Nobody likes a corrupt priest. Even people who do not mind corruption in general will often find it to be despicable in one who claims to be a representative of God. There is something about this level of hypocrisy that induces revulsion at a visceral level.
The second chapter of 1 Samuel introduces us to two such priests: Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. In their selfishness, these men treated the sacrifices and the people with such contempt that “men abhorred the offering of the LORD.” (verse 17)
One impressive thing about this story is the way the men Hophni and Phinehas are juxtaposed against Hannah’s son, the boy Samuel. Immediately after describing how the priests abused the people and the sacrifices, we find this statement:
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.
- 1 Samuel 2:18
We are then treated to a beautiful little interlude where we learn that Hannah would make her son a robe and bring it to him each year when she came with her husband to worship. We learn how happy Eli was to have Samuel with him. And we learn that God blessed Hannah with more children.
Then, verse 22 plunges us back into the dark story of Hophni and Phinehas and their vile conduct. We see Eli giving his sons a rather weak and ineffectual “rebuke” in verses 23-25.
Immediately after being reminded of the priests’ outrages, we are again presented with the contrast:
And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men.
- 1 Samuel 2:26
We are refreshed and relieved to find Samuel growing up well in spite of his unwholesome environment.
Again we are brought face-to-face with the wretched lives of the priests. A prophet is sent to Eli to tell him of the consequences that his family will face because of his sons’ conduct and his failure to properly confront them. The consequences are dire: Hophni and Phinehas will die on the same day, and none of Eli’s male descendants will live to see old age. God is bringing judgment on the very household that He had chosen to lead the people in His ways.
Immediately, the narrative switches back to Samuel, and we learn the story of his first message from God (1 Samuel 3).
We begin to get the idea. From the perspective of the people living at the time, the situation must have seemed very dark: the men whose job it was to teach God’s ways were themselves corrupt, and this was dampening the people’s desire to worship God. But God was not idle. Even while Hophni and Phinehas appeared outwardly to be having their way, God was rather quietly and subtly preparing a replacement for them in Samuel. Although the people did not know it at the time, it would only be a short while before Samuel would stand before them to teach them God’s will and lead them back to Him.
We need to be confident that God is similarly at work in our day and age. No matter how dark things may seem, God is carrying out His purposes. No matter how godless the government, no matter how faithless the religious leaders, no matter how reprobate the school systems, God is still working away in the lives of countless individuals and bringing about wonders. Moreover, God will make everything right in the end.
He will make things right, whether we believe it or not. So we would do well to believe.
