Judgement Begins at the House of God (1 Samuel 2:22–3:21)

This sermon was preached on 28/3/2010

Chapter 2:30 contains an important principle. Those who honour God will be honoured by him, and those who despise him he will despise. We have all heard the story of Eric Liddell and of his refusal to run in the Olympic final on the Sabbath. Later that week Liddell ran in the 400 metres. As he left the hotel to go to the second race, one of his trainers gave him a note which said, ‘In the old book it says, He that honours me I will honour. Wishing you the best of success always.’ Liddell won the second race in a world record time. He honoured God and God honoured him. He was given a greater honour later on, when he gave his life for Christ in China, a degree of devotion that cost his health.

Danger of imitation of worldly practices by the church

The background to the choice of Samuel is a very dark one. The current priesthood is going to be judged by God because of their sins. First, Hophni and Phinehas had adapted the instructions that God had laid down in his word regarding portions that should be given to the priests; they had done so for their own benefit. For example, the fat of a sacrifice was to be devoted entirely to God (Lev. 7:22-25). Second, they were not merely guilty of immorality, but of imitation of the religious practices of the surrounding nations. It was the custom of these pagan religions to include fertility rites as part of their worship and Hophni and Phinehas seemed to have introduced these practices into Israel’s worship.

Verse 25 is one of the most solemn verses in the Bible; because of their prolonged and deliberate sins these leaders of Israel were abandoned by God and therefore could not respond to their father’s plea. Hophni and Phinehas ‘experienced the fate of men who deliberately sin against the light, who love their lusts so well that nothing will induce them to fight against them; they were so hardened that repentance became impossible, and it was necessary for them to undergo the full retribution of their wickedness’ (W. G. Blaikie). There are two wrong responses to this aspect of biblical teaching: to be critical and to be curious. The critic alleges God is deficient in mercy and the curious asks when a person can enter this condition. The proper response is to tremble before a God who judges sinners.

There is a warning here to church leaders not to compromise the worship of God with worldly additions. This is a temptation in every period of church history, although the temptation will vary from time to time and from place to place. What is required of church leaders is faithfulness to God’s revealed will once they understand it.

At the same time, church leaders are not to have a merely formal adherence to God’s will. They have to continue developing their Christian lives, particularly their heart devotion to the Lord. Hophni and Phinehas failed in both these areas and in doing so did not know God’s blessing..

Danger of being ineffective for God

Eli the priest seems to have been a good man, but a good man who was weak in areas where he should have been strong. He is one of the sad characters of the Bible. In the chapter we see positive aspects in that he recognised the Lord was speaking to Samuel and he displayed humility in accepting the Lord’s judgment on his family. It is likely that the Lord used Eli to instruct young Samuel, which was a gracious allowing by the Lord in letting the old priest serve him in this way. And it is a sign of grace in Eli that he was willing to teach his replacement, especially since it was his own failures that brought about the situation. Furthermore Eli wanted to know what the Lord had told Samuel, which indicates he had a desire to know the truth. Nevertheless he did not rebuke publicly the sins of his sons but merely gave them a private admonition – their sins required a public rebuke, which shows that Eli put his family before wholehearted service of God. Eli was a leader whom the Lord would not speak through, rather he was a leader whom the Lord had to speak to about failure.

God uses the insignificant to bring about his purposes

Because we know the story we look back at Samuel as a great man of God. But at this time in Israel’s history Samuel was unknown. Not only is this a reminder that every great work of God has a beginning, it also shows that often God uses to further his purposes what the world would despise. This is seen in multitudes of ways.

It was so in the case of our Saviour. Jesus grew up in the despised community of Nazareth, a location from where nothing important was expected, even by the honest Nathaniel (John 1:46). Jesus’ choice of disciples can be described as the choice of the insignificant as far as worldly status and influence was concerned. Peter was a fisherman, Matthew was a tax-collector, all were unknowns when he called them.

