Ark Taken by the Philistines
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because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of
Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever.”
Before receiving this message from God, “Samuel did not yet know
the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him;”
that is, he was not acquainted with such direct manifestations of God’s
presence as were granted to the prophets. It was the Lord’s purpose
to reveal Himself in an unexpected manner, that Eli might hear of it
through the surprise and inquiry of the youth.
Samuel was filled with fear and amazement at the thought of having
so terrible a message committed to him. In the morning he went about
his duties as usual, but with a heavy burden upon his young heart.
The Lord had not commanded him to reveal the fearful denunciation,
hence he remained silent, avoiding, as far as possible, the presence of
Eli. He trembled, lest some question should compel him to declare the
divine judgments against one whom he loved and reverenced. Eli was
confident that the message foretold some great calamity to him and
his house. He called Samuel, and charged him to relate faithfully what
the Lord had revealed. The youth obeyed, and the aged man bowed in
humble submission to the appalling sentence. “It is the Lord,” he said:
“let Him do what seemeth Him good.”
Yet Eli did not manifest the fruits of true repentance. He confessed
his guilt, but failed to renounce the sin. Year after year the Lord delayed
His threatened judgments. Much might have been done in those years
to redeem the failures of the past, but the aged priest took no effective
measures to correct the evils that were polluting the sanctuary of the
Lord and leading thousands in Israel to ruin. The forbearance of God
caused Hophni and Phinehas to harden their hearts and to become still
bolder in transgression. The messages of warning and reproof to his
house were made known by Eli to the whole nation. By this means he
hoped to counteract, in some measure, the evil influence of his past
neglect. But the warnings were disregarded by the people, as they
had been by the priests. The people of surrounding nations also, who
were not ignorant of the iniquities openly practiced in Israel, became
still bolder in their idolatry and crime. They felt no sense of guilt for
their sins, as they would have felt had the Israelites preserved their
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integrity. But a day of retribution was approaching. God’s authority
had been set aside, and His worship neglected and despised, and it