WHY DID GOD PUNISH ELI FOR THE SINS OF HIS SONS?

WHY DID GOD PUNISH ELI FOR THE SINS OF HIS SONS?

Eli the priest of God at Shiloh was very old when a man of God came to him and declared the horrific judgement of God against him on account of the sins of his sons of which the Lord said he was an accomplice.

Of course Eli wasn’t an accomplice in the sense that he practically committed the sins with his children or that he approved of their immoralities.

Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.

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

Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

—1 Samuel 2:12, 17, 22

God declared to Eli that He was going to disinherit him, his family and his coming generation from being priests; He was going to bring in enemies who would torment his family; He would ensure that nobody in his family lives to see old age; that his family members would die prematurely; that anyone of his remaining at the altar will only be to frustrate him of all his donkey’s years of service; that his two sons Hophni and Phinehas were going to die suddenly in one day; that He would replace him with an entirely different person as His priest; that everyone in his family will eventually go to the new priest, falling down before him and asking for a piece of silver, small portion of meal for sustenance and pleading to be in any of the temple services just so he could eat; and that the sins of his household shall never be purged, not by sacrifice nor offering. (1 Sam. 2:27-36)

These are horrific judgements against Eli. Why didn’t God just punish the two men that sinned and leave the high priest and the remaining members of the household alone?

For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

—1 Sam. 3:13

Due to the above text, some people say that Eli did not reprimand his sons; for that reason God punished him together with them. But this is not true, for Eli indeed did rebuke his sons quite sternly.

And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD's people to transgress. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.

—1 Sam. 2:23-25

Some people say perhaps his words were not grave enough, that he did not charge them so seriously as he should, or that he was petting them (like patting them on the back) with words as one would seek to woo a brat out of their silliness.

We do not, however, have clear evidence that Eli was not mean with his words when he rebuked his sons. Albeit, by this word of the Lord, “he restrained them not,” we understand that whereas Eli had the power and know-how to prevent his children from the temple sacrilege, he did not exert them. He could and should have restrained them, not merely with words, but he did not.

The question then is: How should he have restrained them? Simple: remove them from being priests and from all temple services and deny them of all the benefits thereof, even if that would mean their starvation. This has always been God’s instruction both in the Old and New Testaments regarding defiant offenders in the midst of His people.

Ø When Israel went astray, Moses declared separation of the holy from the unholy. All Levi came to him and he commanded them to slay all offenders (Ex. 32:26-28). Levi was later praised and blessed for this (Deu. 33:8-9).

Ø God’s wrath against the Israelites was placated when one Phinehas slew a man who was at the moment committing sexual immorality in the presence of God, Moses and the whole holy assembly (Num. 25:6-13).

Ø Priests and temple servants were commanded to be punctilious with all codes regarding their duties; otherwise they were unholy and should quit.

Now in the New Covenant we neither kill people nor practice the code of the Law, but the principle of sanctity in God’s service remains the same.

Ø “A man that is an heretic (or, as in this case, unruly), after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted...” (Titus 3:10-11).

Ø “...concerning him that hath so done this deed (sexual immorality), in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ... deliver such an one unto Satan...” (1 Cor. 5:3-5).

Ø “I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous...” —as Eli’s sons (1 Cor. 5:11).

Ø Those who dishonour God’s holy ordinance attract terrible judgement against themselves. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30).

Eli was expected of God to mete out judgement on his children by removing them from service; but he did not, because he cared for their welfare (feeding and all) above the holiness of God and sanctity of worship.

[Thou] honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings...

—1 Sam. 2:29

The sin of Eli was not that he failed to rebuke; rather he failed to go beyond that when it was demanded that he should. Eli should have “restrained” those obstinate, defiant, unrepentant sinning sons of his by throwing them away from ministry and the temple. But he didn’t. Hence the judgement of God came upon him, his sons, his whole house and generation, for such sin of theirs is cancerous and so should the judgement be.

...a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.... Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened....

—1 Cor. 5:5-7