Hophni and Phinehas

Questions about what happens when the mediators between heaven and earth become obstacles instead of conduits.

The problem started with Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas.

These two men had inherited their father's position as priests, but they had not inherited his reverence for the sacred.

They were corrupt in ways that went beyond simple moral failing.

They actively perverted the worship of God, treating the sacrifices and offerings as opportunities for personal gain, turning the sacred into the profane with the systematic cruelty that suggests something darker than mere greed.

When people brought animals to sacrifice at Shiloh, the priests were entitled to a specific portion of the meat according to the law of Moses.

But Hophni and Phinehas were not content with their allotted share, with what had been designated as rightfully theirs.

They wanted more.

Y'all funny.

Verse three, year after year, this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.

Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of his meat to his wife, Peninnah, and to all her sons and daughters.

But to Hannah, he gave a double portion because he loved her.

Nowhere, I'll say that again, does the Bible, does the Spirit of Prophecy teach that the tithe is to be used by members to hold leaders accountable, or that church members are responsible for unfaithfulness in leaders that we support from the tithe? Let me give you some biblical examples.

You remember the story of Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli? The Bible actually says that their evil was so great that men abhorred the offering of the Lord.

That's 1 Samuel 2.17. And yet this did not exempt the Israelites from bringing their sacrifices and offerings.

In Nehemiah's day, a man by the name of Tobiah, an enemy of God's people, was actually given a room in one of the storehouses.

He had two sons.

Their names were Hophni and Phinehas.

And they served as priests.

But even though they served as priests, they treated God's commands with contempt, which seems odd, but it's true.

That's exactly what they did.

Now, Samuel at this point in the story here is still a boy, but he learned to listen when God spoke.

So one group, Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, they possessed religious authority, but they didn't know God.

Whereas Samuel, at this point, he's still a boy, and yet he comes to know God, and God reveals himself to him and speaks his word to him.

But let's just look at chapter 2, 1 Samuel 2 from verse 12 to 17.

The Bible talks about the sons of Eli, remember? Hophni and Phinehas.

The Bible says the sons of Eli were sons of Belial.

They knew not the Lord.

Are you seeing that now? There are privileges that priesthood brings, but there can be the abuse of it.

To cut the story, the long story short, it was that when the meat or whatever the sacrifice was boiling, you are given the privilege to put that fork and whatever you bring out, it is your own blessing from the Lord.

But the Hophni and Phinehas said, "Uh-uh, before you boil it, let us clearly look at it and pick." You see that? They kept taking advantage of the fact that their father was a priest.

You will see their end.

Israel lost 30,000 foot soldiers.

The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

30,000.

This is no joke.

In fear, they're running away.

The Philistines are victorious.

And not only do the Philistines win the battle, they capture the ark, and then we have Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, they're also killed.

So who's Eli, and who are Hophni and Phinehas? When you're reading the Bible, it's good to ask questions.

And when the people were coming to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies." Verse four: So the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from thence the ark of covenant of the Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims.

And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the earth rang again.

Verse six: And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?" And they understood that the ark of the Lord was coming to the camp.

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, even though the ark was there.

They fled every man to his tent, and there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel 30,000 footmen.

Verse 11: And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with the earth upon his head.

Now this man used to go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh.

The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Pinchas, were Kohanim of the Lord there.

Then, on the designated day, Elkanah would sacrifice and give portions to his wife Pnina and to all her sons and daughters.

But to Hannah, he would give only one portion, even though he loved Hannah, for the Lord had closed her womb.

And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh.

And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

Now, Those two were not good for nothing, those guys.

Amen? And that comes up.