1 Samuel 2:22, commentary and pictures

Eli was very old, the high priest and judge in Israel, when he heard everything his sons were doing throughout the nation. His sons Hophni and Phinehas, though priests in sacred office and married men, were committing sexual sin with the women who assembled and served at the door of the tabernacle, adding licentiousness to selfish, covetous, violent and sacrilegious abuse of their office that defrauded worshipers and caused Israel to sin. Their vile practices dishonored God, polluted the sanctuary, drove many away from worship at Shiloh while leading thousands to excuse and follow their transgression, and brought reproach on God's cause before the surrounding nations. Eli knew of their conduct and reproved them for the enormity of priestly sin against God, but his hearing led only to mild verbal remonstrance without firm restraint, removal from the priesthood, or deserved judgment, because as a fond and indulgent father he feared their displeasure and honored them above God. That failure to restrain was itself his sin of neglect by which he became a partaker in their guilt, and it warns every parent and sacred leader that knowledge brings responsibility to promptly, firmly and decisively correct and discipline wrongdoing in the home, lest indulgence bring God's curse, judgment and ruin on the house and on many others.

The Setting and Misconduct

Eli was very old, the high priest and judge in Israel, when he heard all that his sons did unto all Israel. He himself had exalted his sons to the priesthood to minister at the door of the tabernacle in slaying the beasts and at the altar of sacrifice, while he alone was permitted to enter the most holy once a year. Their corrupt conduct stood in that setting of his old age and his full awareness of their wrongdoing.

His sons, Hophni and Phinehas, though priests in sacred office and married men, committed sexual sin with the women that assembled and served at the entrance of the tabernacle. That licentiousness was added to other crimes known to all Israel: selfish, covetous, gluttonous and profligate conduct, defrauding Israel in offerings, bold and violent transgression of God's law, and causing Israel to sin. They continually abused their sacred office and took advantage of it to engage in crime and commit adultery.

Their vile practices dishonored God and their sacred office and polluted the sanctuary and tabernacle. Israelite families saw it and many avoided worship at Shiloh, while others who cherished sin were drawn to follow them and excused their own wrongdoing because leaders were transgressing. The people were thus led to lightly regard crime and despise the sacrificial offerings. Thousands in Israel were led to ruin by evils polluting the sanctuary, unbelievers were disgusted, reproach was brought upon God's cause, and surrounding nations who knew of the iniquities openly practiced in Israel became still bolder in idolatry and crime.

In that same setting Samuel, though exposed to these sinful influences, remained untainted because he loved God and kept close to Heaven. As Eli grew old he was troubled and remorseful over his sons' profligate conduct and turned to Samuel for comfort. God passed over the aged priest to bring His message to the innocent child Samuel, choosing the young Samuel for service.

Eli's Culpable Failure

Eli knew all that his sons did unto all Israel, including their sexual misconduct with and abuse of the women who assembled and served at the door of the tabernacle. He had given them right instruction and a good example, and he reproved them, setting before them the enormity of priestly sin, that while a sin of man against man could be atoned for through the officiating priests, when priests themselves sin against God with open contempt for His authority there is none to make atonement for them. Yet they regarded not his counsel.

His hearing led only to verbal remonstrance, asking why they did such wicked things, without prompt, firm and decisive restraint, removal from the priesthood, or judgment upon them as deserved even to death. As high priest and judge in Israel he had authority to correct his sons and to abolish their injustice and iniquity, but as a fond and indulgent parent and partial judge he feared their displeasure, grieved yet lacked courage, let their rebellion continue, and honored them above God.

That failure to restrain was Eli's own sin of indolence, discouragement, and neglect of parental and priestly duty, which blinded him. By permitting them, loaded with guilt, to remain in holy office and by allowing them to go on in sin, he dishonored God, misled the people, compelled Israel to sin, and to that extent became a partaker in their guilt and swerved from loyalty to the principles of truth and equity. Merely advising about conduct was not enough, for neglecting firm discipline and control while wrongdoing continues makes a parent complicit and brings judgment on parent as well as sons.

He followed human wisdom instead of God's commands, trusting his own self-confident way above the way given in God's word and failing to pray earnestly how to order the child and what to do unto him. He let his sons grow up from babyhood without restraint until their forward, selfish and disagreeable ways became confirmed habits, rendering them unloving and unlovable. In undue affection he was ever ready to find excuses for their perverse course and to treat their sins as less offensive than the sins of others, though he was quick to see and rebuke the sins and errors of the people, even to unjust reproof as with Hannah.

