Stealing meat
This week's study is on 1 Samuel 2:12-17 and 22-25:
The sons of Eli were wicked men. They were part of the ministry staff managing the Temple, under their father Eli, who was in charge. People would bring animals to sacrifice to God, and during the ritual processing of the meat, Eli's wicked sons would come and steal choice portions. Worse, they'd threaten anyone who tried to make them wait until the fat was taken off, as they wanted the most luxurious cut possible for themselves.
Imagine you were an Israelite around that time. You've saved up money and have been able to buy a premium animal to sacrifice as part of your devotion to God. It wouldn't have been cheap. Remember, flawed animals were off limits. Perfect animals are quite expensive. So you'd go up there, sure that God would be pleased to receive it, and that he would bless you for all of the trouble you went through. But then some bully shows up and steals it right out from in front of you! What happened to your blessing?
Worse, these weren't just any bullies. These were Holy Men you were supposed to respect. They were God's anointed servants. What were you going to do to defend your rights? Attack the person who is the go-between when you want God's favor? You would have been helpless to prevent the abuse, made worse because it happened in the one place you were sure you would be blessed.
Worse still, even if you gave in to them and asked for them to at least wait for the most valuable part of the sacrifice to be given to God, they were unwilling to budge. Instead, they threatened you with physical violence for trying to do the right thing. What would you think in a case like that? How would you view God? How willing would you be to make another sacrifice? Would you even want to come back?
The Bible says that the sin of these men was very great in God's sight, because they treated his offerings with contempt. Not only were these evil sons threatening people who had come to God's house to get right with him, they were stealing what was supposed to be God's property! If you really believed that the boiling meat or fat being prepared for burning was an offering to God, you wouldn't dare steal it. And if you really believed God was God, you wouldn't dare abuse the people he cares about. And yet the evil sons of Eli flagrantly did both for years.
Even worse, they had sex with the women who were serving in the Temple. It may have been consensual, but chances are Eli's evil sons helped themselves there the same way they did when following their other appetites. In any case, they did enough evil that the whole community was aware of it. Word even reached their father Eli, the one person who they should have been accountable to.
Eli did what he could to find out what's going on, but the sad fact is that he was an old man by the time he was able to confront them. His evil sons refused to listen to him, because God had decided already to kill them. The God who died for our sins, who forgives everything we bring to him, who heals the sick, and creates so much beauty, was so angry at these guys that he planned to kill them! That's terrifying! How do you get to be that evil? Especially growing up as the sons of a well-respected minister? How do you not realize what trouble you're making for yourself?
On the surface, the story of the sons of Eli is a story about stealing food, but on a deeper level it's a cautionary tale about utter depravity. It's about pretending to be good and righteous, while being selfish and evil. It's similar to Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament, who also made an outward show of righteousness despite serving themselves. Like the sons of Eli, God struck them dead too. It's frightening how evil you would have to be to make God do that.
But if you were to talk to someone like that, like Eli did, they would have good reasons for what they're doing. "We're the only ones serving God. These other people complaining show up like once a year. Why shouldn't we be able to have some nice things for ourselves if we're the only ones putting in the time? And the girls? They benefited too. Do you think they'd have access to meat every day and theology lessons otherwise? Instead of being judgmental, maybe these people should try spending a day around boiling pots of meat. But no, they're off doing their own thing, growing vines and selling olives so they can show up once a year and expect us to have everything ready for their sacrifice."
And that's what's so terrifying about this. Much like other evil people, it's not entirely clear that the sons of Eli realized how evil they were. Maybe they felt entitled? Maybe they felt like all of the things they got away with were God's favor on their lives? Maybe they felt special. We don't know. But by the time Eli confronted them, they were so deep in denial that they wouldn't even listen to their own father. Do we have evil in our hearts that we can't see? It's highly doubtful that it's enough to get us on God's "people to smite" list, seeing as we can go to him any time and get help with it, but it's something to consider. Imagine going through life thinking you were on top of things until suddenly, one day...
