Please be seated. It's wonderful to see you all
this morning. We are going to be continuing in
a. Series we started.
Last Sunday on First Samuel and you can find the passage for
today's message for on page 212 in the.
Black Church Bible page 212 or please.
Open it up in your own Bible. If you brought one, you'll want
to follow along. Today's message is.
A very sober. Message from a very.
Sober passage. It's a sober warning against
forsaking the Lord, who must always remain our first.
Love. So as we come to this, let's.
Pray together. Almighty God, we praise and
thank you. That you do speak to us.
And your word is a sign of your. Love for us.
We praise you for this good gift.
We praise you for these stories. That help us make sense.
Of our lives. And our walk with you.
We ask for you to. Give us insight into them by the
power of your. Holy Spirit.
That we would understand and believe.
What you have for? Us.
And this we ask in Jesus name, Amen.
So the big picture of. First and Second Samuel 1 book
originally is the. Story of how God's people who
were scattered. And lost came together as one
nation, and united under one King, the great King David, and
through him. Paved the way for Jesus to.
Come the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and we read these
stories in the fall to. Prepare for.
Advent and for Christmas to come and also to understand how when
we read the Psalms. Every week, every day.
What's? Going on in the Psalms as we try
to understand our lives, we want to do it in light of the.
Story that. Unites us all together, and
that's the. Biblical story.
So this story. Began in the time of the.
Judges, which was a. 300 year. Period.
That was it started off well, but it.
Got worse and worse and was. Very sad.
By the end, a period of moral. Chaos.
And weak. Leadership throughout Israel
after Joshua. And the Old Testament.
Book of Judges tells the story. Of how things went downhill over
300 years and towards the end of the.
Book of Judges, there's a. Refrain that repeats over and
over again, and it says there was no king in Israel and
everyone did what was. Right.
In their own eyes and as we pick up the story from last Sunday
here now in First Samuel chapter.
Two we. Find in today's lesson an
example. Of all.
That was wrong in Israel in those days, and of course it was
in a pastor's family. With the PKS, that was the.
Problem, Eli. Was both judge?
And priest in Israel in those days the.
Leader of both. Church and state.
But he was about 80 years old. He was morbidly.
Obese he was. Nearly completely blind.
And so he had handed things over to his adult sons, Hofni and
Phineas. They were probably in their
early. 50s. And they had assumed.
Eli's duties. In the temple or the Tabernacle
in Shiloh. But Hofni and Phineas were unfit
for ministry. Look at verse. 12 and Chapter 2.
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial.
That's what it says. Literally worthless.
Men. It's translated in the ESV.
They were worthless men. Why?
For they did not know. The Lord which?
Is not to say that they didn't know about the Lord.
Of. Course they did.
I mean they their. Job was to work.
In. The House of the Lord.
But they didn't know him, and since there was no king in
Israel, and since everyone did what was right in their own
eyes, there was nothing to stop them from becoming wolves in
sheep's clothing. At great cost to the people of
God, their. Faithlessness had consequences.
That were vertical. And then horizontal, first
vertically, they dishonored the Lord by stealing what belonged
to him. Their worship services like
ours. Centered around the.
Lord's Table. And when people would come to
worship there, they would come bringing grain, wine and a
sacrifice, an animal sacrifice. We do the same thing when we
come. Together except.
We don't need the animal. Sacrifice for Christ.
Our Passover lamb has been. Sacrificed for us.
Once for all, but we bring bread and wine in the same way,
continuing this tradition. And in those days, the animal
would be brought and would be slaughtered and cooked and.
Shared but the. Sons of Eli did three things we
learned from this passage. Three things.
That were. Wrong in the eyes of God.
First of all, they took. More than was their.
Fair share. They were stealing and
appropriating more to themselves.
Secondly, they. Took it raw.
Which means that they were taking it home and eating it
privately, having their own private feasts rather than.
Feasting with the Lord's people, which was their.
Job and thirdly and most. Egregiously, they took.
The fat portions. Which were always reserved for
the Lord. The fat portions would be burned
up and the smoke of the. Sacrifice was a.
Sign of the Lord's presence. The Lord's presence with them
and so that's why verse 17 says that their sin.
Was very great. In the sight of the.
