MENTORING: 3) Eli and Samuel

We will be looking at the mentorship of Eli and Samuel today, but I first want to open with some history that I was not aware of and that may make some of this study more understandable.

Most people are aware of the two holy Temples that stood atop Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The first was built by King Solomon, and destroyed by the Babylonians after 410 years. The Jews were eventually permitted to return to rebuild the Temple under the Persian King Cyrus. This structure was further enlarged by King Herod and this was the Temple that Jesus knew and predicted its destruction before it was destroyed by the Romans 420 years after its erection.

What many people do not realize is that prior to the Temples in Jerusalem, a temple stood in Shiloh, an ancient town in Samaria, for a full 369 years. Shiloh was the only place that served as a national religious center for the Jewish People during the era of the Biblical Judges.

The meaning of the word "Shiloh" is unclear and may be derived from the root for Shalom, the same as Jerusalem.  Where Jeru Salem may translate as “place of peace” evidently the name of Shiloh may be translated as Tranquility Town.  Shiloh was a late Bronze Age walled city with a religious shrine or sanctuary and was one of the main centers of Israelite worship during the pre-monarchic period.  After the Israelite conquest of Canaan, the Tabernacle was moved to Shiloh, and remained there during the period of the biblical judges.  At some point during its long stay at Shiloh, the portable tent seems to have been enclosed within a compound.  There, the temporary boards that surrounded the structure were replaced with stone walls, giving the building a degree of permanence.

 

Shiloh was of such importance to the Jewish nation, that the ancient rabbis taught, “There is nothing differentiating between [the importance] of Shiloh and Jerusalem but … that the sanctity of Shiloh was released [once the tabernacle was no longer there], while the sacredness of Jerusalem is everlasting.”  The portable sanctuary the Israelites had during their sojourn in the desert and at Shiloh were tabernacles. While the temples in Jerusalem are repeatedly referred to as a “house.”  The place of worship erected in Shiloh is described as a “tent.” Similarly, the Bible calls the portable sanctuary in the desert a “tent” no less than 106 times! The distinction is significant. A temple, like a house, is designed to be permanent, whereas a tabernacle, like a tent, is inherently intended to be temporary. A house would only be destroyed if something went terribly wrong. A tent, on the other hand, would be taken down when it is no longer needed. When a house is taken down it is a big deal; when a tent gets taken down it is nothing significant, because it was never meant to be permanent.

What gave Shiloh its importance was the fact that the Ark of the Covenant resided there. The structure itself was temporary, but the Ark was permanent. Since the Ark was situated at Shiloh, it attained its unique sacred status.  Another way to gauge the importance of Shiloh is to consider whether it was permissible to establish altars (to offer up sacrifices) in any other place, which was prohibited any time there was a national temple. Such was the case when the Tabernacle was operating in the desert and when the temples stood in Jerusalem. The only other time that sacrifices were exclusive to just one location was when there was a temple at Shiloh.

It was from the temple at Shiloh that the Ark of the Covenant was carried into war against the Philistines, who captured it.  When word of the Ark’s capture was brought back to Eli in Shiloh, he fell back off his chair and died.  The departure of the Ark from Shiloh was highly significant, as it did not return “home” for around 60 years, when David had it brought to Jerusalem.

From the words of the prophet Jeremiah, descendant of Eli the High Priest, the religious leader who presided over the sanctuary in Shiloh for 40 years, it seems clear that something rather bad was involved in Shiloh’s demise. In warning about the looming fate of Jerusalem, he has these stern words of caution: “For go now to My place that is in Shiloh, where I caused My name to rest at first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.”

Likewise, the book of Psalms hints at dark times when God “abandoned his dwelling in Shiloh.” The Psalmist portrays an occasion replete with swords, fire, and loss. It certainly gives the impression that something terrible transpired. The Talmudic literature likewise makes several references to the “destruction of Shiloh.”Some claim explicitly that the tabernacle/temple at Shiloh was burned to the ground as were the temples in Jerusalem.  And recently, archeologists found evidence of a terrible fire in Shiloh around the time that the temple stood, which fits the narrative that it was attacked.

The Talmud refers to the period that a house of God stood in Shiloh as “a state of rest,” while the temple in Jerusalem is called “an ancestral home.” Shiloh was but a resting stop on the path to the ultimate “chosen place of God”.

It is therefore reasonable to conclude that once the Ark was captured, the building that had housed it lost its importance, and could be abandoned. After all, the building was only ever a temporary solution for housing the Ark. With the Ark gone, the structure held little continued value.

Now we understand the difference in attitude towards the destruction in Shiloh and those in Jerusalem: Shiloh may have hosted an important place of worship for several centuries, but from the outset it was never meant to be forever. It was definitely sad that this illustrious run came to an end, but it had to happen at some point. By contrast, the Temples in Jerusalem were built with the intention that they would remain forever. Their destruction was not inevitable; it was avoidable and should have been avoided. That they came crashing down was therefore a much greater loss and triggered a much more intense reaction.

