Folly or Faithfulness?

Folly or Faithfulness?

by Wayne Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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I Samuel 2:12
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.

These two were not just Eli's sons, but they were really children of Belial: an expression as to say they were devilish. They knew not the Lord. They were priests — yet knew not the Lord.

Supposing you had two preachers, and neither of them knew the Lord — yet they were leading your spiritual life! You're really going to grow, aren't you: grow mischievous, grow carnally.

This time when Eli's sons were priests was a declining time, an erring time. It was like a falling away taking place.

As we read on we see that the state of things were really bad. Nothing great is basically happening here. It was taking its form at the tabernacle in Shiloh, the place where they set the tabernacle when they came in from the Promised Land. This was the same tabernacle which Moses made in the wilderness. It was the central place where Israel could go to offer sacrifices unto the Lord.

An Ungodly Example

So these two sons — we want to follow this a bit because I have something I want to say about this for your benefit.

I Samuel 2:13,14
And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

These were the sacrifices which were being offering in the tabernacle. The Levites had a place here. And then amongst them there was the priesthood. Eli was the priest at this time. He was an old man by now. When he died he was in his nineties. So his two sons were not young kids.

The priesthood was given to Aaron and his sons, and on down the line generation to generation. But the Levites also had a part in the ministry. They had their work to do in the tabernacle pertaining to the upkeep and the sacrifices.

So, here in I Samuel, it is dealing with the priesthood. We have to examine their ways further to understand the condition of things here.

In the realm of the offerings, there were duties here that were given specifically to the priests. And from the offerings, the priests had their portion of food provided.

Here it speaks of the priest's custom with the people: don't confuse this custom with the Word of God. Many customs and traditions of man are contrary to God's Word. So if you just take everything that man sets up as being of God, without checking it out in God's Word, you might thing it's ok in God's eyes.

But the custom of the priests was to come when the offering was being prepared and get their share. Let's look further to see what this is really leading to:

I Samuel 2:15
Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.

This sounds demanding. He doesn't want what he should have, what was rightfully his. What he is saying is, I want what I want, when I want it! Don't tell me! I know what I want!

I Samuel 2:16
And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.

Does that sound priestly? Does it sound like a priestly manner of doing business?

We already had an introduction to the sons of Eli, or the sons of Belial as they were called in the Scriptures. And here we see their manner of doing things: Give it to me — or I'll take it by force!

The people were only asking that the service of the Lord would be carried out just as the Lord said they should be carried out. But these priests weren't interested in the service of the Lord. They were interested in what they could get their hands on and claim as theirs.

Why should there be a problem? Why should there be a division here? Why should there be hard feelings at the tabernacle?

Sin's Effect

It was there, and this was the result:

I Samuel 1:17
Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.

It brought people to the place where they didn't want to offer unto the Lord, because of these ungodly priests.

Why were these two ungodly men priests? Because they were part of the hereditary calling that followed all the way back to Aaron, and his sons, and their sons, and so on down here to Eli and his sons.

The only way this would ever stop would be if something tragic took place where there would be nobody left in the family to follow on in this calling.

But here we see that the sons of Eli had their place in the priestly lineage, yet were these kinds of men — sons of Belial.

This stirred a feeling within the tabernacle where nobody wanted to go there, where the offerings were abhorred. The house of God was evil spoken of.

We think of this in the light of what is given to us, then, and see that these two had their ways — which were evil and wrong. They weren't going by the Word of God.

I Samuel 1:27-29
And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon Mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

Wherefore kick ye at My sacrifice and at Mine offering, which I have commanded in My habitation; and honourest thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel My people?

We see an illustration here for our benefit, so we can know what God's viewpoint of all this was.

God sent a prophet to question them about what they were doing. It was an open rebuke to Eli concerning his sons for what he was allowing to go on in the house of God. Eli was in charge here, yet was doing nothing to stop this that was so contrary.

God stated that all the offerings made by fire were given to the priests. It was God's way of supplying their meat. But, here, the sons of Levi are kicking up their heels. They don't want it God's way. They devised their own way and caused the people to abhor coming to God's house.

Eli needs dealt with. If you're in charge, that's where God's dealings would begin — with those to whom He has given authority in overseeing His flock.

