1 Samuel 2

       Verses 1-11: Hannah praises God for His holiness, sovereignty, strength, deliverance, providence, and salvation. This section switches to a poetic language and format, showcasing Hannah’s song of rejoicing at God’s answer to her prayers. She describes Him as “mine horn” (v.1), a symbol in the ANE of great strength and power. (Psalm 75:10, 89:17, 24, 92:10, 112:9, Daniel 7:21) She extols His holiness (Exodus 15:11, Psalm 86:8, Revelation 15:4) and refers to God as a rock, another oft-used metaphor in scripture to picture the safety, security, and refuge that His children find in Him. (v.2) (Deuteronomy 32:4, 30-31, 2 Samuel 22:32, Psalm 18:2)
            Because of God’s holiness, power, and majesty, our response should be to condemn pride and come before Him in abject humility. (v.3) He alone has the power and authority to judge His creation, for He is also omniscient. There is nothing that is hid from the LORD of all. He is also the great defender, acting upon behalf of the weak and powerless who stand against the wicked and corrupt. (v.4) (Psalm 37:15, 46:9) Because of the LORD’s justice, the wicked who were once prosperous are now begging for bread, while those whom they oppressed are now free. (v.5)
            Not only does God have power over life and death (v.6), but He also possesses absolute sovereignty over the lives of mankind. (v.7-8) (Deuteronomy 8:17-18, 32:39, 2 Kings 5:7, Job 1:21, 5:18, Revelation 1:18) He hears the cry of the poor and the weak, lifting them from their lowly state and exalting them to the status of royalty. (Job 42:10, Psalm 75:7, 113:7, Luke 1:52) The LORD can do this because He is the Creator, the One who established and set the pillars of the earth. (Job 38:4, Psalm 75:3, 104:5) This is what Hannah felt when she finally conceived and bore Samuel. She felt that God, the sovereign LORD and Creator of all, had heard her cry and lifted her up from her dunghill of sorrow and ashes to an estate of everlasting joy and peace. He alone could do this because He is the one, true God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
            God is the righteous defender and protector of His children, delivering swift wrath and judgment against the wicked. (v.9) (Psalm 37:23-24, 91:11-12, 94:18, 121:3, Proverbs 3:26, 1 Peter 1:5) Anyone who defies the God of Israel, who rejects Him and dares to go against His saints, “…shall be broken to pieces…”. (v.10) (Exodus 15:6, Psalm 2:9) The LORD is the righteous judge of all the earth, raining upon the wicked His holy wrath which they rightly deserve. (Psalm 96:13, 98:9, Matthew 25:31-32) But unto the kings that rule in His name, and unto His children that love and obey Him, God will protect, bless, and exalt.
 
            Verses 12-17: The story now shifts to Eli and his sons, contrasting the sons’ gross rebellion and blasphemy with Samuel’s humble obedience and true service to Eli and the Lord in the tabernacle. The sons of Eli are referred to as “…sons of Belial…”. (v.12) As explained in chapter 1, this term refers to men and women who do not follow or obey God; who are wicked, immoral, proud, and rebellious. The fact that Eli’s sons know not the LORD (v.12), yet are appointed to the role of priests in the tabernacle, speaks to the deplorable and apostate state of Israel at this time. The priests are supposed to be the spiritual leaders, the ones who set the example for all the people. They are to be holy before the Lord, walking upright and blameless, and they are to ensure that every sacrifice and burnt offering is done according to the law of Moses.
            The sacrifices at the tabernacle are sacred rituals that are meant to atone for the sins of the one bringing the sacrifice. God was very clear in His instructions to Moses what each of the burnt offerings was to be and how they were to be done. But Eli’s sons are so wicked and rebellious that they profane these sacred rituals. They send their servant to seize the majority of the meat instead of taking only the prescribed portions as commanded by God. (v.13-14) (Leviticus 7:31-35, Deuteronomy 18:3) Same for the fat of the animal which is to be burned completely first before the proper portions are given to the priests. The servant of Eli’s sons takes this along with the rest of the meat for the sons to eat, which is a clear violation of the law. (v.15-16) Not only that, the sons also violate the law by having sex with the women that come to the tabernacle to serve the Lord. Thus, they treat the house of God as a den of prostitution, another form of blasphemy, while also disregarding the sanctity of the marriage bed.
            In short, Eli’s sons displayed a gross abhorrence of God and His law, and thus their sin is “…very great before the LORD.” (v.17)
 
            Verses 18-21: In contrast to Eli’s sons, Samuel does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, ministering in the tabernacle as a priest in training. (v.18) He even has a special ephod made for him, and Hannah brings him a new coat every year when Elkanah brings his family to Shiloh for the annual feasts and sacrifices. (v.19) Because of her faithfulness to the LORD, Eli blesses her and Elkanah, asking that God give them many children in return for Hannah honoring and keeping her vow to the LORD regarding Samuel. (v.20) God does indeed bless Elkanah and Hannah, granting them three more sons and two daughters. (v.21) Samuel, in the meantime, continues to grow, both physically and spiritually.
 
