1 Samuel 2:11

SAMUEL IN THE SERVICE OF ELI

"Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy ministered to the Lord in the presence of the priest.

"Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they had no regard for the Lord. The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, and he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. So they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give meat for the priest to roast; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw." And if the man said to him, "Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish," he would say, "No, you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force." Thus, the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

"Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy girded with a linen ephod. And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The Lord give you children by this woman for the loan which she lent to the Lord"; so then they would return to their home."

The Law of Moses defined exactly what was to be the priest's portion of every peace offering (Leviticus 7:31-35), as it also gave express directions about the burning of the fat (Leviticus 7:23-25,31). It was therefore a gross act of lawlessness and disobedience on the part of Hophni and Phinehas to take more than the Law allowed them. Evidence is afforded by this passage of the existence of the Levitical Law (the Pentateuch) at this time.[15]

It is perfectly evident here that, "The people were well acquainted with the words of the Law of Moses, and were indignant because the priests, its proper guardians, did not obey them."[16]

The children of Israel in the passages just cited were forbidden, absolutely, to eat the fat of animals. Furthermore, the priests were restricted to the breast and the thigh of animals sacrificed, and the sons of Eli brazenly disobeyed all these prohibitions. They did not heed the admonition that violators would be "cut off" from among God's people.

"A boy girded with a linen ephod." "This ephod which Samuel wore was probably like that worn by the Levites, for that of the priests was richer both in material and color."[17]

There are a number of special interests in this passage. Hannah's return to the tabernacle each year with a little robe for Samuel is a touching event. She loved her son and cherished these annual visits.

Also, Eli was evidently impressed and thankful for the service provided by the young Samuel, and, as a consequence of his appreciation, he customarily blessed Elkanah and Hannah with a prayer that God would give other children to Hannah, which, of course, God surely did.

Of great interest is the refusal of Eli to do anything about his reprobate sons and their illegal, wicked and immoral behavior in the sacred precincts of the tabernacle itself. Oh yes, we learn a little later that he "rebuked them," but that was by no means the type of treatment that those evil men deserved.