When He sent the prophet, He sent him to deal with Eli. God is not only going to rebuke Eli here, but is also going to bring His judgment because of the evil dealings which were going on. This place is about ready to shut down. The people abhorred it because of Eli's sons, and the doors might as well be closed. That's how bad things had gotten.

The tabernacle was to be the place where all this spiritual activity should be going on, day and night, day after day. It was to be a place where the sacrifices were being made, where the atonement was made. The worship that took place in the tabernacle out there in the wilderness was to continue here in Shiloh: but it surely didn't turn out that way.

I Samuel 1:29
Wherefore kick ye at My sacrifice and at Mine offering, which I have commanded in My habitation; and honourest thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel My people?

The priest now was honoring his sons much more than he was honoring God. What would that make one think? Here he is in the place of authority — yet exercising none. Eli was in the place where he should be taking the things of God and insisting they be done the way God said they should be done. He's in charge — but he's not taking his rightful place of authority. His sons are doing all these evil things, and he's doing nothing to stop them.

Where does this put him? Right down to where the judgment of God is about to fall upon his life. Bear in mind that he was warned of God very strongly here. God expresses his sore displeasure, sending a prophet to deal with him.

The thing that we ought to begin to see is this: we should feel privileged if we have a clean, pure church and a clean, pure ministry. We ought to feel privileged if God and His Word are honored in our church.

We could be in the uncomfortable place that many are, going to a church where they stay only because they feel they should be loyal — regardless of what is taking place there.

Church is an important place. Church should be a holy place, a place where one comes to worship a holy God. We should be in that place where we have a great respect for the house of God.

But how can one respect ministers who live like the sons of Eli were living, doing what they were doing?

What we have read thus far is just the tip of the iceberg. It is a blatant violation of the law of God in taking what was rightfully theirs and doing as they pleased with it, disregarding God's way.

As you read the Old Testament you find there were many types of sacrifices made in the tabernacle: sacrifices for sin, where sacrifices were made by those seeking to purge their sins by offering blood. These sacrifices were not established of men, but of God. All were a type of the final sacrifice, that of the Lamb of God on the cross of Calvary. His sacrifice, where He shed His own blood, would fulfill all these Old Testament sacrifices.

Back here in Eli's day we see where the house of God was abhorred. It should never be thought of that way. But this is what these two sons with their sins had really caused.

Sin's Consequences

I Samuel 1:30
Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before Me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from Me; for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

Here are God's feelings: them that honour Me I will honour. If you want God to honour you this shows you how: honour God in your life in all that you do, exalting Him at all times. It's in this realm where you have to stop and see that you are privileged to be in the Body of Christ.

But it behooves us to look at the examples of others who utterly failed. And here in I Samuel we find such an example.

God is dealing, now, with this. He isn't going to honor these men. If they were true to His Word He would honor them.

I Samuel 1:31,32
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.

These are very strong things which God is saying here. There would never be an old man in their house . . . We all get older, unless we die at an early age. Here everyone would be cut off before they could be any old men in this family.

I Samuel 1:33
And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.

Die in their youth! They just wouldn't make it to their old age. Why would all this come? Because of what old Eli would allow his sons to do, never doing anything to stop them.

It wasn't only his dealing with priests, but his dealing with his own sons who were priests.

We should recognize that in the house of God respect for God is important. Esteeming God and honoring Him is important to every family.

To the family that really honors God, God will honor that family. But to the family that would be like Eli's family was here, who lightly esteem God and His Word, how could God bless that family? That family would certainly be under judgment. All the young people in that family would be cut off in the flower of their age.

I Samuel 1:34
And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.

Do you like signs? Eli was told of a sign here: in one day both of his sons would die. God speaks of judgment on Eli's two boys as being a sign unto him. It would be a sign that He was doing just as He said he would do.

I Samuel 1:35
And I will raise Me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in Mine heart and in My mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before Mine anointed for ever.

Now, this is what God would do to replace these two sons of Belial, Eli's two boys. They were judgment prone, and the prophet of God told Eli just what would take place in bringing judgment down on his house.

This judgment would come because of their evil and wicked ways. They would be removed in the same day, dying at the same time. And, then, God would raise Himself up a faithful priest who would do things according to that which is in God's heart and mind.

