Word of Salvation – April 2025
God Fixes The Mess
Sermon by Rev. John Zuidema on 1Samuel 2:12-36
Scripture readings: Matthew 21:33-46; 1Samuel 2:12-36
Congregation, one of the things the church can expect is ridicule from the world. Thankfully it is not as bad as it could be, but the church has often had to put up with false accusations from the societies they live in. However, what is the Lord of the church to do, when that ridicule is justified because the church leadership are indifferent in faith and unholy in life? What does the Lord do when the leadership of the church no longer reflect that they are the light in this dark world but have become part of the darkness themselves?
I suggest that is what the church has become in 1 Samuel 2:12-36 under the leadership of Eli the priest and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. And any church will be in real trouble if they have leaders like Hophni and Phinehas. Yet, despite the immoral and obscene behaviour of Hophni and Phinehas and the priesthood in general, God does not abandon his people. Even amongst this great mess in 1 Samuel, God is graciously raising up a new leader.
However, let’s not play down what was happening at the temple at Shiloh. It was a great mess, and it was for all to see. Yet, it’s not the Philistines or the heathen Canaanites that are causing the mess, but the priests themselves! Those who were responsible for the proper worship of the one true God had turned worship into a farce. Look what is recorded here. A genuine worshipper is cooking his portion of a peace offering for the post-sacrificial meal the family will enjoy together.
And along comes Hophni and Phinehas’ priestly servant, they don’t even come themselves, with his famous three-pronged barbeque fork and plunges it into the worshiper’s pot and whatever the servant brings up he carts off to the priest’s quarters (vs 13-14).
Now according to God’s law in Leviticus 7:28-36; the priest had already been allotted the breast and the right thigh. But here at Shiloh, the fork-man was sent to stab for more. In fact, the fork-man demanded fresh (uncooked) cuts from the worshipper (v15), even before the fat was burned off on the altar in honour to God.
And should the worshipper remind the fork-man that proper reverence should be shown to God by first burning the fat on the altar, the fork-man would resort to thuggery and threaten the worshipper and take the raw meat by force (v16).
Hophni and Phinehas were showing utter contempt towards God, and it was offensive. Yet there was more offense and rottenness in Shiloh. There was also moral offense, and everyone knew about it. Hophni and Phinehas had sexual relations with the women who tended the worship centre (Exo 38:8).
As vs 12 says, Hophni and Phinehas were just plain wicked, evil men. They were behaving as sons of ‘belial,’ the Hebrew word used here. Why? “They had no regard for the Lord.” They pay no mind to what God required. This priestly function was purely a career choice. No love for God or his people whom they were called to serve! It’s a mess!
Yet, if we slow down and read carefully through our text, we see God quietly working in the background. It’s so easy to miss it for the mess created by Hophni and Phinehas is so great! Yet throughout the text there are little snippets of hope and it revolves around what God is doing with Samuel.
Already in v11 it mentioned that Samuel is serving in the temple. And again, in vs18, and vs21, but Samuel, and then in vs26, Samuel is growing and then again in Ch 3:1a, it mentioned that Samuel is serving again. Even though there is a huge mess with Hophni and Phinehas which takes much of our attention, God is already at work raising up another leader.
On the one hand we’re drowning with the arrogance and sheer contempt for the Lord as shown by the immorality of the priests and the disregard for the worshippers. But on the other hand, we have little snippets that remind us that God is doing something. Even when everything looks hopeless, God quietly does the impossible and is raising a new leader.
I also find it interesting that in the middle of all this is a delightful scene of a mother’s love for her son in vs19. Every year when Elkanah and Hannah come to Shiloh she would make a new robe for Samuel to wear, probably slightly bigger every year!
Eli’s blessing for Elkanah and Hannah in vs20 and vs21 is recorded and Hannah is blessed with another five children. Really it is nothing more that vintage Yahweh. Grace upon grace for those who love Him. We see the Lord’s provision for Samuel’s life and growth in vs21 and then the scene changes and our attention is drawn in vs22 that Eli was very old.
Perhaps Eli’s age was the reason he was slow to hear what his sons were doing, but eventually he did and there was clearly outrage at his sons’ behaviour. Eli had heard about the greedy bullying described in vs13-16 and their sleeping around. The greed of Hophni and Phinehas had gone beyond roast meat! They had turned God’s place of worship to a brothel, where sin was committed rather than confessed. Dearie me, even today, many leaders, from Presidents prime Ministers and sadly church leaders, have fallen from grace because of their greed and sexual immorality. It is an all too familiar story.
The point made in vs22 is that old Eli knew. He spoke to his sons about their perversity. First, he called them to give an account of themselves. “Why do you do such things?” Eli’s “Why” was as close as he got to calling them to repent. Second, he told them plainly that their conduct was “evil” and not “good.” Their wickedness was known by “all the people.” Third, he explained the seriousness of their deeds. The people they had abused were “the people of the LORD,” and their actions were a direct offense against God. Hophni and Phinehas had put themselves in terrible danger. They showed contempt for the very means provided by God for dealing with their sins.
