Saturday, 13 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.

1 Samuel 3:1-14

¹ Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

² At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.

⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵ and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸ And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the young man. ⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” ¹¹ 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. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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.”

In 1 Samuel 2:12-17, the author of 1 Samuel tells us how the High Priest Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are abusing their position as priests. They are threatening the people who come to the temple and are extorting sacrificial gifts from them. Eli’s sons are to be mediating between God and the people, offering up the sacrifices of the people to God on their behalf. But instead, we see Eli’s sons taking the offerings from the people by threats. Rather than representing the people, they are acting in the crudest manner for their own benefit. They are despising God and the offerings brought by the people who are seeking to be right with God.

God does not overlook this great blasphemy, and warns of the judgment to come in 1 Samuel 2:27-36. But even knowing the coming judgment, Hophni and Phinehas do not repent, and Eli doesn’t do anything to stop them beyond giving them a mild rebuke.

That sets the stage for today’s passage, where God again tells of the judgment coming upon Eli’s sons. This time the declaration of God’s wrath comes through the young boy Samuel.

God’s statement to Samuel ends with this frightening sentence: 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.

God promises that He will not forgive the sins of the house of His High Priest. They have been given a very great privilege and responsibility to act for the people of God. They have been entrusted with the very Word of God, and it is their responsibility to know it and act in accordance with it. They stand before God, representing the people of God, offering the sacrifices commanded by God. They have been warned that their conduct was bringing severe punishment upon them, and they have rejected this warning and refused to repent. Therefore God declares that they have crossed a line and cannot return. There is no forgiveness for them.

What do we learn from this?

When God convicts us of sin, we must not ignore it. We must not shrug it off, thinking, “I can always repent tomorrow. God will always be there to forgive me, so there’s no need to act right now.” We have no promise that there will be a tomorrow. We have no promise that God will continue His work of convicting us of our sin.

Listen to God speaking to you in His Word to call you to repentance and forgiveness and act now. Repent.

Where is Christ in this passage?

The people were commanded to bring an animal before God, confess their sins over the animal, and kill the animal. The animal would then be burned on the altar as a sacrifice. These sacrifices that Hophni and Phinehas despised displayed to all the people that sin warrants the death penalty from God, and that for anyone to be forgiven for sin, blood must be shed. These animals didn’t in themselves pay the penalty for the sins of the people. They only pointed forward to the one who would be the Substitute for His people. They pointed to the one who would bear the sins of all who come to Him in faith. These animals pointed to Jesus Christ.

So, when Hophni and Phinehas were despising the sacrifices of the people, they were despising Jesus Christ. They were blaspheming God.

One final comment. What Hophni and Phinehas did was very bad. But was it impossible for them to be forgiven had they repented? On a more practical level, can I do something so bad that if I come to God asking for forgiveness, He will say, “No, you have crossed a line beyond which I refuse to forgive. I reject your repentance and condemn you for your excessively evil deed.”

The answer is that Hophni and Phinehas were not forgiven because they did not repent, and God was declaring that He would not work in their lives to convict them of sin and draw them to repentance. Therefore, there was no forgiveness for them because they would never ask for it.

You cannot commit a sin so bad that God will refuse to forgive if you repent and come to Him in faith. Think of David’s sins of adultery and murder in the affair with Bathsheba, or think of Saul (Paul) leading a campaign of torture and murder against the early Christians. They both found forgiveness when they repented of their sins, and so will you if you likewise return to God, repent of your sins, and trust in Jesus Christ, who is His provision for your salvation.