Though he confessed his guilt and made known to the whole nation the messages of warning and reproof to his house, hoping in some measure to counteract the evil influence of his past neglect, he did not manifest true repentance or renounce the sin. Year after year, while the Lord delayed the threatened judgments, he took no effective measures to correct the evils when much might have been done to redeem the failures of the past, thinking effort was useless and only submitting, saying the will of God be done, instead of repenting as the Ninevites did. He and his sons trusted in the ark itself for help more than in the God who gave it, though the ark was of no consequence to those not keeping the law it contained. God's forbearance caused Hophni and Phinehas to harden their hearts and become still bolder in transgression, and the warnings were disregarded by the priests as they were by the people.

Warning to Parents and Leaders

Knowing what his sons were doing to all Israel, including sexual misconduct with the women who came to the tabernacle, made Eli responsible to confront them with effective action and to remove them from office, not with a mild rebuke that failed to stop them. Parents who see their children serving evil must promptly, firmly and decisively correct, control and discipline them rather than merely advising them, for neglect of firm discipline while allowing wrongdoing makes parents complicit and brings God's wrath upon parents and children. Indulging a child instead of correcting harmful habits, fearing displeasure and letting rebellion continue, helps lead children to reject parental authority and contributes to their ruin. Eli indulged and excused his sons' evil ways despite knowing their grave wrongdoing and despite God's warning of the sure result, and his failure to restrain them promptly and firmly brought curse and retribution.

A parent who keeps a grown child under his roof, supported by himself and the church, must require conformity to household rules and restrain self-willed going and coming, choice of society, correspondence, talk, loose habits and immoral relations with corrupt men, and when the child will not submit must no longer keep her dependent. Failure to restrain sons living in open sexual sin at the tabernacle kindled God's anger and brought reproach on God's cause. To excuse and cover up one's own married daughter's unfaithfulness while dealing unsparingly with the lesser sins of others repeats Eli's fault. God is displeased both with indulgent parents and with a church that bears long with such a trial and gives enemies occasion to speak reproachfully of the faith.

Leaders are accountable for wrongs they could have checked through their authority, and neglect in a leader's household can influence and harm the wider community. Eli stood in holy office as priest and judge, gave his sons right instruction and a good example, yet failed with promptness and decision to restrain their inclination to evil, so they followed a selfish, irreverent and licentious course that exerted a corrupting influence upon the whole nation. Every parent must not only teach and exemplify right but restrain evil, making the family a pattern of good works and a perfect Christian household, and in a pre-eminent degree those who minister in sacred things must be examples to the flock. He who fails to direct wisely his own household is not qualified to guide the church of God, and church leaders must guard their own conduct and rebuke sin impartially regardless of a person's status or closeness to them.

Age and experience in sacred work do not excuse neglect of duty in the home, for though Eli was an aged priest serving in God's work, his neglect as father and judge brought warning and judgment that his sons' transgressions would not be pardoned and his house would be cut off in its sins. Partiality that passes over in one's own children as smart and witty what would be severely censured in others is natural but unjust and unchristian, and Eli, though quick to see and rebuke the sins and errors of the people even to unjust reproof, in undue affection was ever ready to find excuses for his sons' perverse course and permit their faults to go uncorrected. Leaving wrong habits to grow and strengthen until they become second nature does children great wrong, and when this parental unfaithfulness exists in those who stand to instruct the people, and ministers fail to control their own households, it is tenfold greater, misleading many by wrong example, sanctioning the growth of evil instead of repressing it, and effacing the distinction between right and wrong, purity and vice. Letting sons grow from babyhood without restraint allowed forward, selfish ways to become confirmed habits, and following human wisdom instead of God's commands, trusting a self-confident way above God's word and failing to pray earnestly how to order the child, repeats the same error. God's word alone is the safe guide in managing children, and if carefully studied and faithfully obeyed there would be less soul-anguish over perverse conduct, while the same danger faces God's people now when they say they have the law and understand truth and expect that knowledge to save them without yielding full obedience that transforms character.

Tolerating children's wrongdoing as though it were an unavoidable condition brings God's curse, for Eli was condemned because he failed to restrain his wicked sons promptly and firmly. Neglect of duty brought the frown of God upon Eli and judgment followed, with disaster and death to himself, ruin to his wicked sons, and ruin to thousands in Israel. His sons, left loaded with guilt in sacred office and compelling Israel to sin, were to be punished and cut off both in one day, and their corrupting influence disgusted unbelievers and brought reproach upon God's cause. The same crime of adultery is now largely committed by professed Christians, both clergymen and laymen in good standing and especially professed ministers, who take advantage of office to engage in crime and cause transgression, hiding corruption beneath religious service and damaging confidence in religion, and will have a fearful account when judged according to deeds done in the body.