The New Testament equivalent to this argument is found in the letter to the Hebrews. The person who has spurned or trampled the Son of God underfoot, must realize that there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. (Heb 10:26, 29; cf. 6:5-6). If your sin, like the sin of Hophni and Phinehas, consists of contempt for the very means God has provided for your salvation, what hope remains? None. Absolutely none! What a terrible and frightening thought!
Although Eli’s words were true and right, there is not a direct rebuke and demand for repentance, nor did he address them as worthless, but appealed to them as “my sons” (vs 24). We sense a certain helplessness in Eli’s imploring speech and are not entirely surprised to read: “But they would not listen to the voice of their father” (vs 25b).
The writer then adds these chilling words: “. . . for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death” (vs 25c). Stagger me! Hophni and Phinehas’ immorality and blatant disregard for Yahweh and his people had caused the Lord to decide to put them to death! They had gone too far. They were beyond repentance (cf. Hebrews 6:4-6; Romans 1:24, 26, 28). This is not a truth about God that we like to hear.
But it is a grave mistake to think that vs25 allows the blame for the young men’s hardness of heart to be placed on God. No, no! Their hardness was both their own choice and God’s judgement on them for that choice. It was like the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in the days of Moses. Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:34) and God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 4:21; 7:3). The one truth does not exclude the other.
Now some may be wondering where the line between sin’s progress and no return is. Who knows? God knows. Let us tremble before a holy God who can justly make sinners deaf to the very call of repentance. Others may be thinking, where is grace in all of this? Grace was that they were allowed to serve the living God in the temple. They were most privileged!
The man of God who comes along in v27ff, reminds Eli of his privileged position to serve in the temple. They had the privilege of serving at the altar, burning incense, wearing the ephod and enjoying food offerings and in a sense were closer to God than anyone else in all Israel.
Eli does not seem to have been a wicked man, but his words although expressing sorrow and distress at their behaviour, did not have the strength to curb their conduct. Eli should have expelled Hophni and Phinehas from the priesthood and temple duties.
Sadly, what was happening at Shiloh is too close to what we have come to expect from leaders. The leadership of God’s chosen people had descended into grubby, greedy priests and their old, weak father! Oh, it is a telling reminder to us all, especially those in leadership. We can end up being great sinners because we always want to be nice to people. Anyhow in v30 a prophecy of judgement is announced, and the decimation of Eli’s family line begins.
Now before you think that this is only a word of judgement, I put it to you that it is also a word of mercy from a gracious God. There was public and scandalous behaviour at Shiloh and it was going on unchecked. Then out of the blue a man of God appears and speaks a word of judgement about this terrible sin and in so doing protects the people of God from being completely overcome by its evil. If Hophni and Phinehas’ behaviour threatens to destroy God’s people, then Hophni and Phinehas will be destroyed to spare God’s people.
It is a work of judgement and yes, it is a harsh word, but at the same time it is a word of mercy, a protecting word from God for his covenant people. God will not allow his people to be wiped out. And here in 1 Samuel 2 as it is today, if the true church is to be preserved, then her false servants must be removed. Jesus said that not even the gates of hell will succeed against the church, and since that is true, let us understand that human resistance and disobedience will not stop Yahweh’s ultimate purpose.
Our God is not a God who falls into helpless frustration because some human being’s rebel. Yahweh will rule his people, if not through particular leaders, then apart from them and in spite of them. In time, as we will see in the next chapter, God will remove Hophni and Phinehas by judgement and will replace them with a more faithful leader as v35 mentions.
The Jewish priesthood has a fairly chequered history in Scripture. Aaron, the first priest didn’t do such a wonderful job. Hophni and Phinehas were disastrous. Amaziah, the priest of Bethel during the days of Amos, told Amos to get out and leave the Northern kingdom because they didn’t want to hear the word of the Lord.
Just before the exile and even during it, Scripture records that the priests became more and more unfaithful (2 Chr 36:14). By the time the Lord Jesus was sent into this world to be its glorious Saviour, the priesthood, including the scribes and Pharisees had made the worship of God ritualistic. Do this and don’t do that. They placed a heavy yoke on God’s people that no one could carry! It perhaps wasn’t as bad as in 1 Samuel 2, but it was messy, just messy in a different way!
And the ultimate faithful high priest, Jesus Christ comes along and says to the people, “Come to me all you who are weary and burden and I will give you rest.” And Jesus fixes the mess by laying down his life as the perfect offering for the people’s sins. And His Father in heaven was well pleased for he rose from the dead. And the good news is that the risen Lord Jesus not only fixed the mess but is now the light of the world! May our trust in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord also be a great light in this dark world.
May we as live our Christian lives in a such a winsome way so that many more people may come to know and experience forgiveness of sins and eternal life through our Saviour. For only Jesus can fix the mess! And may it be our desire that the way we carry out our Christian duty as members or as a leadership will never cause the Lord’s name to be held in disrepute, not in our families or in our communities and not in our churches.
Our desire is that our glorious and victorious Saviour’s name might be honoured, revered and worshiped by many more, to the glory of God the Father in this world. Amen.