Monday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 2:11-17
11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord 13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. 15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.
16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” 17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.
11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord 13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. 15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.
16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” 17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.
Commentary:
2:13–14 The priests were to be supported by portions of the sacrifices of the people. In various parts of the Mosaic law the portion to be given to the priests is specified for various sacrifices, e.g., Deut. 18:3 (shoulder, cheeks, and stomach) and Lev. 7:31–32 (breast and right thigh). But the practice in 1 Sam. 2:13–14 has little in common with the regulations on priestly rights.
2:15–16 This is an extraordinary situation: the priest, who was supposed to know the rules of sacrifice, was engaging in behavior that shocked even the ordinary worshiper. The fat was normally removed from certain internal organs and offered as a burnt offering to God (see Ex. 29:13; Lev. 3:3–5). Also, the priest would normally take his share right after killing the animal, before giving it to the worshiper.
2:17 It was because the sons of Eli did not know the Lord (v. 12) that they could treat with contempt his holy sacrifices that he had commanded for worship.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 494–495.
2:15–16 This is an extraordinary situation: the priest, who was supposed to know the rules of sacrifice, was engaging in behavior that shocked even the ordinary worshiper. The fat was normally removed from certain internal organs and offered as a burnt offering to God (see Ex. 29:13; Lev. 3:3–5). Also, the priest would normally take his share right after killing the animal, before giving it to the worshiper.
2:17 It was because the sons of Eli did not know the Lord (v. 12) that they could treat with contempt his holy sacrifices that he had commanded for worship.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 494–495.
Questions:
We read that Eli’s sons “did not know the LORD,” even though they served as priests in His tabernacle. They were surrounded by worship, Scripture, sacrifice, and the presence of God, yet their hearts were far from Him. These men lived in God’s house and served at God’s altar, yet did not truly know the God they claimed to serve.
Their problem was not simply that they made a few bad choices; they had begun treating what was holy as though it existed for their own benefit. God had given the priests a portion of the sacrifices, but Hophni and Phinehas were not satisfied with what God had appointed, so they took what they wanted and even used force to get it.
Their greed turned an act of worship into an opportunity for personal gain, and their behavior caused people to despise the Lord’s offering. Their selfishness actually made the sacrifices of God offensive to the very people who came to worship Him.
We can attend church, read our Bibles, serve in ministry, and know Christian language while also living as though God exists to serve our desires. The Gospel calls us to something much deeper: not merely religious activity, but reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ and a life increasingly surrendered to Him.
Their problem was not simply that they made a few bad choices; they had begun treating what was holy as though it existed for their own benefit. God had given the priests a portion of the sacrifices, but Hophni and Phinehas were not satisfied with what God had appointed, so they took what they wanted and even used force to get it.
Their greed turned an act of worship into an opportunity for personal gain, and their behavior caused people to despise the Lord’s offering. Their selfishness actually made the sacrifices of God offensive to the very people who came to worship Him.
We can attend church, read our Bibles, serve in ministry, and know Christian language while also living as though God exists to serve our desires. The Gospel calls us to something much deeper: not merely religious activity, but reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ and a life increasingly surrendered to Him.
- Have you ever experienced a season when you were doing many of the “right” Christian things, but your heart felt distant from God? What do you think was happening beneath the surface?
- Hophni and Phinehas show us that it is possible to stand close to the things of God while our hearts remain far from God. Jesus gives us something far greater than religious familiarity: through His death and resurrection, He brings sinners into a real relationship with God and gives us the Spirit who makes us God's children. How does the Gospel challenge you to stop measuring your spiritual health by how much you know, how much you do, or how long you've been around Christianity and instead find your confidence in what Christ has accomplished to bring you to God?
- Is there an area of your life where you have become more concerned with what God can give you than with knowing and honoring God Himself? Is there an area in your life you need to repent because you been far to concerned about what you can get from God instead of what he's already given?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the ways you have allowed Christian routines to replace genuine love and surrender to God.
- Thank God that through Jesus you are not merely invited to perform for Him but are welcomed into a real relationship with Him.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and expose places where selfishness, greed, or spiritual routine have replaced wholehearted devotion.
- Praise Jesus as the perfectly faithful High Priest who never uses God's holy things for His own selfish purposes, but gave Himself completely for His people.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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