Lord so vertically. Speaking in terms of their
relationship with God, Hofni and Phineas were robbing God, and
whenever people bend down away from the Lord, there are
horizontal consequences. That follow.
Look at verse 22 where we learn that Eli's sons were molesting
the deaconesses. Who were?
Serving in God. 'S house at Shiloh as priests
they their, their. Responsibility was to.
Protect the flock. But they did not know the Lord.
So they did. What was right in their own
eyes? Sexually abusing the women who
had devoted themselves in. Service to the Lord this was.
3000 years ago and truly there is nothing new under the sun.
How could all? This have happened.
How could these? Tabernacle leaders have
abandoned the faith and gone on. To abuse God's people so
egregiously as we. Read on.
In today's chapter, we learn. That it's Eli.
'S permissive parenting that is to blame.
It's not to say that Hoffney and Phineas are also to blame.
They're responsible. Of course, but Eli set the.
Course for them by parenting in a way that would be frankly.
Very well received. In Washington elite circles.
Today, let's take a closer look. Beginning in verse 23, Eli
gently begins asking his sons in verse 23, Why do you do such
things now? One might expect a senior
leader. In his 80s.
Speaking to his two lieutenants, to whom he's delegated all
responsibility, who are molesting the staff, one might
expect a senior leader to take a different tone.
But Eli takes a therapeutic approach.
He's using respectful communication.
He's asking general questions rather than issuing judgments.
He seeks more to understand than to be understood.
Look at the second-half of verse 20. 3 for I hear of your.
Evil dealings. From all.
These people now. Eli lived where he worked.
He spent night and day all his time at the Tabernacle.
How in the world had he neither witnessed nor known what his
sons were doing with one woman after another after another?
But instead of taking a confrontational posture, he
gently comes along his sons and he just alerts them to the.
Rumors. That have been spreading verse
24 no my sons, it is no. Good report that I hear the
people of the Lord. Spreading abroad now.
This is really a. Skill that Washington parents
need to. Take to heart.
Teaching kids to. Curate their public.
Image It was important for Eli with his sons as well.
His primary concern, from what we can tell from this passage,
isn't his son's abusive misconduct.
But it's the. Reputational damage that it's
causing to him and to them. And so instead of taking
decisive disciplinary action against them, he warns them to
get out. Ahead of that bad press, shift
the focus. Change change the.
Twitter feeds for the. Temple People verse 25 he says,
and this is his last. Word, he says.
If someone hypothetically sins against a man, God will mediate
for him. But if someone sins against.
The Lord who? Can intercede for him, Eli's
final word to his sons and instead of any.
Direct rebuke. He prioritizes.
Connection over correction. He gives them this general rule
of thumb for sins against God and avoids any negative
criticism that might interfere. With their.
Long standing friendship. As Father.
And sons, there's a hugely important lesson here for
raising children, but. Before we go.
There, I just want to say to all of you don't currently have
children that you're raising. This lesson is for you too.
I can remember hearing a message on this very same.
Passage, probably. 15 years. Before I.
Became a dad and that message stuck with me.
Over the years. And has influenced not just how
I parent, but how I pastor and how I'm a brother and how I'm a
friend and how I'm a son in many other.
Ways it is. Formative.
What we're learning here is formative for.
All of our relationships, especially our.
Relationship with God. So the the.
Core of this message. Is this the?
Inversion of our affections is is at the center of this, and
that's what happens whenever we put created things.
Above the creator. When we.
Forsake the Lord. As as it says in the Book of
Revelation, when we. Forsake our first love.
As a parent, Eli failed to. Practice.
What we now call tough love. But really should just be
called. True love Today we're inundated
with slogans, aren't we, that redefine love in terms of
permissiveness rather than grace and truth.
Parenting with true love, on the other hand, involves both
boundaries and permission, both warning and wooing, both savory
and sweet. Or to put it.
Even more clearly, both the. Word of God.
And the love. Of God, for if you spare the
word, you will spoil the child. One of the most exemplary
parents in the Bible. Is the apostle.
Paul And from what we can tell, he never had any biological
children, but he writes to Timothy, and we have his letters
to Timothy, and he writes to Timothy as his.
Beloved child. And he tells him the.
