Fatherly Authority
Eli was a man responsible for the priesthood as the age of judges was ending and had two sons who were regularly up to no good. In fact, though serving as priests, they didn’t have an regard for God at all. They would take more than the priest’s share of sacrifices and were even taking advantage of the women who served in the tent of meeting!
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:12
Eli confronts them regarding their horrible behavior.
Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
1 Samuel 2:22-25
Ultimately, God did not intend to grant Eli’s sons repentance and despite his pleading for his sons to repent they did not. A word of rebuke (as we see him giving here) would be all God would require of most people in his son’s lives.
Not Enough
However, Eli was both father and head priest over his sons. God states clearly that his rebuke was not all that was required of Eli. In the night, he sends a message through Samuel.
Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
1 Samuel 3:11-14
Though he had told them what they were doing was wrong and even warned them against the seriousness of their wickedness, God yet brought judgement on the whole family of Eli because “he did not restrain them”.
Negligence Has Consequences
God’s judgement did come upon the family. When Israel had lost a battle against the Philistines they decided they may fare better if they brought the Ark of the Covenant along with them the next time. Eli’s sons went with the Ark and both the Ark and his sons were lost in that battle.
Eli himself was sitting at home troubled that they had taken the Ark but had not prevented it. As he sat worrying over that fact, the news came to him. The news hit him so hard that he died.
He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
1 Samuel 4:17-18
His daughter-in-law died in childbirth after receiving the news and named her son “Ichabod” (no glory) because of the loss Israel had suffered.
Restrain Evil
Today, we see a massive proliferation of lawlessness. Many attribute this to the judgement of God, and I believe they are right. However, this in no way absolves anyone in a position of authority to restrain evil happening under our watch.
As parents, we must forsake the worldly wisdom that punishing children is harmful. Like God, who disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:6), we must be ready to do the same. In fact, Proverbs 13:24 tells us those who refuse to discipline their children hate them!
As a society, we need to throw off the idea that punishing criminals is what leads to more and worse crime. The reason crime is on the rise is because we have cultivated an environment of lawlessness for generations through a reduction in punishments for wrongdoing. We are so confused about the purpose of actual justice that we now call forced redistribution of wealth “justice” instead of associating it with punishment at all!
Not everyone has the same authority in these matters. A parent can spank a disobedient child but when it comes to a neighbor we had better not! However, to the degree that we have options to restrain evil, we ought to be exercising that authority as God would have us. Otherwise, we make ourselves complicit in the wrongs being committed.
Unlike Eli, who saw wrong under his watch and merely spoke against it, we must recognize that any authority God has given us (as law enforcement, judges, employers, elders, parents, and even voters) comes with the responsibility to use it to restrain evil as much as we are able.
Many in the church see their role as only one of calling others to repentance. However, wherever God has given us authority to do more, we will be held accountable for how we used what was given. It is not enough to be stewards only of our finances. It is not enough enough to be diligent over our own houses. We each will be held accountable to God for everything that he has made us stewards over.
Too often, I hear people repeating the folly of Pilate, who knew he was presiding over a great evil but thought it would be enough to warn people with words and then wash his hands (Matthew 27:24). Church, this doesn’t work! We must stand firm in our faith and do what we know we ought to.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
James 4:17
For more on what the Bible says about our responsibility read Selfish Righeousness.