Shiloh lay in ruins for many centuries. The ruins of ancient Shiloh have begun to be discovered. One can now  see where this ancient tabernacle/temple stood all those generations ago. It was easy to identify the site because the Book of Judges provides a fairly detailed description of its location. Shiloh was one of the most important sites in all Jewish history, in and around which occurred many of the most seminal events in the Bible. It seems that parts of the original walls of this highly significant Jewish temple have been discovered, as well as many utensils and artifacts used there.

Today we look at the relationship between Eli and Samuel.  We know that Eli was the high priest at the tabernacle at Shiloh; we know that he was responsible for allowing the Ark of the Covenant to go into war; we know that the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and held it for some 60 years; we know that Eli died when he heard the report of its capture.  Today we learn that Eli’s sons were “quite a problem” and that maybe Eli wasn’t the best High Priest, OR the best father.  But we see in the relationship between Eli and Samuel that we are not to let past mistakes prevent us from being an effective mentor.

Babe Ruth may have hit 714 home runs, but he also struck out 1,330 times. 

Michael Jordan admitted he missed over 12,000 shots in his career. 

Thomas Edison tried thousands of ways to make an incandescent lamp.

As followers of Christ, we often don’t do as we should. Sometimes we are more like Eli and less like Christ.  We fail, but God still wants to work through us. God will even use those failures to teach us and make us better mentors.

We look at 1 Samuel 2:22-26; and 3:7-10,and then 15-18.  Chapter 2 of 1 Samuel points out that Eli’s sons were clearly wicked, and the whole of chapter 2 implies that Eli was implicated in their wrong behavior literally introducing Eli’s sons as “the sons of Eli, the sons of wickedness (Belial).” The construction has the effect of equating Eli with Belial since Eli failed to give due respect to God in the disciplining of his sons. He thus threatened the sanctity of the Lord’s name in the community of faith. Ultimately, it seems, Eli cost the nation of Israel its access to the Ark of the Covenant for six  decades.

We can see parallels of such actions today with Hunter and the Biden family.

So lets first look at Eli’s own sons, his own Hunters

1 Samuel 2:22-26

22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 

23 He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people. 

24 No, my sons, the news I hear the Lord’s people spreading is not good. 

25 If one person sins against another, God can intercede for him, but if a person sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to kill them. 

26 By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people. 

As we have been seeing throughout our recent studies God was working to discipline the Israelites and conditioning them to state true to God once they left their desert wandering and entered the rich resources of the promised land.  Enter the promised land they did, and, at Shiloh, the tabernacle came to rest from its wanderings.  The nomads “settled down” with their God’s sanctuary.  They even began to make it “more permanent”, though not yet a “permanent structure.”  

Human nature being what it is, the Israelites sure enough took the “easy road” rather than the road of discipline and steadfastness with God.  They didn’t just “forget God”, they became actively corrupt against what God taught through Moses and what God is. 

Eli’s was very old, he was not some inexperienced youth unable to discipline his sons.  He had adult sons who were accountable for their own actions, but Eli was clearly not blameless. By the time he finally took action to reform his sons, Eli was too old and frail to stop their sinful behavior. But hew was not unaware of his sons’ behavior. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel. He could not claim ignorance. Notice, too, his sons’ sinful behavior was impacting “all Israel.” As those who were supposed to be mediators and therefore represent the people to God and God to the people, Eli’s sons were sinning. They were sleeping with the women who came to the Tabernacle, thus they were bringing harm to all the people of Israel, not just themselves. Whether these were women who had volunteered to work at the tent of meeting or were prostitutes imitating the practice of pagan cultures, the fact this evil was taking place at the entrance of God’s special dwelling place was especially heinous. The atrocity of their sins was also increased by the reality that Eli’s sons were in a position of power over these women and were clearly abusing that power.  We can see parallels of such actions today with Hunter and the Biden family.

Eli’s actions here demonstrate the necessity of holding others accountable for their actions. He did not mince words when confronting his sons. In this passage, he spoke directly to them about their evil behavior. However, in chapter 3 we read that Eli had not done enough to stop his sons from sinning and would be held accountable for his lack of action.  Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, Eli’s sons were not repentant. Unrepentant sin always leads to death. While most unrepentant sinners will not physically die as a direct result of their sin, all of them will die a spiritual death.

In contrast to Eli’s sons, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people. Samuel had come to live with Eli at the end of 1 Samuel 1. His mother, who had been barren, dedicated him to the Lord’s service after He had answered her prayers and allowed her to become pregnant and give birth. Samuel’s righteousness stood in stark contrast to the wickedness of Eli’s sons.

