1 Samuel 2:29, commentary and pictures

The Lord sent this word by His prophet as a reproof to Eli, both high priest and judge, that he trampled on the sacrifices and offerings commanded for God's dwelling and put his sons before God by fattening themselves on the best of Israel's gifts, with the rule that those who honor God will be honored and those who despise Him will be lightly esteemed. He had raised his sons to minister at the tabernacle and altar, where they acted selfishly, covetously and violently to seize the choicest portions for themselves, and though he reproved them he excused them from affection and fear, failing to restrain them firmly, remove them from office, or judge their crime as it deserved. By that neglect he shared their guilt, treated God's appointed worship with contempt, obscured its meaning as pointing to Christ, and led the people to despise the offerings and to sin, a sin of priests against God Himself for which no priestly mediation remained, so his house would be cut off and both sons fall in one day. It therefore charges all entrusted with sacred work, and especially parents and leaders, to honor God above family ties, to refuse personal gain from what is holy, and to watch over, rebuke, restrain and correct those under them promptly and impartially rather than tolerate corruption. That same indulgence that lets children go unrestrained in pride, vanity, self-love and passion is as offensive to God now as in Eli's day, training them in deceit and iniquity until they become corrupters of others and ripen for punishment with their parents together.

Eli's Rebuke and Judgment

The verse is the Lord's reproof sent by His prophet to Eli, who was both high priest and judge in Israel, charging him with kicking at and despising the sacrifice and offering God had commanded in His habitation. It charges him with honoring his sons above God to make themselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel His people, taking the choicest portions to enrich themselves. It is joined to the word that although the house of Eli was to walk before Him forever, now those who honor Him He will honor and those who despise Him shall be lightly esteemed, for by honoring his sons above God Eli failed to uphold the holiness of his office and showed ingratitude for the honors God had given his family.

Eli had exalted his sons to the priesthood, where they ministered at the door of the tabernacle in slaying the beasts and at the altar of sacrifice. They continually abused that sacred office, being selfish, covetous, gluttonous and profligate, defrauding Israel in its offerings to make themselves fat with the chiefest parts. They committed bold transgressions of God's law and violent conduct, taking the best portions for themselves to enrich and fatten themselves, and misusing what God entrusted to them dishonored Him and lowered them in His sight. Their bold transgression and violence caused Israel to sin, and the warning and reproof against Eli's neglect of his priestly responsibilities was disregarded.

Eli reproved his sons but did not restrain them promptly and firmly, from criminal neglect of family discipline and partial judgment from undue affection that excused in them what he would have condemned in others. He feared their displeasure and suffered them to go on in rebellion, failing to remove them at once from the priesthood and to judge them as deserving death for their abominable example. As judge and high priest in Israel he was responsible for their conduct, and the curse of God came not only upon his sons for their wrongdoings but upon Eli himself for his sinful neglect in not restraining them, so that a father who fails to restrain his sons from their sinful course honors his sons above God and becomes guilty before God along with his children. That neglect let his sons go on in sin until they fell beneath the wrath of God.

By that criminal neglect Eli treated God's commanded sacrifice and offering with contempt and put his sons above God while enriching themselves from the best of Israel's offerings. As high priest his failure to restrain them made him a participant in their guilt, profaned the worship entrusted to them, and misled Israel. Permitting guilty men loaded with guilt to remain as priests would lead the people to lightly regard crime and to despise and neglect the sacrificial offerings. Their disregard for God's commands about the sacrifices dishonored the sacred service, obscured the sacrifices' significance as symbols pointing to Christ, helped lead people to despise and neglect worship, and caused Israel to sin.

Their sin was not like a sin against one another which officiating priests could atone for, but priests themselves sinning against God with open contempt for His authority, with no one to atone for them. God would not pardon their transgressions or bless Eli's house but would cut it off, punishing this failure of sacred duty by cutting off both his sons in one day. Although Eli knew of their wickedness and had been warned, he failed to discipline them or remove them from sacred office, and neglecting duty toward his children in one entrusted with His work dishonored God.

God delayed His threatened judgments on Eli's house year after year, giving time to redeem past failures. Eli confessed his guilt but did not renounce the sin, so he showed no true repentance, and he took no effective measures to correct the evils polluting the sanctuary and leading thousands in Israel to ruin. God's forbearance caused Hophni and Phinehas to harden their hearts and grow bolder in transgression. Eli made the warnings to his house known to the whole nation hoping to counteract the evil influence of his neglect, but the priests and the people both disregarded them, and surrounding nations who saw Israel's open iniquity grew bolder in idolatry and crime and felt no guilt. Because God's authority was set aside and His worship neglected and despised, a day of retribution had to come to maintain the honor of His name. Because of this unfaithfulness God declared that Israel would not have victory in battle and would be given over to its enemies, fulfilled in the curse on his children and Eli's death after hearing that Israel had lost the battle.

