The Priestly Ministry of the Sons of Eli

The Priestly Ministry of the Sons of Eli

“And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

“Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, ‘Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.’ And if the man said to him, ‘They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires,’ he would then answer him, ‘No, but you must give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.’

“Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.” 1 Sam. 2:13-17.

This is written for our instruction, and there are many who perform a priestly ministry like the sons of Eli.

All sacrifices must be voluntary to be of any value. The sacrifice was not to be eaten as long as it was raw, and so it had to be boiled. Afterwards, the priest was supposed to receive his portion, but the sons of Eli did not want to wait. They took it by force while it was still raw.

We can draw a parallel with the evangelists and leaders of our time. They are supposed to be priestly stewards of the gospel in order that the Gentiles might be an acceptable sacrifice. Rom. 15:16-19. This is to be their portion or praise in Christ Jesus in their ministry before God. If an evangelist wants to be highly regarded, he must have a revival. It is difficult to get people converted; and if they are to give their hearts to God, it must be done voluntarily. When some people wanted to follow Jesus, He showed them the narrow way that leads to life. We realize that then there will only be a few. But for the preacher the important thing is to get them on their knees, and then he is praised according to the number of people who have bowed their knees. Gal. 6:13. The Word is the seed, but these preachers feel they cannot wait; it takes too long before the Word which they have preached matures in the hearts; then it could be that someone else might come and reap and receive the honor. Hence it is of the utmost importance for the evangelist to make use of psychology and all possible means to get them to bow their knees. The majority of such conversions can be compared to raw meat. This is also why most of them fall away. Some evangelists are quite simply revival factories. They are very much like Eli’s sons.

It is also important for the preacher to whip up the mood of the assembly. He stands before the face of man and requires confirmation for what he is saying, preferably in the form of a “Hallelujah!” He does not speak God’s Word so that the Spirit can fall on the assembly, so they can shout “Hallelujah” from their hearts. Instead he uses soul power and puts them under pressure to answer or shout a positive reply. He is probing with the three-pronged fleshhook. Many in the assembly want to be highly regarded by the preacher, so they give him their approval.

It is also important to get money in the collection, and so they impress on them to give the tithe. After the leader has delivered a rousing message on tithing, he does not rely on it having an effect. Therefore, in order to assure himself of a good result, he requests those who want to tithe to indicate their intention by raising their hands. People are weak, and looking at one another, one by one they slowly raise their hands. And in many other circumstances the preacher will bind them to their promise by asking them to raise their hands. Here the three-pronged fleshhook is at work again. The preachers have neither time nor faith to wait until the sacrifice is boiled—until it is presented with a willing and cheerful heart.

The sons of Eli dominated the people. Using the three-pronged fleshhook is to dominate, whether it is done to gain honor for oneself, or with the best of intentions for the furtherance of God’s cause. For whatever reason it is done, it is ruinous to God’s cause, and it will make people abhor, or despise, the sacrifice of the Lord.

We can put it like this: When a person is convinced that he should sacrifice, and is convicted of what he should sacrifice, the sacrifice is raw. But as far as the majority are concerned, this is a long way from offering it up with joy; only then would it be boiled. It is very tempting to take the sacrifice as soon as the people are convinced, even by requiring them to make a promise. However, the fat was to be burned before the sacrifice was boiled. This was a sweet aroma to the Lord. In other words, when a person brings a sacrifice, the Lord is supposed to get His portion first; this means that whatever we do should be done first and foremost for Jesus’ sake. This is the hidden life with Christ in God. The priest must allow the people to be at rest and have time to burn the fat before the Lord’s face; afterwards it can be boiled and be seen by the people. But the sons of Eli wanted to have raw meat, before the fat was burned, and they wanted to roast it themselves and enjoy the aroma. Likewise, it is important for many to produce visible results of their ministry so they can enjoy it. This is also how many in these days dominate, but Paul exhorts us not to become slaves of men.

Many people reckon they are almost doing God a favor by getting converted. Jesus says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.” It is great grace to be permitted to get converted. Similarly, there are many who believe they are doing God a favor by sacrificing themselves and their possessions. Of course they cannot come to any other understanding if the priest constantly probes with the three-pronged fleshhook.

Now we can look at some opposite examples: “For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we should receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering of the saints.” 2 Cor. 8:3-4. “God loves a cheerful giver.” Ch. 9:7.

“You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness.” Isa. 64:5.

This is what it means to have the right understanding of the value of the sacrifice of the Lord. The task of a servant of the Lord is to help people to come to this joy. Then they do not need to employ soul power and psychological tricks to get them to sacrifice; the sacrifice of the Lord will be highly regarded and such a servant will be honored by God. God will care for his portion.