(1 Samuel 1-4)
In the opening chapters of the book of Samuel, we find two parallel yet contrasting stories: the story of Hannah and her son Samuel who would become a great leader and prophet in Israel, and the story of Eli and his rebellious sons Hophni and Phinehas who were not only poor leaders but wicked men.
Hannah was the barren wife of Elkanah, a man of Levite descent. Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, had children and she would gloat over Hannah and humiliate her. I can only imagine Hannah’s misery...she desperately longed for a child, and had to suffer not only the disgrace and desperation of bareness but also the haughty unkindess of her husband’s other lover who had the children Hannah longed for. Even though her husband Elkanah loved her and tried to make it up to her, Hannah wept and refused to eat because she was so discouraged by her barrenness.
But Hannah chose to go before the Lord in her misery and poured out her anguished heart to the God who hears and answers prayer. She wept bitterly in the temple courts and pleaded with the Lord to give her a son, vowing that if He would grant her request she would dedicate the child to God as a Nazirite for life. After pouring out her soul in prayer and receiving a blessing from Eli the priest, she went away no longer disheartened and was willing to eat again. When God blessed her with Samuel, she took him to the temple as soon as he was weaned and dedicated him to the Lord, praising the God of Israel for His greatness and His kindness to the lowly. So Samuel grew up serving in the temple under Eli the priest, and ministered before the Lord.
Meanwhile, Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were serving as priests were not living lives that honored God. It’s important to understand that when people would present their offerings to the Lord at the temple, a portion would be dedicated to God, a portion would be given to the priests, and a portion would be eaten by the one presenting the offering. According to the Levitical law (Leviticus 7:28-36), the priest’s portion was to be the breast and the right thigh of the animal. God made this provision for them in the law, as a way of caring for their needs since the Levites didn’t receive a share of the Promised Land as their own like the other tribes of Israel.
But somewhere between the giving of the law of Moses, and the priesthood of Hophni and Phinehas, it became customary for the priest to plunge a fork into the pot in which the sacrificed meat was boiled, and take whatever came up as their share. This compromise led to further transgressions when Eli’s son’s brazenly took their share before the meat was even cooked, and before the fat (the portion that was meant to be a memorial portion for the Lord) was burnt. And if the person bringing the offering requested that the Lord be given His portion first, Hophni and Phinehas would demand otherwise, resorting to force to take as much meat as they wanted. In doing this, they were not only robbing the people, but they were withholding sacrifices that belonged to God. In addition to their selfishness and greed, they were also promiscuous and slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. This was a clear violation against God’s parameters for priestly conduct. As Israel’s worship leaders they were required to have the utmost standard of purity and holiness, but instead of fulfilling their duties as mediators between the people and God, they actually discouraged the people from worshiping the LORD because of their rebellious and immoral behavior.
As the story continues, we see that Hannah and Samuel were blessed for their willing obedience and sacrifice, while Hophni and Phinehas were punished for their wrongdoing and ungodliness. After giving Samuel to the LORD to serve Him in the temple, Hannah is blessed with three more sons and two daughters. Because of her heart of surrender, God was gracious to her and gave her favor and abundance. And her son Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with all the people. He became a prophet who was highly esteemed in all of Israel and was recognized as one whose words came to pass.
On the other hand, Eli and his sons received just punishment from the hand of the LORD. God said that He would cut short their priestly line, and raise up a faithful priest who would minister before Him always. Because of the wickedness of Hophni and Phinehas, and Eli’s failure to restrain them, their family would not only be cut off from serving in the temple, but they would be cursed so that all of their decedents would die in the prime of life. As as sign that this would happen, the LORD foretold that both Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day. True to His word, they were both killed in battle against the Philistines. And perhaps most perturbing is Samuel’s prophecy that “the guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”
I can’t help but be struck by the sharp contrast between the characters of Hannah and Samuel versus Hophni and Phinehas:
Hannah starts out with nothing but bareness, but ends up being abundantly blessed. Eli’s son’s start out with a position of prominence and wealth, but end up losing everything.
Hannah sought the LORD. Hophni and Phinehas sought pleasure and self-gain.