            Verses 22-25: These verses explain God’s later judgment against Eli. He knows of the extreme wickedness and blasphemy that his sons are committing against the people and the Lord (v.22), yet he does nothing to stop it. (1 Samuel 3:13) Yes, he rebukes his sons (v.23-25), but he does nothing more to remove them from the priestly office when they ignore his correction. Even though Eli is old and physically weak, he is still the high priest, and he should have gathered other men who are capable of carrying out the proper judgment against his sons. Not only should they have been removed from the office of priest, but they should have been stoned to death for their blasphemy and immorality, according to the law of Moses. The fact that this hasn’t happened is another indication of the severe apostasy and state of rampant, unrepentant sin throughout Israel.
            It would also be easy to blame Eli for not rearing his sons properly, to say that he failed to teach them to fear and obey God. One could easily draw the conclusion from this passage that that’s the reason the sons are so wicked and evil, and that’s why God passes judgment on Eli as well. But that type of commentary and critique is not only hasty and presumptuous, it’s also far too simplistic and neglects the larger picture of the state of Israel at this time. There are many godly, upright Christian parents today who will testify that they reared their children as they should have, in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Yet they will also go on to tell you how their children are now living wicked and sinful lives as adults, still lost and headed for hell because they do not know Christ as LORD and savior. It is possible for a parent to do everything right and still have a child that defies God as an adult, making the free will choice to reject what he/she has been taught and, like the prodigal son of Jesus’ parable, go out into the world to live his/her own life as he/she pleases.
            The more logical conclusion here is that Eli’s sons knew of God and had been properly taught the role of priest in the tabernacle according to the law of Moses. It is evident from the description of Eli in these first few chapters of Samuel that he truly feared the LORD and strove to serve and obey Him in all things. His failure is not that he didn’t rear his sons properly, it’s that he fails to forcibly remove them from office and punish them for their disobedience and rebellion. He has the authority and the means as high priest to do this, yet he turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to their blatant sin and blasphemy, and that’s the reason God passes judgment on Eli. Not only that, but the prophet’s rebuke at the end of this chapter reveals that Eli, too, has failed to properly obey the law of Moses regarding the sacrificial system and the role of high priest.
            Eli’s sons have succumbed to the general state of apostasy and disobedience that is rampant in Israel at this time. They could have followed the path of their father and feared the LORD, humbling themselves before Him and serving Him faithfully in the tabernacle as they had been taught by Eli. But instead they gave in to their flesh and their wicked desires, serving only themselves and their sinful lusts. (v.22) Because of this, and because they ignore the warning and rebuke of their father, God has already passed judgment on them by hardening their hearts, just as he did with Pharaoh and other heathen nations of the promised land. (v.25) (Joshua 11:20)
 
            Verses 26: Despite being surrounded by the sin of Eli’s sons and other Israelites, Samuel remains faithful to God, earning him “…favor both with the Lord, and also with men.”
 
            Verses 27-36: The phrase “man of God” in the OT always denotes a prophet. Whenever God needs to speak to His people, He uses prophets to proclaim His word. One such man now comes to Eli to rebuke him for his failure regarding his sons. As is often the case with these types of corrections, the LORD begins by reminding Eli of the history of Israel. God had called His chosen people out of their bondage in Egypt and instructed them in His law. Through Moses, God had laid down the rules and requirements for the Levitical priesthood and the sacrificial system of atonement. (v.27-28) He then asks Eli, “Wherefore kick ye at My sacrifice and at Mine offering, which I have commanded in My habitation…”. (v.29) He rightly judges Eli for choosing his sons instead of the LORD; for seeking the praise of men instead of obedience to God. That’s what is meant by the phrase “…to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?”. This question makes it clear that it isn’t just his sons that are taking advantage of the people who come to Shiloh to offer up sacrifices, but Eli, too, is profaning the sacred by not following the clear and strict commandments of the law of Moses in this regard.
            Verse 30 is a reminder of the perpetual priesthood of the descendants of Aaron. (Exodus 29:9, Numbers 25:13) God had made this promise to Phineas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, because of Phineas’ zealous actions during the incident of the golden calf at Mount Sinai. God emphasizes to Eli “…them that honour Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” (v.30) Because Eli and his sons had not honored God, God now makes a damning prophecy that will be eventually fulfilled when Solomon transfers the priesthood to the family of Zadok. (1 Kings 2:26-27)
            According to the note in my study Bible for this passage, Eli is of the house of Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron and younger brother of Eleazar. (Exodus 6:23) It appears from the statement in verse 31 that the office of high priest had been held by the descendants of Ithamar for quite some time, possibly as far back as Israel’s conquering of the promised land. But now the LORD says to Eli that, because of the grievous sin of him and his sons, the priesthood in the tabernacle will be transferred back to the descendants of Eleazar. Furthermore, disaster will befall the tabernacle (v.32) and both of Eli’s sons will soon perish together on the same day. (v.33-34)
            The LORD then declares that He “…will raise up to Me a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in Mine heart and in My mind…”. (v.35) This priest “…will walk before mine anointed forever.” This is clearly an allusion to the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 2:17-18) In the meantime, the descendants of Eli and his sons will be forever be reduced to begging the other priests for work in the tabernacle just so they will have something to eat each day.