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Preached on January 20, 2008
Baby Dedication Sunday
1. V. 12– Eli’s sons are called corrupt.
a. Heb– BELIAL= Worthless.
b. A person so wicked and corrupt, he is a detriment to society. Their activities quickly destroy the moral fiber of society. They turn people away from God. A corrupt (worthless) person is so wicked that he is of no positive value to society, but instead furthers corruption wherever he goes.
2. Why were Hophni and Phinehas corrupt? They did not know the Lord!
a. Their father was a priest! They were priests!
b. Godly parentage and involvement in religious things does not guarantee a child will know God. There must be something more.
3. VV. 13-17 tells us that they were so wicked they profaned the Lord’s sacrifices.
a. Eli’s sons sin in a the way they handle the sacrifices, the very thing that was to atone for sin!
b. They take more of the meat than they were supposed to.
c. The pick over the meat, taking the very best for themselves instead of offering it up to the Lord.
d. They do not prepare the sacrifices properly.
e. When the people object to they way they are corrupting the sacrifices, they bully them!
1. V. 22– Eli knew what his sons were doing.
2. But it was not until the rumor mill started running that he said something to them. He “talked” to them.
3. V. 25– But his sons did not respect him. It was too late.
4. Eli waited too long to deal with sin in the lives of his sons.
5. At this point though, a stern lecture was not the appropriate course of action. The discipline should have been more swift and severe. Certainly they should have been removed as priests. Yet Eli does not properly discipline his sons.
6. V. 25b – Hophni and Phinehas had sinned away their “day of grace.” When we continually choose sinful attitudes and actions, we gradually become hardened and turn away from God. And God will bring judgment.
1. The Lord sends a messenger to Eli. Because Eli did not faithfully discharge his duty as a parent and as a priest, judgment was coming.
2. Verse 29– Here is the problem. Eli honored his sons more than he honored the Lord.
a. Jesus taught us this in Luke 14:26 (NKJV) If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
b. God must be first. Everything and everyone else must be a distant second.
c. This is not to say we abandon family. 1 Tim. 5:8 (NKJV) But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
d. But if we put our family before God, we are actually hurting them. Eli is an example of this!
3. Verse 30 is a key principle. Those who honor God will be honored by God. Those who despise God will be despised.
4. Because Eli, Hophni and Phinehas rejected God, God rejected them.
a. By virtue of ignoring their sins, Eli condoned the sins of Hophni and Phinehas.
b. Anytime we condone and accept sin, we reject God.
1. When the Philistines defeated Israel, they were desperate. They got the Ark of the Covenant and used it like a talisman– a good luck charm– so they could win the battle.
a. The Ark symbolized God’s presence with the people.
b. By bringing the Ark to the battle, the people thought they could manipulate God into doing what they wanted him to do.
c. ILL– people having a Bible, crucifix, or prayer cloth as a “good luck charm.”
d. But God is not a tool for us to use. He will not be manipulated by us. The mere physical presence of the Ark would not compel the Lord to give victory.
e. Another 30,000 soldiers fell. Hophni and Phinehas die.
2. Eli gets word of the battle, the death of his sons, and the capture of the Ark.
a. He falls out of his chair. Possible heart attack or stroke, falls on his neck, and dies.
b. Eli judged the people 40 years. At times he faithfully served God, but many other times, he didn’t measure up.
1. Phinehas’ wife at that moment goes into child-birth and as a result dies.
a. Hearing that the Ark is captured, she grieves and names her child Ichabod. Ichabod means “NO GLORY.”
b. She realizes the Glory of God has departed from the nation.
c. A wicked people wanted to live life without God and outside of God’s will. And so he let them.
2. This is the darkest day if Israel’s history since the twelve spies and Kadesh Barnea.
3. V. 22– “The glory has departed” means literally “The Glory has gone into exile.” It is a reminder of slavery in Egypt and a harbinger of coming judgment in the future.
Application
1. Honoring God is our most important attitude and action.
2. Parents have the duty to instill respect for God in the lives of their children.
a. We can’t control them. Some children are rebellious.
b. But if we do not make Honoring God the #1 priority, we will certainly fail.
3. The curse of Ichabod is life without God’s Presence.
a. Hophni and Phinehas warn us it is possible to handle the things of God regularly and fail to have a heart sensitive to God’s will.
b. Religion won’t cut it. The Pharisees had religion in spades, yet they missed Jesus.
c. True reverence and honor for God is what is necessary. When we do not honor God, our lives are Ichabod– the glory of God has departed.
d. Many homes have Ichabod written over them.
4. Honor God above everyone and everything else.
