“Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord. And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.” 1 Samuel 2: 12-14. (NKJV).
How can priests not know The Lord when their job is to represent Him before the people daily. They didn’t know Him because they deceived themselves into thinking they were better off being ignorant of Him. This posture was convenient because they wanted nothing to do with rules. But such an attitude is contrary to the brutal facts of reality. Salvation can only be fully realized and experienced by faithfully following the rules the Lord has proscribed for us. Certain offerings were specified to be eaten by the worshipper and the priest. One such offering was the Fellowship/Peace Offering. This represented the fellowship and peace with God experienced by the worshipper after being cleansed from his sin and having experienced the joy of forgiveness. But how these disorganized Schizophrenics abused their privileges and responsibilities. Dishonored The Lord Almighty and caused the meaning of these offerings to be misrepresented and obscured.
Then the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 1 Samuel 3:11-14.
Unless Eli, The High Priest, was suffering from a most severe case of Senile Dementia with Depression, it is difficult to see just how he could have neglected the solemn responsibility of having his two sons beheaded because of their gross irreverence, impiety, and immorality. He turned a blind eye to the unacceptable state of affairs that existed and thus dishonored The Lord. His duty was to straighten things out before the people so that the brilliant light of the plan of salvation would continue to shine in unadulterated splendor. Instead, he neglected his solemn duty and resigned himself to doing nothing. But as many of my clerical friends often reminded me, “Failure to make a decision is a decision.”
The Ark of The Covenant was captured by the Philistines in c. 1024 BC, when Eli, the High priest, was the judge of Israel. On that very same day, Hophni and Phineas were killed, and Eli died when He fell backward from his chair. The two brothers had a long history of boundary violations. Their father, Eli, failed to deal with them appropriately, which was another gross violation of the rules. The Lord warned the boy Samuel (who was already a prophet even at his tender age) of coming judgments upon Eli’s house. The Ark remained in the possession of the Philistines for seven months. The Philistines were eager to return this sacred furnishing (The Ark of The Covenant) to Israel. While in Philistine territory, many calamities fell upon the nation.
“For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us.” Isaiah 33:22 (NKJV)
There were rules and boundaries in Old Testament times. Those standards were strictly enforced by divine power and harsh judgments when necessary. Because God does not change, why should we be seduced into thinking that rules and boundaries do not apply to us in these New Testament times? Wasn’t it The Master Himself who asserted
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5: 17-20 (NKJV)
aadventuresinghana.wordpress.com 