Word of God. He shapes him in the Word of God
along with pouring out grace. But but Paul loves Timothy
enough. To say.
Something that we all should. Take the heart, Paul says.
All Scripture is God. Breathed.
And profitable for. Teaching reproof, correction,
and training and righteousness that God's people may be
complete. Equipped for every good work.
Good parenting begins with. God's Word.
If you spare the word, you will spoil the child.
Hoffney and Phineas, Eli's sons, were made in God's image, made
to love God first in their hearts.
But they didn't know the Lord, so they enthroned themselves
instead. They did.
What was right in their own eyes rather than obeying God's Word
and that? Led to catastrophic.
Damage. For the people.
Of God in those days, Hoffney and Phineas should have known
better. But their father.
Eli didn't model putting God. 1st.
Based on what we read in this chapter, it seems that Eli was
more concerned about the opinions of others than.
The Word of God so his. Sons learned from his example.
To love created. Things more than the.
Creator Eli spared God's. Word.
And in so doing he spoiled his sons.
And then after Hofni and Phineas were consecrated as.
Priests, they put this. Catechism into practice, loving
themselves first over everything else at great.
Cost to the people of God. Now, what happened in Shiloh
long ago is an epidemic in the. West today.
Isn't it the permissive parenting of past generations
produced a people who don't know the Lord?
And who therefore choose to do what?
Is right in their own eyes and in.
So. Doing we exchanged true.
Love. True tough love.
For empathy without bounds, empathy run amok.
Empathy untethered. To God's Word.
And now, like the Tabernacle in Shiloh, churches in the West
have forsaken God. Who should?
Be every church's first love. In an age.
Of virtue. Signalling.
Churches. Boast of existing.
For the sake of others. And they?
Roll out these. Huge banners that read have you
seen this love your neighbor practice.
Here. It's winsome, it's trendy, it's
deceptive. Because this appears to be.
So loving, yet it's missing what is most important, what they.
Should say is love God first? Then love your neighbor.
Come and practice. Both here.
In the right. Order.
I don't expect that'll catch on anytime soon, though.
Someday Jesus will return in glory to judge the living and
the dead. And what will be his standard of
judgement? We usually say.
It at the beginning of every service.
We didn't say it today because of the.
Baptisms, but. It's what?
He answered the scribes when they asked him summarize the
Bible and he said. Love the Lord your God first
with all. Your heart, soul and mind.
That's the first and greatest commandment, and the second is
like it. You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these two commandments depend
all the law and the. Prophets, that's.
What we can expect? Will be the.
Standard of judgement when he returns.
Thought about creating a bumper sticker?
That says. Love God, then love your
neighbor. No exceptions.
I don't think I will get rich on that.
Though we seriously. Must take inventory.
Of our lives. According to this.
Vertical first. Then horizontal approach.
That is taught throughout God's Word.
For example. Ask yourself how your loves.
May have become disordered. I've been asking myself as I've
been preparing for this message. What's my first?
Thought when I wake up in the morning, is it the?
Lord or. Something having to do with my
neighbors? Do I come to church?
To worship God first or primarily for social reasons.
How much time do I spend with God, praising Him and studying
His Word? And what do I do when?
God's ways. Interfere with my desires and
when things don't go my way. How hard?
Is it for me to find hope in the Lord?
I've been asking these questions over the last several.
Days I've felt. Deeply convicted in one way and
another, and I've asked God's forgiveness.
I always want to. Love God first.
And then my neighbor as myself. And thanks be to God.
For the gift of life. Eternal life in Jesus for the
atoning death of. Jesus.
For my sins. And for yours, for the gift of
the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live faithfully.
According to his Word, we can do all things through Christ who
strengthens us, but we must turn to Him, and we must amend our
ways and make God. First, he deserves our first
love. There's so much more I would
like to. Say about this.
Time is short. I want to.
Draw your attention to the very end of this.
Passage because of. The way it ends, it doesn't end
with. Eli's passive.
Parenting. Rather, it ends with.
God's tough love. God's tough, true.
Love for Eli and his sons, serving as a counterexample and
a model. For us.
For you just can't have the horizontal.
Without the vertical, you have to have the vertical first, so.
