Topical Bible: Priests were Sometimes: Greedy

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In the biblical narrative, priests held a significant role as mediators between God and the people of Israel. They were entrusted with the sacred duties of offering sacrifices, teaching the Law, and maintaining the spiritual welfare of the community. However, the Scriptures also provide accounts where priests deviated from their divine calling, succumbing to greed and corruption.

One of the most notable examples of priestly greed is found in the account of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, in the book of 1 Samuel. These priests, who served at the tabernacle in Shiloh, are described as "wicked men" who "had no regard for the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:12). They exploited their priestly position for personal gain, taking the best portions of the sacrifices for themselves rather than following the prescribed portions allotted to the priests (1 Samuel 2:13-16). Their actions were a direct violation of the sacrificial laws and demonstrated a blatant disregard for the sanctity of their office.

The prophet Samuel, who was a contemporary of Eli's sons, was called by God to deliver a message of judgment against Eli's household. The LORD declared, "I will judge his house forever for the iniquity he knows about, because his sons have blasphemed God, and he has not restrained them" (1 Samuel 3:13). This divine pronouncement underscores the severity of their greed and the consequences of failing to uphold the holiness required of the priesthood.

In the New Testament, Jesus Himself confronted the greed and corruption of the religious leaders of His time. In the Gospels, He frequently rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and love of money. In Matthew 23:25, Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence" . This criticism highlights the persistent issue of greed among those who were supposed to lead the people in righteousness.

The Apostle Paul also warned against the dangers of greed within the church. In his pastoral epistles, he instructed Timothy and Titus to appoint elders and overseers who were "not greedy for money" (1 Timothy 3:3, Titus 1:7). This requirement for church leaders reflects the ongoing concern for integrity and the avoidance of financial exploitation within the community of believers.

Throughout the biblical narrative, the issue of greed among priests and religious leaders serves as a cautionary tale. It reminds believers of the importance of maintaining integrity, humility, and a genuine devotion to God in all aspects of spiritual leadership.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Samuel 2:13-17
And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a meat hook of three teeth in his hand;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Argument: Octavius Attests the Fact that Men were Adopted as Gods ...
... is found, Isis rejoices, and the priests exult, Cynocephalus ... Yet these were formerly
Egyptian rites, and now are ... with looks turned back; Diana sometimes is a ...
/.../the octavius of minucius felix/chapter xxi argument octavius attests the.htm

Of Councils and their Authority.
... Yea, they are greedy dogs which never have ... In the council which the priests and
Pharisees ... were deceived through ignorance, or were sometimes carried headlong ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 9 of councils and.htm

The Invisible Patriarch
... Monasteries were burned down; Bishops, priests, virgins, widows ... Silent but faithful,
their sentinels were everywhere, watching ... Sometimes it was only by a hair's ...
/.../forbes/saint athanasius/chapter 8 the invisible patriarch.htm

The Persecutions of the Church.
... The heathen priests, and others interested in ... finished their career, have sometimes
impressed those ... to associate Christianity with misfortune, were prompted to ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter ii the persecutions of.htm

Egypt
... partly by land, partly by sea, greedy for the ... Even in later ages leather was sometimes
employed. ... of the "Sublime Porte." Next to him, the priests were the most ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter v egypt.htm

The Lord's Prayer
... They called Him Jehovah, and were afraid sometimes even to pronounce His name. ... We
know they were bishops because they could ordain priests and consecrate ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/the lords prayer.htm

The Seventh Book
... even in the person of alien priests and we ... deceitfulness; if greed, they are
surpassingly greedy; if perfidy ... Nay, what is worse, they were sometimes driven by ...
//christianbookshelf.org/salvian/on the government of god/the seventh book.htm

On the Attributes and Marks of the Church
... The Holy Father sent Dominican priests to preach about ... Then, as now, there were plenty
of bad and ... during their lifetime kings and princes sometimes gave the ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 12 on the attributes.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... to rule his human flocks, or as priests devotedly attached to ... These ceremonies were
repeated on the 2nd without any ... of Eamman and of Zirbanit; sometimes at the ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

Robert Nelson, his Friends, and Church Principles.
... His Thirtieth of January sermons were sometimes marked with an extravagance of
expression[81] foreign to his usual manner; and he and Atterbury, with whom he ...
/.../the english church in the eighteenth century/chapter ii robert nelson his.htm