“Eli’s Bad, Bad Boys”
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Poor parenting ends in national trouble and family tragedy.
Patriarchs and Prophets (Beginning of the End), Chapter 56
Eli and His Wicked Sons
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
OVERVIEW
Have you ever thought for a moment or two that you could fool God? How do you hide your thoughts or actions from God who sees and knows everything? Our story today is about a couple of young priests who were so brazen and unashamed of what they were doing that they did evil in front of everyone. Which brings up the question—how does God respond when those who are in authority and represent Him do bad things to His people? Will these young priests get away with it or does God step in? What life lessons can be gleaned from this story? It’s a good story, so let’s get right to it.
OPENING ACTIVITY: WALKING BLIND
DISCUSSION
TRANSITION
Being blindfolded for a few minutes doesn’t seem like it would be the end of the world. However, being blind for a lifetime would be much more difficult. What if you were spiritually blind? How would your life be different? How would your life be different if you didn’t trust all the people around to be honest with you? Eli’s sons weren’t all bad, but they weren’t all good either. Our story is about the games and tricks they played and how they treated people badly because they wanted to show their superiority and control over others. Let’s look at the passages for our lesson and learn what happens when priest go bad (sounds like a bad reality tv show).
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
Read 1 Samuel 2:12-17.
12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.
Read Leviticus 7:25.
25 Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the Lord must be cut off from their people.
DISCUSSION
Read 1 Samuel 2:18-21.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” he answered.
21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
DISCUSSION
Read 1 Samuel 2:22-26.
22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”
23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.
26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
DISCUSSION
APPLICATION
Each of us are responsible for our own actions. You don’t get to blame someone else for your bad mood, potty mouth, or how you treat others—it’s all you. In today’s passages there are lots of critical words said about church leaders, specifically Eli’s sons. Have you ever stopped to wonder what Jesus would say about today’s church and its leaders? As you go through your life today, don’t forget to ask Jesus to help you treat others the way you would want others to treat you.
FOLLOW UP
Here is a list of possible ways you could bless others this week.
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
OVERVIEW
For most young children, their parents or guardians are the primary role models and the standard for everything. It’s common for little children to view their mom or their dad as their hero.
As children move toward adolescence and other adults become significant in their lives, children start to see foibles in their parents and their humanity begins to be exposed.
During adolescence, especially if teens experience conflict with their parents, they may consider their parents to be out of touch, unreasonable, selfish, irrelevant, and maybe even stupid.
Few teens are able to view reality from their parents’ points of view, which often complicates their relationships in the family and the irregular interactions between the generations as young people come of age and move toward independence.
To further complicate matters, parents sometimes seek to be their child’s friend rather than their parent, treating them as a peer or buddy rather than as the guardian, teacher, role model, character-shaper, coach, tutor, enforcer, encourager—the parent. Some parents feel shocked when their previously obedient child begins doing different and independent things, sometimes for no apparent reason. Pushing the boundaries can create conflict, and when parents have limited time with their children, sometimes they prefer niceness over accountability. Often the teen and the parent aren’t aware of the new dynamics at play.
The brief passage about Eli’s evil sons at the Tabernacle describes in just a few verses what made Eli’s sons so bad and how Eli’s lack of discipline led to their constant rebellion even as they served as priests in the Tabernacle!
We often read this passage from our own cultural lens, forgetting that in the previous chapter Hannah, the barren wife, was in a family with a husband who had two wives. Her prayer to conceive led to a miracle birth and then she literally gave her miracle baby back to God by leaving him at the Tabernacle with Eli—the man who did such a poor job as a parent with his own sons. In the chapter after today’s story, God speaks directly to Samuel, the young boy—quite a shock! But this week’s Bible passage reveals the results of poor parenting and the potential for rebellion as young people grow into adulthood.
A good preparation for the start of this Sabbath School lesson could be one of the following:
You can also do these as applications over the coming week following the Bible study.
God, Parents, and Children
Where would you put your parents on the continuum? What about you?
Strict Lenient
Read 1 Samuel 2:12-36.
12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.
18 But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 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. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.
Prophecy Against the House of Eli
27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’
30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
34 “ ‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.
1. What made Eli’s sons so bad?
2. How did their behavior affect worship in Israel?
3. How did Samuel fit into the picture?
4. What was the prophet’s message to priest Eli?
5. Why did God send such a stern message to Eli?
6. How would you characterize God’s dealings with Eli?
7. When does the relationship between parents and children change? What are good ways to navigate through those changes?
8. How is our relationship with God similar to our relationship with our parent(s)? How is it different?
SUMMARY
Eli took the easy way for parenting, at least in the short run. But it resulted in ongoing disappointment, pain, and suffering for him, his family, and those who came to the Tabernacle to worship God. What a travesty. God rebuked Eli and yet he chose to not intervene, thereby allowing his sons to continue in their evil ways. While this resulted in a judgment to stop the evil, God had already provided a new way forward by preparing Samuel to become the next priest at the Tabernacle. God follows through with the covenant and keeps giving His people new chances.
APPLICATION
The introduction to the lesson identified potential input from a variety of ages regarding parenting. For the application of this week’s Bible study, draw on the sharing that already took place, or tap into other possibilities mentioned in the introduction.
Some things change and some things stay the same as children grow up in how they relate to their parents. Also, for different generations, how to be a parent includes some things that change and some that stay the same.
