Two Brothers

Explaining His story, Jesus said the seed is the word of God.  The first group He spoke about hears the word but like birds eating the seed, the devil takes it from their hearts. 

Thinking about who fits into the group that allowed the devil to steal God’s word from their heart, Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas came to mind. To better understand how these two men departed from the word of God some background information is helpful.

Eli was a descendant of Aaron and the High Priest at Shiloh.  Shiloh in turn had major Biblical significance.  It was where many tribes of Israel received their lot apportionment after entering into the Promised Land.  Shiloh was where the tabernacle to the Lord was set and where the Ark of the Covenant was housed during Eli’s life as High Priest.

As High Priest, Eli was predominantly responsible for guiding the spiritual direction of the people of Israel. As sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were in the priestly line at Shiloh. They, like their father, were responsible for guiding the people spiritually. 

Hophni and Phinehas’ moral quality, however, did not coincide with the high expectation placed upon them.  Their lack of Godly character was described this way:

Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord…1 Samuel 2:12
This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. 1 Samuel 2:17
Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  1 Samuel 2:22

The description of Hophni and Phinehas is rather concise.  Simply put, they were wicked.
Their wickedness was illustrated by their defiling the offerings to the Lord.

As priests, Hophni and Phinehas were responsible for the administration of the offerings.  The regulation regarding these offerings was that while the meat was cooking, the priests’ servants could take a three-pronged fork and stab the meat.  Anything that stuck to the fork was given to the priest to eat.  The remainder was the offering to God.

The sacrificial offering practice served two functions.  It allowed the priest to receive a meal as compensation for their presenting the offering to God.  Also, by allowing the priest to receive only a small portion of the meat, the greater part remained as an offering to God which was the designed purpose behind the offering. Hophni and Phinehas not only violated this practice, they did so with impunity.

Hophni and Phinehas had their servants demand raw, not boiled meat.  They wanted to follow their design not God’s as it related to the sacrificial offerings. They wanted their share prior God receiving His share.  They wanted to be first and put God second.

If placing themselves ahead of God was not wicked enough, the brazenness of these two men went further.  They instructed their servants to threaten violence against anyone who refused to give them, not God, the first portion of the offering.

Hophni and Phinehas allowed the devil to steal the word of God from their heart but didn’t care to change.  Also, they did not care that their conduct turned their servants away from God.  They did not care that their conduct hindered the people at Shiloh’s worship and praise of God.  Simply put, Hophni and Phinehas did not care about God.

The next wicked thing these men did was at least as objectionable as tainting the offering to God.  They slept with the women who worked in the house of the Lord.  

As I thought about these men’s conduct, the social morals of our modern popular culture came to mind. Today, many approve of consenting, non-married adults engaging in sexual activities with each other. Notwithstanding the societal acceptance of this conduct, most people agree that a minister sleeping with a church employee is wrong.  

This concept is so embedded into our cultural consciousness that laws and court rulings prohibit it. Churches have been held financially liable for this type of repulsive conduct.

Hophni and Phinehas without a doubt were wicked. As I examined their conduct, I equated it to a pastor stealing the church offering or sleeping with the church secretary. 

This examination made me wondered which revolting act was worse. To gain some insight, I queried some pastors and lay people believing that a definitive answer would emerge.  The initial reaction of everyone was of course the same.  Both forms of conduct were wrong. Each was a sin against God and there is no degree to sin. A sin is a sin.

I pressed each person further asking which misconduct has a greater negative impact on the church community.  To my surprise, people differed almost equally on this topic.

One argument states that embezzlement is directly stealing from God and an offense directly against God is the worse offense a person can commit. Also, theft, the argument goes, severely harms the church by violating the basic tenants of trust.

Trust along with love, are essential elements that bind Christian unity.  Trust is also a necessary component of faith.  When the head church official violates this trust, the spiritually frail can erroneously transpose the lack of trust in the church with a lack of trust in God. This can cause long-term and even permanent damage to the spiritual development of church members.  It can turn people completely away from God.

The argument that an inappropriate sexual relationship on the part of a minister is worse points to the fact that this conduct has a greater venomous impact.  This argument contends that one person who commits theft can be extracted and disposed of fairly easy by simply removing that person from the church community.

In contrast, sexual misconduct affects the principals, their spouses and children if there are any and the broader families of the persons involved.  Irradiating the toxins of sexual misbehavior is far more involved then removing one larcenous pastor. Sexual misconduct can destroy families and divide a church.

Sexual misconduct it is argued also opposes the foundation of who God is; a relational God who is holy, unique, pure and loving. Our relationships, particularly between a man and a woman, are to be reflective of God and our relationship with Him.

Hophni and Phinehas were wicked and their conduct despicable. Each act was a sin against God and had the potential of permanently turning people away from God.

Looking at Hophni and Phinehas, many would conclude they are not like those brothers. Having an affair, particularly with someone they supervise or stealing, particularly from a church, is so foreign to their character they could not imagine it happening.  

As I was reflecting on my life and comparing it to the two brothers, God spoke these words to me:

Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, “How do we rob you?” In tithes and offerings… Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:7-10

God’s word indicates that like Hophni and Phinehas, we rob Him when we fail to completely offer to Him our time, talents and tithes. God’s word indicates that like Hophni and Phinehas we cheat Him when our heart lusts for personal acclaim, not His glory. God’s word indicates that when we place Him second in our lives, we become just like Hophni and Phinehas.

God’s word indicates that He desires for us to devote our lives completely to Him. When we do, God promises that He will drench us in blessings so great that we will not be able to contain the prosperity and joy that accompanies these blessings.

God’s appeal is to test His word if we doubt His truth. His simple request, give your life completely to Him and see how richly and fabulously you will be blessed. 

This is God’s invitation you and me.

Are you ready to accept it?