An unnamed. Prophet starting verse. 27 came
to Eli with an Oracle from the Lord, and he starts off by
remembering God's. Grace to.
Eli and his family through the generations, recalling how Eli's
family was given this wonderful gift of becoming priests and
being able to serve in the Lord's house and to eat.
At the Lord's Table. But verse 29 God speaks the
truth and love to Eli, and he says, why then do you scorn my
sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and
honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the.
Choices parts of. Every offering of my people,
Israel. Once again, the problem wasn't
that Eli loved his sons. The problem was that he loved
them more than he loved. The Lord.
They were responsible for their own sins, yes, but it was.
Nevertheless, Eli, the father, the leader, it was his
disordered affections. That had gotten them off track
and it eventually. Led to that.
Hideous train wreck at the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
So God alerts Eli. To the punishment that awaits
him if he doesn't repent, starting in verse. 30, he says.
Even though I granted your family eternal.
Eternal. Privileges.
In the Tabernacle. Forever through all.
Generations. That was of.
Course contingent upon you loving me.
First once saved, always saved. But you must put God. 1st.
And then God brings the hammer down.
You have forsaken your first love.
So verse 31. Behold.
The days are. Coming when I will.
Cut off your. Strength and the strength of
your. Father's house, so that there
will be. There will not be an old man in
your. House, verse 30.
Three, all the descendants of your house shall.
Die by the sword 34 both. Hoffney and Phineas shall die on
the same day. Verse 35 I will replace you with
a faithful priest. And last, everyone left in your
house will beg him for bread. As shocking as this.
Will sound to today's therapeutic generation this is
the most loving thing. That God could say he is.
Speaking the truth in love it had been.
Eli's job for decade after decade after decade to read the
scriptures to. God's people in the Tabernacle.
He had done it literally. All of his life.
He knew. All of this cold.
But he didn't. Live it, Eli.
Was more concerned about other things so God sent an unnamed
prophet to make it crystal clear saying repent you and your sons
or. Disaster will fall.
Upon your house I will. Replace.
It with another and what you need to hear from this is for as
long. As we live God's door.
Remains open for your repentance.
But you must repent. You must return to Him.
As your first love. Eli and his sons could have done
this. They could have taken God's.
Word. Seriously.
And repented of their sins. And in so doing, they would have
enjoyed God's forgiveness and anticipation of Christ.
Our true Passover. Lamb, they could have turned
from sin, loved God first, and this whole story might have
turned out very differently, but they didn't and so the whole
story is going to get darker and.
Darker before the. Light shines.
If there were time, there's so much more that could.
Be said about it, but for today. What I hope you'll remember.
Is that God loved Eli? And his wicked sons enough to
warn them. For God had.
This against them that they had forsaken their first.
Love they had. Forsaken their first love, their
lamp was going out, and God's. People were.
Suffering like sheep. Without a shepherd.
But God loved them too much. To allow the darkness to
overtake. Them completely.
So there's another lamp that begins to burn through this.
Story I. Wish there was more time to draw
your attention to this. His name is Samuel.
He's been mentioned throughout here and there.
Throughout today's chapter. Even though Samuel.
Is 35 to 40 years. Younger than Hoffney and Phineas
in the. Hebrew of this chapter.
The same word. Is used for.
Hoffney, Phineas and Samuel, a word that's translated lad.
Or boy. Or young man, I don't know if
you. Caught this but.
These grown men, 50 something year old men Hoffman and Phineas
are being. Called boys throughout the
chapter. Why?
Because. Even though they're grown men
and they should be caring for the flock, they're behaving like
juvenile delinquents. And the contrast could not be
any more stark. Looking at Samuel.
Because Samuel, he continues to. Grow in stature.
And in. Favor with the.
Lord and his people through him, by him putting God. 1st.
God will make. Way for Jesus.
The king of kings who comes to make all things new.
By His grace we are saved, and by His word we are led.
And fed. Let's pray.
Together we praise. And thank you, Lord, that you.
Do feed us. Through your word and we cry out
to you for an outpouring of your.
Spirit so that our. Affections would be.
Focused. Upon you.
That our love. Would renew.
Our heart would. Turn to you.
We ask you to do this for your glory.
And for the sake of your. People.
We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.