What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 2:17? Thus • The word points back to the preceding verses (1 Samuel 2:12–16) where Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, violently seized the choicest portions of the sacrificial meat. • It signals a cause-and-effect: because of their earlier actions, a verdict is now declared. • Cross reference: “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin” (Zechariah 4:10). God notices both beginnings and results; here He notices wicked beginnings. the sin of these young men • “Young men” underscores their responsibility despite age (cf. 2 Kings 2:23-24). • Their “sin” is personal, not inherited, showing each generation must answer to God (Ezekiel 18:20). • Their priestly position magnified their guilt; leaders incur stricter judgment (James 3:1). • The offense was not ignorance but deliberate rebellion, paralleling Nadab and Abihu’s strange fire (Leviticus 10:1-2). was severe • “Severe” conveys weightiness—an exact opposite of “lightly esteem.” God measures sin by its weight, not its popularity (Galatians 6:7-8). • In Scripture, severity often precedes swift discipline: compare Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). • The contrast: Hannah’s obedience (1 Samuel 1:24-28) seemed small but was great; their sin seemed routine but was grave (Matthew 23:23-24). in the sight of the LORD • Human eyes saw temple bustle; God’s eyes pierced motives (1 Samuel 16:7). • “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). No backstage pass escapes divine surveillance. • His verdict, not public opinion, defines morality (Isaiah 5:20). for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt • They forcibly took raw fat before it was offered (1 Samuel 2:15-16). Fat belonged solely to God (Leviticus 3:16-17). • Contempt for the offering equals contempt for the Offerer; worship cannot be mugged for personal gain (Malachi 1:7-8). • By robbing God, they robbed the people of peace with Him (Leviticus 7:30-34). • New-covenant parallel: misusing the Lord’s Supper brings judgment (1 Colossians 11:27-30). summary Hophni and Phinehas turned holy service into self-service. God, who weighs every act, proclaimed their conduct “severe” because they desecrated what belonged exclusively to Him. The verse warns that leadership status never shelters deliberate sin, that God sees beyond public ritual to private motive, and that contempt for His offerings invites His decisive discipline. Reverence, not exploitation, must mark all who approach the living God. |
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