A Godly Example

Who was that faithful priest that God raised up? He had a faithful man in mind, someone who would walk faithfully with Him.

Samuel was just a young boy when God spoke this. He was in the Tabernacle every day ministering before the Lord. He was like a priest, even wearing a linen ephod — and yet he was only a young boy. He was still too young to put in the place God was calling Him to. But in God's time, He would raise Samuel up and put him in that place.

Samuel wasn't only called to be a priest, but also to be a prophet and a judge. He was the last judge to Israel. As judge, he went in a circuit from city to city to judge the people. People brought their cases before Samuel, and he judged them — and he judged them by God's Word in a godly fashion. He didn't take bribes, nor judge them for some advantage to himself. He was true and honest in judging them according to the Word of God.

We think of Samuel, then, being a faithful priest. One other thing we want to note is the book of Samuel. The Lord referred to the book of Samuel when He was on the road to Emmaus, relating all of the prophets and the things they spoke pertaining to the Christ — Luke 24:25-27.

Before Samuel died, he anointed two kings for Israel (Saul and David). He lived a full life, and a lot of time passed by from the time he died to this reference to his prophecies on the road to Emmaus.

How About Us?

But we want to take to heart a lesson here: God looks for faithful people. He looks for those whose hearts are really after Him, hearts from which He can put His own ways and His own mind, those He can work right through.

The Spirit of God in us gives God the golden opportunity to speak His will through us. But one thing is always necessary: we've got to be true and faithful.

You want God to bless you? Are you honoring Him in your life? If you are, then you can go by His Word here and expect that He would honor you.

Our own position will always be such that, as we walk with God and live for God and love God and honor God in all we do, He is the object of our life, the purpose of our living; we live to do His will; we put our heart into serving Him with a heart of love.

This is what God has always wanted of His people: that they would love Him with their all: God loves us, and He would desire that we love Him.

In His Word you can find that there were those who loved Him and had such a sweet relationship with Him. David is an example of such a one, someone with a heart after God. He had no trouble in talking with God, praying and receiving from God.

Then, as we look at the folly of some, we wonder why they would do the things they do — wonder why they would do things presumptuously, why they were self-willed. Being presumptuous and self-willed is nothing more than folly.

If we want to walk with God, we want to walk uprightly, walk before Him with a clean and pure heart, walk with Him in holiness.

Don't do things contrary. Don't do things the way you want to do them. Follow God with your whole heart, faithfully doing things His way.

Sin's Judgment

People who commit folly generally get hurt, because they do things like the two sons of Eli did things in committing folly in Israel. Their folly brought them down. How could they prosper? How could they go on? The judgment of God loomed over their heads.

I Samuel 1:36
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

God is speaking now of the faithful priest whom He would raise up, and how some of those who were left of Eli's family would come begging for a position in one of the priests' offices — at least, then, they would be assured of a piece of bread to eat.

In other words, the appearance here is that they would be in need, that they wouldn't prosper. The prosperity of Eli's house was being cut off. It wasn't going to endure.

Now, God would take Eli and his sons out in one day. When they were having war with the Philistines, these two priests took the ark of God up to the battle. In that battle, they both lost their lives. A messenger ran real fast, for the battle was sore against Israel with a lot of casualties, and the Philistines took the ark of God to their own country — trying to get themselves ready for this battle.

I Samuel 4:9
Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.

The Philistines were getting ready to go out there to the battle and give it all they've got. Would it work?

I Samuel 4:10,11
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

I Samuel 4:12-19
And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

Talk about bad news coming one after the other. Yet, Eli should have expected this news. God had told him this would be a sign unto him.

Eli not only heard the bad news about his sons, but also that the ark of God had been taken by the enemy.

I Samuel 4:18
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

God had told him that his family would be cut off, that his sons would be cut off in one day, and that others would be cut off before they were old — and that there would be those coming and begging for a priest's office that they might have bread.

Well, it's all a matter of judgment. And all of this judgment was for what? For evil things that had been done at the house of God.

Lessons to Learn

One thing we should get out of this account is this: we should appreciate it when we have a pure church; and we should strive with all of our heart to be God's people, walking in uprightness and holiness before Him; to be clean inwardly, clean in our hearts, obeying the Word of God, obeying God's commandments, obeying the teachings of Christ.

