Tag: Hophni

Fighting For Our Fathers

Fighting For Our Fathers

by preacherpollard ♥ 2 Comments
Dale Pollard

Nebuchadnezzar became a beast in some form or fashion because of his pride in Daniel 4. Oddly enough we find out that his grandson, Belshazzar, falls into the same sinful snare in the very next chapter. This makes for more than an interesting story because it serves as an example of a common thread within scripture. The phrase “like father, like son” rings true in a negative way more often than not. It’s surprising to read of the many heroes of the faith who were failures as fathers. It’s almost disheartening to discover that it’s more common to find stories of poor parenting than successful ones. As tragic as these accounts are, it’s a blessing to have and learn from them. Let’s look into a few of these examples. 

Lot (Genesis 19.6-8)

Lot not only chose to pitch his tent outside of Sin City (Gen.13.12), he eventually moved his family into Sodom as well. In chapter 19 we read, “So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof’” (6-8). Not long after these shocking verses, Lot’s remaining daughters take advantage of him in a cave after being saved from Sodom. Clearly Lot wasn’t a great father. 

ISAAC (Genesis 25)

Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob (Gen.25.28). Favoritism among parents is not uncommon to read about in scripture but this never seems to work out in the end. Issac was a weak father in other areas as well. He marries a deceptive wife and fails to rule his family in a God-fearing way. 

JACOB (GENESIS 37)

Like father, like son. Jacob shows favoritism towards Joseph and because of this we read the following, 

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age, and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him” (Gen. 37.3-4). 

ELI (I SAMUEL 2.22-25)

“Now Eli was very old, and he heard everything his sons did to all of Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress… Nevertheless, they did not heed the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them” (22-25b) 

Eli was a priest at Shiloh, but he was a pitiful parent. His sons, Hophni and Phineas, were allowed to make sacrifices to the Lord but they were known among the community as acting extremely wickedly. They fornicated with women in the tabernacle and stole sacrificial meats from the people. So horrible were they that the Israelites began to “abhor the sacrifices to the Lord” (v.17). 

Young Samuel, who was being raised by Eli in the temple, receives a vision from God who says that He is going to destroy Eli’s boys, but Eli’s response to this news is rather flippant. He says, “the Lord will do what is right according to Him.” Sure enough, the prophecy plays out exactly as God said it would and Eli ends up dying upon hearing of it in I Samuel 4. 

Sadly, Samuel turns out to be a failure as a father as well as the king, David, that he anoints. 

While these accounts aren’t uplifting to read, they serve as humbling warnings to fathers today. If you want to be a faithful father, you’re going to have to fight for it. 

“Now The Sons Of Eli…”

“Now The Sons Of Eli…”

by preacherpollard ♥ 3 Comments
Neal Pollard

After reading the beautiful story of a distressed, barren woman who was able to have a son and who dedicated him to the Lord (1 Samuel 1), we turn to the much darker, tragic story of the High Priest and judge of Israel, Eli, and his sons in 1 Samuel 2:11-36. We read of much better things of Hannah’s son, Samuel. He “was ministering before the Lord” (18). He “grew in the presence of the Lord” (21). Like Jesus in Luke 2:52, “Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man” (26). But it was not like this with Hophni and Phineas. Notice how Scripture describes them in 1 Samuel two.

They were worthless (11). Literally, they were “sons of Belial.” This means worthlessness, wickedness, and good-for-nothing. It would be difficult to think of a more unfavorable way to be memorialized by God in scripture. Their deeds, which Scripture reveals, will show us why they are remembered this way. 

They were ignorant (11). More specifically, they were ignorant about the Lord. What irony! The men whose job it was to minister to the people on His behalf according to the law are described as those who “did not know the Lord.” The word “know” suggests to observe, realize, experience, recognize, be concerned about, and care about (Holladay 128-129). Merely going through the motions of worship and service does not guarantee that we know the God we serve. Hophni and Phineas did not!

They were sinful (17). This is a general assessment of their behavior among the people. “The sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord.” They showed this by treating “the offering of the Lord with contempt.” It was holy, but they treated it as unholy! How audacious was their sin? “They lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting” (22). Instead of reverently ministering to God, treating Him as holy at the time and place of worship, they were there committing fornication! 

They were obstinate (25). Their father, Eli, pleaded with them to repent. He admonished them, “but they would not listen to the voice of their father” (25). Is there a condition any worse than an unwillingness to listen to instruction? Truly, “a foolish son is destruction to his father” (Prov. 19:13). 

They were indulged (27-36). No doubt, Hophni and Phineas were “worthless,” but who did God make liable? Eli! God sent a rebuking prophet to him, not his sons (27). God charged Eli with “scorning” (“kicking,” NAS, NKJ) His sacrifices and offerings. He indulged himself and acted without self-control, and he left that example for his sons (29). It was tantamount to despising God (30). God promised judgment and destruction on his house. He was a poor example to his children, and he was responsible for their behavior. He was “unfaithful” in his duties (cf. 35). While they are grown by the time we read of them in 1 Samuel two, they obviously were not disciplined and trained as they should have been. God makes that clear.

Children are a legacy concerning our priorities, influence, and values. More often than not, they are a reflection of us. That can make us rejoice or regret. In Eli’s case, he would rue his sons’ actions to the day of his death (4:18). May we do all we can to esteem highly the Lord’s instructions for our homes (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4)!