The other side of things is that all of those people who came to Eli about what his wicked sons were doing probably thought there would be no relief from their tyranny. People who cried out to God over it probably thought he didn't care. And yet God was fully aware of what was going on and already had a solution planned. That's something to consider too, when we see injustice and nothing seems to be happening.
So these verses should frighten us and comfort us at the same time. Fright, because sometimes we can get out of hand without having the good sense to stop ourselves, and comfort because things which seem invisible and uninteresting to God are not that way at all.
If you work with donations from other people, or tax money, it's easy to see it as unattended money, and not the sacrifice of hard working people. It's tempting to help yourself. If you work in those kinds of industries, pray you don't get pulled into greed or contempt for the responsibility you have to channel those resources to where they're meant to go. There are enough stories of people who seemed really good falling victim to these temptations. Don't assume that you're better.
If you're in a position of power, it's easy to see obedience as consent. If you ask someone to work on a weekend, or to give a little extra, or to come over and help you set up for a party or do your landscaping, you may be on the same path the sons of Eli were when they propositioned the girls serving in the temple. So many people have gotten themselves in trouble by taking advantage of people in their care, often without realizing it at the time. Don't just assume you're fine.
Or maybe you're lucky enough not to have access to money or power. That's no excuse not to be open to self-examination. If someone sits you down and asks you to explain some things they've been concerned about, don't just start cranking out excuses. That person may be Eli giving you your last chance! Take it seriously, even if you don't feel you have to.
But in any case, the good news is that in God's light evil cannot live forever. Whether it's what's in our hearts that we're lucky enough to find before it's too late, or whether it's some bully who won't leave us alone, its days are numbered. God won't tolerate his people's meat getting stolen from them. If that's you, quit doing it. If it's someone else, pray they wake up before it's too late.
The sons of Eli were wicked men. They did not recognize the Lord’s authority. Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way: Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would jab it into the basin, kettle, cauldron, or pot, and everything that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all the Israelites when they came there to Shiloh.
Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s attendant would come and say to the person who was making the sacrifice, “Hand over some meat for the priest to roast! He won’t take boiled meat from you, but only raw.” If the individual said to him, “First let the fat be burned away, and then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say, “No! Hand it over right now! If you don’t, I will take it forcibly!”
The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.
and:
Now Eli was very old when he heard about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel and how they used to have sex with the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He said to them, “Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all these people. This ought not to be, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good. If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf. But if a man sins against the Lord, who then will intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided to kill them.
The sons of Eli were wicked men. They were part of the ministry staff managing the Temple, under their father Eli, who was in charge. People would bring animals to sacrifice to God, and during the ritual processing of the meat, Eli's wicked sons would come and steal choice portions. Worse, they'd threaten anyone who tried to make them wait until the fat was taken off, as they wanted the most luxurious cut possible for themselves.
Imagine you were an Israelite around that time. You've saved up money and have been able to buy a premium animal to sacrifice as part of your devotion to God. It wouldn't have been cheap. Remember, flawed animals were off limits. Perfect animals are quite expensive. So you'd go up there, sure that God would be pleased to receive it, and that he would bless you for all of the trouble you went through. But then some bully shows up and steals it right out from in front of you! What happened to your blessing?
Worse, these weren't just any bullies. These were Holy Men you were supposed to respect. They were God's anointed servants. What were you going to do to defend your rights? Attack the person who is the go-between when you want God's favor? You would have been helpless to prevent the abuse, made worse because it happened in the one place you were sure you would be blessed.
Worse still, even if you gave in to them and asked for them to at least wait for the most valuable part of the sacrifice to be given to God, they were unwilling to budge. Instead, they threatened you with physical violence for trying to do the right thing. What would you think in a case like that? How would you view God? How willing would you be to make another sacrifice? Would you even want to come back?
The Bible says that the sin of these men was very great in God's sight, because they treated his offerings with contempt. Not only were these evil sons threatening people who had come to God's house to get right with him, they were stealing what was supposed to be God's property! If you really believed that the boiling meat or fat being prepared for burning was an offering to God, you wouldn't dare steal it. And if you really believed God was God, you wouldn't dare abuse the people he cares about. And yet the evil sons of Eli flagrantly did both for years.