Samuel “served the Lord in the presence of the priest Eli” (1 Sam. 2:11). We can infer that Samuel was mentored, instructed, and guided by Eli during that time. In these few verses, we will see that past mistakes need not keep you from being an effective mentor.

Let’s read on. 

1 Samuel 3:7-10

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 

8 Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.” 

Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. 

9 He told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” 

Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

The Bible describes the time in which Samuel was living as a period when “the word of the Lord was rare” People were not looking for God so people were not hearing from God.  Eli’s sons had become “just like the rest of the world” and were not seeking God.  Samuel, however, was “doing the work” and Eli was helping, even though he may not have been as effective as may be desired. The picture of Samuel attending to the lamp indicates, however, that Samuel was following the instructions God had given to Moses about the tabernacle. 

In verses 4-6, the Lord called to Samuel two times. Each time the Lord called neither the young Samuel nor the elderly Eli recognized it as the Lord. Samuel thought Eli had been calling to him, but Eli dismissed it all together.  Eli finally understood that the voice the boy had been hearing was God Himself. When we are in a mentoring relationship, we should encourage others that the Lord is speaking to them through the Word of God. We must urge them to seek the Holy Spirit’s help in understanding what God is saying to them through His Word.  Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” 

One principle of leading young inexperienced people is that they have a lot of enthusiasm but little competency. Overloading people like that with too much information is a mistake. We should both encourage their enthusiasm and address their lack of aptitude. Eli’s instructions to Samuel accomplished both of these goals by being both clear and concise. He did not confuse Samuel by giving him too many instructions. God was speaking to Samuel, and Eli wanted Samuel to hear from the Lord, so he told him to simply be ready to hear from God. Christian mentors should always encourage others to seek the Lord and His will. 

The Lord came to Samuel for the fourth time. The Lord repeated Samuel’s name twice. The Bible also says the Lord stood there. These two indicators, God’s repeating Samuel’s name and also standing there indicate that this time would be different. This time Samuel would hear from God and know the word of God for himself.

Samuel repeated the words Eli had given him to say: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Eli had given Samuel simple instructions he was able to follow easily. Samuel’s response shows he was ready to serve God in whatever way pleased the Lord. While the Christian faith is deep and theologically rich, all the Lord requires from us is simple and sufficient faith. Isaiah’s response to God’s call was, “Here I am. Send me” (Isa. 6:8). Samuel is a good example of open-handed, open-ended obedience to God. 

1 Samuel 3:15-18

15 Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 

16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” 

“Here I am,” answered Samuel.

17 “What was the message he gave you?” Eli asked. “Don’t hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that he told you.” 

18 So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.” 

Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house, returning to his normal duties. By telling us he opened the doors of the Lord’s house, the author used a literary device to tell us the Lord was about to enter the house in a way He had not previously done, at least not recently. The sins of Eli’s sons had prevented the people from hearing from God in a truthful and clear way. That was about to change.

This verse marks the beginning of Samuel’s career as a prophet—as God’s mouthpiece to the people of God. The Lord had spoken to Samuel and told him what would happen to Eli and his house. They would be wiped out due to the sins of Eli’s sons. Eli would not be held blameless. The Lord told Samuel that Eli had not done enough to stop his sons from defiling the house of the Lord. God’s Law given in Deuteronomy clearly instructed fathers to restrain their sons when they sinned. 

It is easy for us to understand why Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. As Samuel learned in this story, telling others bad news is difficult, and we often try to avoid it. However, we are Christ’s ambassadors, not His advisors or counselors. Just as an ambassador represents his home country to his country of residence, our task is to proclaim the Instead of refusing to listen to Eli, as Eli’s own sons had done, Samuel stood ready to obey Eli’s commands. Even when sharing the gospel with non-believers, the first step to understanding that the gospel is good news is understanding the bad news of our desperately hopeless situation outside of Christ.

Eli responded, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.” Some scholars believe Eli’s resignation was a sign of weakness and lack of faith. Instead of responding in repentance and mourning, Eli gave in to the words Samuel reported rather than trying to avoid the calamity that was coming. However, others believe Eli to be acting like Job. Trusting the Lord to know better than he, Eli submitted to God’s decree. With Eli’s death in the next chapter, the central human character in the book of 1 Samuel becomes Samuel himself. These first three chapters serve as a background to Samuel and his role in speaking the true words of God to His people.

So, even though Eli may have been a poor father to his sons.  Even though Eli may have been directly responsible for the loss of the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh, resulting in the eventual decay/destruction of the city.  Even though Eli may rightly be labeled a poor High Priest, nevertheless he was a responsible and good mentor to Samuel, a young man who, unlike Eli’s party-boy sons, DID want to hear from God and that DID want to serve God.  

Don’t let past mistakes prevent you from being an effective mentor to those seeking God..