We can also see this principle in the life of Paul. Paul wrote several letters when he was in prison (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians, 2 Timothy); usually such a location is regarded as an unsuitable place from where to influence people. Further Paul was an old man, with physical weaknesses, when he wrote these letters and therefore not a likely candidate for influencing people.

This principle has been repeated again and again throughout church history. At the Reformation the Lord used Martin Luther, an obscure monk, to shake the whole of society. John Calvin wanted to have a quiet life of study, but God had other plans. John Knox was captured by French soldiers and became a galley slave. The list is endless, down to the present day.

God can use the inexperienced to communicate his message

Samuel was obviously so inexperienced in the ways of God that he did not recognise his voice. Verse 7, which says that Samuel did not yet know the Lord, does not mean that he was an unbeliever. What it means is that he had not yet received a message from God to deliver to his people.

God uses the inoffensive to speak on his behalf

An important aspect of speaking on God’s behalf is sensitivity. Samuel was not given an easy message to tell Eli. The function of a messenger of God is to pass on what he commands, even if the messenger may suspect it will be unpalatable. Yet it is evident from the account that Samuel waited for the opportune moment to convey the message of judgment. He was sensitive to the feelings of his beloved mentor, and did not want to rush in and give the impression of unconcern. In this he was like Jesus Christ, who delivered his message of judgment on Jerusalem with tears, even although they deserved the punishment.

God uses the ones who are faithful in little things

Although Samuel had been given this special revelation from God it did not make him proud or superior in his attitude. Nor did it cause him to cease his duties at the tabernacle. He continued to do mundane activities waiting for God in his providence to open the way for him. He is an example of one who became faithful in big things as the prophet in Israel because he was faithful in little things.

Lessons from this passage

First, the biggest judgment on a church is a silent God and the greatest blessing is a speaking God. We must remember that the people of Israel did have the Pentateuch which had been written by Moses. True, it was not complete, but there was sufficient there to help them. I am sure also that Eli, and perhaps others, taught the people. So the passage does not refer to an absence of God’s written word or to an absence of teachers. Rather it means God’s refusal to speak in power.

Second, there are truths here about God’s Word of which it is useful to remind ourselves. One is that his word is true and certain; what he says is accurate. Another is that his word is to be accepted and obeyed, which means that his word is authoritative. Further, his word both informs and transforms, which means that it affects those who listen to it.

Third, we should look for Jesus in the story. I think the Saviour is mentioned at least twice in this passage. First, he is the remedy for the judgment that the failure of Eli had caused. The prophet reminds Eli that the Lord would raise up a priest who would do his will from the heart (2:35). It may be that more faithful earthly priests came along who partially fulfilled this prophecy, such as Zadok. But God’s remedy for human weakness is not to send another person with the same potential for mistakes. Rather he points his people to the Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect servant of God. One aspect of his servanthood is his priestly activities. The priests in the Old Testament had a threefold task: they were to teach the people about the Bible, they were to intercede for the people, and they were to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people because of their sins. The verse also says that the Messiah would have a house that would serve him. A similar statement is made about Jesus in Hebrews 3:6. The house is a reference to his people, and so all believers are included here. It is marvellous to realise that away back then, in days of declension and spiritual barrenness, that the Lord was thinking of the people of God that were yet to appear and this brought joy to his heart.

Also, I think Jesus is referred to in 3:10: ‘The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” ’ This is what is termed a theophany, an Old Testament appearance of God. He sometimes appeared as the angel of the Lord, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God. Some theologians regard theophanies as being an indistinct appearance of God, but I think such make a mistake. It seems to me that the Bible justifies us in regarding these appearances as appearances of the Saviour, giving insights into his involvement in the development of his kingdom long before he became a man permanently. Sometimes, a theophany was an awe-inspiring occasion, as is described in Psalm 29. But here the Lord appears in a gentle and tender way, no doubt one reason being Samuel’s young age. Jesus called Samuel to be a servant.