Even worse, they had sex with the women who were serving in the Temple. It may have been consensual, but chances are Eli's evil sons helped themselves there the same way they did when following their other appetites. In any case, they did enough evil that the whole community was aware of it. Word even reached their father Eli, the one person who they should have been accountable to.
Eli did what he could to find out what's going on, but the sad fact is that he was an old man by the time he was able to confront them. His evil sons refused to listen to him, because God had decided already to kill them. The God who died for our sins, who forgives everything we bring to him, who heals the sick, and creates so much beauty, was so angry at these guys that he planned to kill them! That's terrifying! How do you get to be that evil? Especially growing up as the sons of a well-respected minister? How do you not realize what trouble you're making for yourself?
On the surface, the story of the sons of Eli is a story about stealing food, but on a deeper level it's a cautionary tale about utter depravity. It's about pretending to be good and righteous, while being selfish and evil. It's similar to Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament, who also made an outward show of righteousness despite serving themselves. Like the sons of Eli, God struck them dead too. It's frightening how evil you would have to be to make God do that.
But if you were to talk to someone like that, like Eli did, they would have good reasons for what they're doing. "We're the only ones serving God. These other people complaining show up like once a year. Why shouldn't we be able to have some nice things for ourselves if we're the only ones putting in the time? And the girls? They benefited too. Do you think they'd have access to meat every day and theology lessons otherwise? Instead of being judgmental, maybe these people should try spending a day around boiling pots of meat. But no, they're off doing their own thing, growing vines and selling olives so they can show up once a year and expect us to have everything ready for their sacrifice."
And that's what's so terrifying about this. Much like other evil people, it's not entirely clear that the sons of Eli realized how evil they were. Maybe they felt entitled? Maybe they felt like all of the things they got away with were God's favor on their lives? Maybe they felt special. We don't know. But by the time Eli confronted them, they were so deep in denial that they wouldn't even listen to their own father. Do we have evil in our hearts that we can't see? It's highly doubtful that it's enough to get us on God's "people to smite" list, seeing as we can go to him any time and get help with it, but it's something to consider. Imagine going through life thinking you were on top of things until suddenly, one day...
The other side of things is that all of those people who came to Eli about what his wicked sons were doing probably thought there would be no relief from their tyranny. People who cried out to God over it probably thought he didn't care. And yet God was fully aware of what was going on and already had a solution planned. That's something to consider too, when we see injustice and nothing seems to be happening.
So these verses should frighten us and comfort us at the same time. Fright, because sometimes we can get out of hand without having the good sense to stop ourselves, and comfort because things which seem invisible and uninteresting to God are not that way at all.
If you work with donations from other people, or tax money, it's easy to see it as unattended money, and not the sacrifice of hard working people. It's tempting to help yourself. If you work in those kinds of industries, pray you don't get pulled into greed or contempt for the responsibility you have to channel those resources to where they're meant to go. There are enough stories of people who seemed really good falling victim to these temptations. Don't assume that you're better.
If you're in a position of power, it's easy to see obedience as consent. If you ask someone to work on a weekend, or to give a little extra, or to come over and help you set up for a party or do your landscaping, you may be on the same path the sons of Eli were when they propositioned the girls serving in the temple. So many people have gotten themselves in trouble by taking advantage of people in their care, often without realizing it at the time. Don't just assume you're fine.
Or maybe you're lucky enough not to have access to money or power. That's no excuse not to be open to self-examination. If someone sits you down and asks you to explain some things they've been concerned about, don't just start cranking out excuses. That person may be Eli giving you your last chance! Take it seriously, even if you don't feel you have to.
But in any case, the good news is that in God's light evil cannot live forever. Whether it's what's in our hearts that we're lucky enough to find before it's too late, or whether it's some bully who won't leave us alone, its days are numbered. God won't tolerate his people's meat getting stolen from them. If that's you, quit doing it. If it's someone else, pray they wake up before it's too late.
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