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Scripture Reading: 1 Sam. 1:25; 2:11-17, 22-25, 27-36; 3:4-18; 4:1-22
We can learn many valuable lessons from the books of history in the Old Testament. In the New Testament we cannot find such fine, detailed lessons concerning the enjoyment of Christ for the fulfilling of God's economy. Samuel's relationship to the stale and waning Aaronic priesthood has some lessons for us today.
Samuel grew up under the custody of the old Eli, the last priest of the waning Aaronic priesthood (1:25). This was God's wisdom. Because God intended to replace the waning priesthood with Samuel, it was necessary for him to learn certain lessons while he was under Eli's custody. Samuel could realize that Eli had become a failure in the degraded priesthood. Samuel had the capacity to understand and apprehend what he saw in Eli's situation, and this became a constant warning to Samuel for the future.
Samuel learned of Eli to minister to Jehovah as a priest (2:11b).
While Samuel was learning he observed the deterioration of the degraded Aaronic priesthood (2:12-17, 22-25). This did not weaken Samuel in his future priesthood. Rather, it became a constant warning to him throughout his priestly service.
The two sons of Eli despised the offerings of Jehovah and took the best flesh of the people's offerings by force (vv. 12-17). I believe that when Samuel saw this, he must have had a deep impression as a warning to him concerning his future as a priest.
The sons of Eli also committed fornication with the serving women (v. 22). How terrible! History tells us that this kind of thing has happened repeatedly among God's servants. In serving the Lord we cannot avoid having contact with the other sex, but we must learn the lesson to always keep a distance between us and the other sex. We should never stay in a private room with a member of the other sex with the windows covered and the doors closed. That gives the evil one the opportunity to tempt us to fall into sin. The two sons of Eli were caught by this. Concerning this, we should learn from Joseph, who fled from temptation (Gen. 39:7-12), and from Boaz, who was highly appraised for his high standard of morality in his contact with Ruth (Ruth 3:1-14).
The sons of Eli would not listen to the exhortation of their father (1 Sam. 2:22-25). Eli attempted to say something to his sons, but it seems that he was somewhat loose and that his exhortation was not very strong, faithful, desperate, and absolute.
According to verse 29 a man of God spoke to Eli, saying, "Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering, which I have commanded in My habitation, and honor your sons more than Me by making yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?" In 3:13 we see that Eli's sons brought the curse upon themselves, and Eli did not restrain them.
Samuel came to realize that God's severe judgment was on the house of Eli (2:27-36; 3:4-18; 4:1-22). We should not think that God is merely sitting in the heavens and is not doing anything about the situation of His people on earth. God is very busy in dealing with His people.
First, God's severe judgment on the house of Eli was prophesied by a man of God (2:27-36).
Second, this severe judgment was confirmed by the word of Jehovah through Samuel (3:4-18). I believe that God's purpose in letting Eli know through Samuel of the coming judgment was to make an unforgettable impression on this young priestly boy. This was God's wisdom.
Third, God's severe judgment was executed through the Philistines (4:1-22).
The people of Israel were defeated by the Philistines, and 30,000 foot soldiers of them were slaughtered (v. 10). At the time of Hezekiah, Judah looked to the Lord for protection, and one night He sent an angel to strike 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians (2 Kings 19:35). From this we see that it would have been easy for God to defeat the Philistines. However, at that time He had given up Israel.
Israel was foolish in their degradation because they did not trust in God. Rather, they trusted in the systems ordained by God. In their situation they should have repented, made a thorough confession, and returned to God from their idols. Instead, they exercised their superstition to trust in the ark. Their past told them that quite often when the ark of God moved, there was a victory (Num. 10:35; Josh. 6). But this time their situation was not right. In their degradation they offended God to the uttermost, and God left them. Eventually, instead of the ark saving Israel, the ark itself was captured (1 Sam. 4:11a).
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, who had gone out with the ark, were killed because they had altogether disregarded God (v. 11b). This shows us that we need to learn the lesson of not being loose in the service of God.
Eli had been sitting on his seat by the roadside watching; "for his heart trembled for the ark of God" (v. 13a). When the news came to him that the ark had been captured, he fell off his seat backward, broke his neck, and died (vv. 17-18).
When the wife of Phinehas, who was pregnant and about to deliver, learned that the ark had been captured and that her husband and her father-in-law had died, she bowed down and gave birth to a son (vv. 19-20). She named the child Ichabod (v. 21), meaning "No glory," indicating that the glory had departed from Israel. Glory is God Himself. When God departed, the glory departed from Israel.
Samuel observed all these tragedies, and they became lessons to him, warning him and reminding him throughout his service to God. Thus, his being placed by God in His wisdom under the custody of the old Eli was very profitable, for he learned certain things positively and observed other things negatively. This helped Samuel to remain pure in his service to God his entire life. When he was about to die, he could remind the people of Israel that he had never defrauded them, oppressed them, or taken anything from them (12:3-4).
While Samuel was under Eli's custody, God taught him in a very fine way, built him up, and established him as His proper priest. As such a priest, Samuel became a judge to judge Israel, a prophet to prophesy for God, and the one to bring forth the kingship. By this kingship the kingdom of God was established on earth. This is a picture of what our situation should be today. We need to be, first, a Samuel, and then, a David, enjoying Christ to such a degree that what we have enjoyed of Christ will become a kingdom, which is the church.
According to Matthew 16:18-19 the church and the kingdom are identical. The kingdom today is the church, and within the church there is the intrinsic essence — the Body of Christ. The church is visible, but the Body of Christ, as the intrinsic essence, is invisible. In the visible church there is the kingdom, the reigning, of God. In this visible church there is also the intrinsic essence as the very content, the reality, of the church. Our human body is visible, but the life within the body is invisible. The principle is the same with the church and the Body. The Body is the intrinsic life of the church.