The message of condemnation to Eli's house could not be given through Eli the high priest and his sons because their sins like a thick cloud had shut out the presence of His Holy Spirit. In the midst of that evil the child Samuel remained true to Heaven. The message of condemnation to the house of Eli became Samuel's commission as a prophet of the Most High.

Charge to Parents and Leaders

Those entrusted with God's work must honor Him above every personal tie, refusing to turn offerings set apart for sacred service into means of personal gain. Eli dishonored God by honoring his sons above Him, letting them enrich and fatten themselves with the chiefest of Israel's offerings instead of removing them from office for their wrongdoing. That failure warns all in sacred office not to tolerate corruption among those serving in the work, but to repress sin impartially and not misuse responsibilities or privileges, for misusing what God entrusts dishonors Him and lowers the unfaithful steward in His sight.

Parents and religious leaders are accountable before God for wrongs they could have checked, and must watch over, advise, rebuke, restrain and correct their children promptly and firmly. Eli as parent and judge neglected that entrusted responsibility, putting his sons before God and allowing wicked men to remain in holy office and profane the offerings God had appointed as a blessing to Israel, rather than risk shaming them by using his authority to restrain their sin. When milder correction fails they must use firm measures to correct evil and protect the family or church, and must not tolerate children's wrongdoing or let them serve Satan unchecked. Eli's failure to do so violated his duty, brought dishonor on God's service, brought harm upon the people, and brought judgment upon his household.

That same sin of indulgent, undisciplined parenting is just as aggravating to God now as in Eli's day, is repeated by many parents, and will require an account to God. The curse came not only upon Eli's sons for their wrongdoings but upon Eli himself for sinful neglect in not restraining them, and he became guilty before God along with his children by honoring them above God. From fear of their displeasure he suffered them to go on in rebellion until they became a curse to Israel, and the salvation of children depends very much upon the course pursued by parents. Mistaken love and fondness that indulges children hurts them, nourishing pride and vanity, including vanity about dress and outward ornament, while leaving the heart void of Christian graces and filled with self-love, haughtiness and uncontrolled passions. When a mother refuses government and will not allow her children to be controlled, and a father consents to keep children he is not permitted to correct, the children take advantage to train themselves to lie, deceive and steal and practice iniquity with no sense of sin. Such indulged children become poisonous company whose influence leads to death and must be shunned even when they are Sabbath-keepers' children, the seed sown by indulgence springs up to bear fruit in those who despise parental authority, they develop as Satan's agents, and they form characters that will certainly be punished with the plagues to come upon the earth just as Eli's sons were punished.

Honoring children above God includes indulging their wishes for fashionable dress and worldly approval instead of training them to know and keep the way of the Lord. Fathers and mothers, especially ministers, are accountable to instruct their children, to dress them in simplicity and modesty approved by God, to keep them free from demoralizing fashions, and to form beautiful characters rather than a stylish appearance after the way of the Sodomites. Indulgence and neglect in this will bring God's curse upon parents and children together.

Indulgent parenting that fails to restrain a child in wrongdoing harms the child and others and fails to honor God. Parents who approve and perpetuate their children's sins ruin their own influence and the influence of the young people they should have corrected and restrained. When children in turn approve and perpetuate their fathers' sins they also share in the recompense, so God brings judgment on parents and children together and both must learn bitter lessons.

The charge applies to people with responsibilities who allow wrong influences and principles to prevail and turn from the light God gave rather than honoring Him above all else. If they continue in that pattern, outward fasting, prayer and apparent holiness will disappear.

The warning given to Eli should have kept Samuel from the same indulgence with his own sons, but Samuel did not let it influence him as it should. He was to some extent too indulgent and failed to impress God's precepts upon them so that they would copy his pure, unselfish life. The result appeared in their character and life when, though appointed to office with the full assent of the nation, they did not prove worthy but turned aside after lucre, took bribes and perverted judgment.

Putting sons' interests above God and letting them benefit from Israel's offerings marks Eli's course, and it is distinct from a mother's painful experience with her son in which, despite being misunderstood, she does not mean to repeat that course.