1 Samuel 2:12-39 The Judgment of God's Anointed
The Word
Psalms 105:15 (CSB) “Do not touch my anointed ones,
or harm my prophets.”
The Study
1 Samuel 2:12–36 (CSB)
12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they did not respect the LORD13 or the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. When anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling
14 and plunge it into the container, kettle, cauldron, or cooking pot. The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.
15 Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you—only raw.”
16 If that person said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself,” the servant would reply, “No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force!”
17 So the servants’ sin was very severe in the presence of the LORD, because the men treated the LORD’s offering with contempt.
18 Samuel served in the LORD’s presence—this mere boy was dressed in the linen ephod.
19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she has given to the LORD.” Then they would go home.
21 The LORD paid attention to Hannah’s need, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
23 He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people.
24 No, my sons, the news I hear the LORD’s people spreading is not good.
25 If one person sins against another, God can intercede for him, but if a person sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to kill them.
26 By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people.
27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Didn’t I reveal myself to your forefather’s family when they were in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh’s palace?
28 Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your house to be my priests, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your forefather’s family all the Israelite food offerings.
29 Why, then, do all of you despise my sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of my people Israel.’
30 “Therefore, this is the declaration of the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘I did say that your family and your forefather’s family would walk before me forever. But now,’ this is the LORD’s declaration, ‘no longer! For those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disgraced.
31 Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your forefather’s family, so that none in your family will reach old age.
32 You will see distress in the place of worship, in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age.
33 Any man from your family I do not cut off from my altar will bring grief and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently.
34 This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both of them will die on the same day.
35 “ ‘Then I will raise up a faithful priest for myself. He will do whatever is in my heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him, and he will walk before my anointed one for all time.
36 Anyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please appoint me to some priestly office so I can have a piece of bread to eat.’ ”
Not everyone should be a priest
James 3:1 (CSB) Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.
Matthew 18:6 (CSB) “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.
Read Matthew 23
God Judges His Anointed
2 Peter 2:1-5 (CSB) There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them. They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment; and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly;
Jude 1:11-16 (ESV) Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
God Removes and Replaces His Anointed
Jeremiah 23:1-4 (CSB) “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! ” This is the LORD’s declaration. “Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend my people: You have scattered my flock, banished them, and have not attended to them. I am about to attend to you because of your evil acts” — this is the LORD’s declaration. “I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have banished them, and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous. I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them. They will no longer be afraid or discouraged, nor will any be missing.” This is the LORD’s declaration.
God Will Stop At Nothing to Care for His Little Ones
Matthew 18:10 (CSB) “See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:14 (CSB) In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Because God Loves Us So Much
Matthew 18:12-14 (CSB) What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
John 21:15-17 (CSB) When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? ”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”
“Feed my lambs,” he told him. A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me? ”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”
“Shepherd my sheep,” he told him.
He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me? ”
Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me? ” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.
John 3:16 (CSB) For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
If all of that is true, what is ours to do?
Do we pile on more and more rules and laws that we have made up or twisted scriptures to put more weight on the people?
Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB) “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Do we get to preach however we want while talking about everything not God and giving our hot takes and opinions?
2 Timothy 3:16–4:5 (CSB)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom:
2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.
4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.
5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
The Psalm
Psalm 105 (CSB)
1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples.2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell about all his wondrous works!
3 Boast in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
5 Remember the wondrous works he has done, his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced,
6 you offspring of Abraham his servant, Jacob’s descendants—his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments govern the whole earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he ordained for a thousand generations—
9 the covenant he made with Abraham, swore to Isaac,
10 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree and to Israel as a permanent covenant:
11 “I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion.”
12 When they were few in number, very few indeed, and resident aliens in Canaan,
13 wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their behalf:
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones, or harm my prophets.”
16 He called down famine against the land and destroyed the entire food supply.
17 He had sent a man ahead of them— Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 They hurt his feet with shackles; his neck was put in an iron collar.
19 Until the time his prediction came true, the word of the LORD tested him.
20 The king sent for him and released him; the ruler of peoples set him free.
21 He made him master of his household, ruler over all his possessions—
22 binding his officials at will and instructing his elders.
23 Then Israel went to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24 The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them more numerous than their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people and to deal deceptively with his servants.
26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his miraculous signs among them and wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and it became dark— for did they not defy his commands?
29 He turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land was overrun with frogs, even in their royal chambers.
31 He spoke, and insects came— gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain, and lightning throughout their land.
33 He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their territory.
34 He spoke, and locusts came— young locusts without number.
35 They devoured all the vegetation in their land and consumed the produce of their land.
36 He struck all the firstborn in their land, all their first progeny.
37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and no one among his tribes stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they left, for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39 He spread a cloud as a covering and gave a fire to light up the night.
40 They asked, and he brought quail and satisfied them with bread from heaven.
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a stream in the desert.
42 For he remembered his holy promise to Abraham his servant.
43 He brought his people out with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for.
45 All this happened so that they might keep his statutes and obey his instructions. Hallelujah!