We ought to be yielding our lives and giving ourselves. We're only fooling ourselves when we are half-hearted with God, for we could find ourselves in the place of being lightly esteemed by God.

God was cleaning this mess up. Young Samuel grew up in Shiloh in the midst of all of this — yet he, himself, did not do as they did. Yes, he grew up in the midst of all of this corruption, yet in him God had a man whose heart was after Him. He had a man He would raise up to use, raising him up right in their presence.

The next thing you know, they're all taken away. But, the strangest thing about Shiloh: God let the place fall down, where it never seemed to amount to anything again.

Now, Samuel — after you get past this place and read about Samuel, you see where he was very faithful. He made many offerings. He offered for the people wherever he went. But Shiloh lost its glory. It was meant to be a central place for the people to come to the feasts, a place for them to come for the offerings.

Does God honour us? Well, we have to understand always that He honors those who honour Him. The question is, not does God honour us, but do we honour God? For, if we honour God we are told that He will honour us. But if we are not going to honour God, if we lightly esteem God in anywise, we will be lightly esteemed. Think in your heart of the importance of your walk. We're asking God for great things, and we should believe Him. He wants to move and He wants to bless.

We live in a time that's a lot like the time spoken of here in Samuel. There's a lot of falling away, a lot of corrupt things going on today. Realize there are a lot of things going on in the name of the Lord that would cause you to wonder why God hasn't done something about it. But let's bear in our minds to be true, to be faithful, to walk with God — and the blessing will be upon our lives.

You know if the blessing of God is in your life. You know if you really honour God, or if you lightly esteem Him in some realms.

Bear in your mind that it's important that you hold fast, that you keep the faith, that you walk in the light, and that you love the Lord with all of your heart — and that you always put God first.

God should be the whole object of our living. What else is there? We have other things that we love, such as our families, our friends. But what matters in the end? What's going to matter when Jesus comes?

If there ever was a crucial test, that will be the test of tests. When He comes, many will be left behind because they were not prepared, not ready to meet Him at His coming.

But know that we can be ready. We can be prepared. We can walk with God from day to day with a heart of love, in obedience to His Word.

Know that He will bless those who honour Him. That's the secret: whether back there in the Old Testament under the law, or today under grace.

There are those under grace who, like the sons of Eli, don't honor God. They turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, trampling under foot the Blood of Jesus. Yes, there are many today who dishonor God: but woe to them.

Let's be as true and as faithful as we know how. Remember, it's for our good. So, being faithful is no accident. Being faithful comes from the heart, a heart that is filled with love for the Lord.

Look back at your life. The older you are the farther back you can look. There's a story back there in the life of every Christian. One story that comes out of the life of someone who loves the Lord and has served the Lord is seeing the faithfulness of God down through the years, His faithfulness to bring them to where they are today. How faithful and good He was to them in bringing them to that place: the personal love and fellowship He gave to them, the blessings, the answers to prayer, the spiritual things.

You look back and see the day you started out walking with the Lord. God was good then. He was very good then: and He's very good now. This blessing doesn't diminish. It gets richer the farther you go.

Let's live out the life we have inside, deep within. And live for the Lord with all of our heart — not just obeying some code, nor some rules and regulations, but obeying His Word with a heart of love. As He said in John 14:15, If you love Me, keep My commandments.

If you have Christ living in you, the old life is dead. Let's live this new life to the fullest. You want joy: Great joy comes in service, comes in letting the Lord have His way. If you want your life to become a lot brighter, a lot more joyous, then do a lot more for the kingdom. Let God use you however He will — and be faithful.

So there was a mess at Shiloh. A mess. But God cleaned it up, raising up a faithful man to serve Him.

Hannah never knew what she was really doing when she prayed. She was bitter in her heart for the way she had been treated because she couldn't have any children. But, then, God heard her cry and answered her by giving her a son. And she did what she said she would do, giving him back to the Lord.

Samuel never departed out of the way. He loved God, and he faithfully followed God.

The only thing I know that Hannah did was to believe — and obey from her heart. And, as the result, God brought forth a man into this world who was really needed. Samuel was surely a man of the hour. Thank God for such faithful people — may we follow their example.