Hannah gave both her heart and her son to the LORD. Hophni and Phinehas stole what was the LORD’s.
Hannah worshiped with honesty, humility, and gratitude. Hophni and Phinehas “worshiped” with hypocrisy, hostility, and deceit.
Hannah surrendered everything. Hophni and Phinehas only went through the motions.
Hannah’s choices resulted in Israel having a strong and godly leader in Samuel. Hophni and Phinehas’ choices resulted in the people not wanting to worship and the loss of their family’s legacy.
Samuel was fully devoted to the LORD. Hophni and Phinehas compromised their faith and participated in pagan-like practices.
Samuel used his spiritual leadership to honor God. Hophni and Phinehas used their spiritual leadership to serve their sinful desires.
Samuel was promoted and blessed. Hophni and Phinehas were killed and their family line was cursed.
The contrast between these two pairs of characters serves to show us the importance of the posture of our hearts in worship. As Yahweh’s priests, Eli’s sons had the job of leading people in the worship of the one true God. And while they performed animal sacrifices as part of ritual worship, they weren’t there to honor God but only themselves. Sadly, the consequence of their selfish motives and divided loyalties was that the people began to treat the LORD’s offerings with contempt. And instead of leaving a legacy of faith for their children and grandchildren to follow, their sin brought curses upon them. The sin of Hophni and Phineas didn’t just affect them, it affected those around them. Conversely, when Hannah worshiped with an open heart and a posture of surrender, it brought blessing to not only her own life, but to her son, and to the whole nation of Israel.
We might not think that what’s in our hearts when we worship will affect others. After all, worship is between us and God and only He knows our hearts. But what’s in our hearts will always come out in our attitude and our actions. Worship is not primarily about the religious things we do such as singing, prayer, Bible study, and church services. It’s about the posture of our hearts in every day life, and living a life of complete surrender to the LORD’s will.
Romans 12:1 says that we are to offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices, and that true and proper worship is living lives that are holy and pleasing to Him. And the way we live will either inspire the people around us to worship God or discourage them from seeking and knowing Him. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and consider: Will we, like Hannah, recognize that everything we have been given belongs to God, or will we, like Eli’s sons, only be interested in our own pleasure and what we can gain? Will we live lives of surrender that bring others closer to Him, or will our compromise and worldliness lead them to treat God with contempt?
And yet, I don’t want to just present these contrasting stories to you as character studies, and say “Be like Hannah and Samuel,” and “Don’t be like Hophni and Phineas.” I don’t think that’s the main point. Because like every Biblical story, I believe that this story is meant to point us to Christ and His all-sufficiency in our insufficiency.
And I don’t know about you, but I struggle to be a Hannah. I struggle to live my life in complete surrender to God as a living sacrifice unto Him. When He gives me good gifts, I am not so quick to dedicate them back to Him. I want to hold onto them a while, and let them give me a sense of security. I tend to run to people and things instead of pouring out my heart to God. I tend to look to worldly comforts instead of to Jesus. I tend to withhold areas of my life that are meant to be the LORD’s, and in doing so, I commit the same sin as Hophni and Phinehas.
But the good news is, when I fail to live for God alone, Jesus stands in the gap as my Great High Priest interceding on my behalf. Jesus is representing me before the Father as the Lamb of God who lived with perfect obedience and surrender. No one has lived a life more dedicated to the Father than Jesus. No one gave up more in worship to Yahweh than Jesus who gave up His very life on the cross. And He was sacrificed in my place. Moreover, I have His Holy Spirit living inside of me to help empower me to live for Him.
The Gospel means that when we fail to be a living sacrifice, Jesus is the living sacrifice who atones for our sin. So perhaps a better take-away from our story is “Be like Hannah and Samuel inasmuch as they are like Jesus, but when you fail to be, let His perfect sacrifice cover your sins and make you new, clean, and whole.” When you fail to trust, Jesus demonstrated perfect faith on your behalf. When you struggle to surrender, Jesus whose blood atones for you lives in perfect surrender to the Father’s will. When you stumble, He stands firm. When you falter, He remains constant and good. When you fall short, He never does.
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