the church. If the church leaders are the enablers, reporting it to them could give them the chance to unjustly sweep the matter under the carpet and deal with it “in house.”
E. This is a dark story. But a church scandal is never the end of the story. God will vindicate His name, and His church will go on, hopefully humbled, more sober & more God-focused than before.
VI. Conclusion
A. Eli wasn’t a unique event. The leaders of Israel were even more corrupt in Jesus’ day. He was arrested by the priests & their guards, tried before the high priest and handed over to the Romans.
B. What a terrible situation it was to live under one of those corrupt regimes.
C. But none of these high priests are our high priest. Our high priest is no hypocrite. Our high priest is no exploiter. “A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench.” Matt.12:20
D. He would literally rather die than do damage to one of His precious sheep. In fact, He would rather die than let His precious sheep continue to be ravaged by their guilt and the powers of darkness.
E. “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

VII. Extra application on the idolatry of approval
A. When children become idols
B. God wants us to love our children. But loving your children can be taken too far.
1. Matthew 10:37b "He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
C. In my opinion this is one of the greatest reasons that Christian people fail in raising their kids.
1. You can’t raise your kids right if they are idols to you.
2. Children were created by God to be treated like children, not like gods. And if we treat them like gods, we ruin them.
D. If you can’t bear to see your children cry, if you can’t bear to see them in pain, then you might as well get down on your knees and worship them, because that is what’s happening.
1. And the same thing is true re: your spouse and friends.
2. Now I’m not saying that we should enjoy watching our children cry, or even that you should not be pained yourself when they do. Of course, we don’t like to see them in pain. But if this is so intolerable to you that you can’t bear for them to be in pain, if it causes you to always remove them from a painful situation because you can’t conceive of that pain being good for them, then your children are idols.
3. And your children will learn to manipulate you and control you by crying out in pain.
E. Saying no is an essential aspect of good parenting. A parent who can’t say no to his children is a bad parent.
F. What held Eli back from putting his foot down with his sons?
1. Love? No - but a lack of love: a lack of love for his sons and a lack of love for God’s people
2. Giving the kind of love we owe to God to anyone else is not love but idolatry, and only hurts the person we love like that.
G. It comes down to this: we all want to be approved by the Lord and by our children. But what if only one of these is possible? What if you have to choose between being approved by God or approved by your child? Which are you going to choose? What if you have to choose between
1. a life of honoring God above all else but being scorned and rejected by your children and
2. a life of compromising your life before God but enjoying the approval of your children?
H. One more thing about this: the parent who makes an idol of his children is often the one who is most likely to be scorned and rejected by his children.
1. Eli sold his soul to try to maintain acceptance in the eyes of his sons. Did it work? No - you can tell they had no respect for their father.
I. It is not just parents who must learn this. Fear of offending is a powerful influence in our lives. We are all prone to making an idol of acceptance and approval.
J. And we do the same thing when we overlook sin that should be confronted.
1. 1Cor. 5:6 “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”
2. Someone loses his temper with us or makes an inappropriate comment to us. (And every Christian at times he is going to be falsely accused, insulted, rejected.) The easy response is to begin avoiding that person.
3. But what happens then? He just goes and does the same thing to the next person. Is that loving?
4. We must not be concerned only with ourselves. We must be willing to risk our own popularity for the sake of Christ and for the sake of His beloved people.
5. You love your child no matter what they do because he/she is yours. Can you love your fellow Christian because he/she is Christ’s?
K. Christianity cannot be equated with being nice. “There’s a time for war and a time for peace.” (Eccl. 3:8b)
1. Some want only peace.
2. But Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 "For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. 37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. (Mt. 10:34-37)