The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 153
SECT. CLIII.
ELI was at this time (as we have ſhewed) Judg of Iſrael, and he was High-Prieſt alſo, but how he came to be ſo(a)Quomodo ab Aarone oriundus ſit Eli nondum liquet, ut ejus ex induſtria videatur obliterata genealogia. Tantilla eſt ſolius loci non doctrinae, morumque ſucceſſio. Anonym in loc., we cannot give any certain account, the Scripture being therein ſilent. He had two Sons Hophni and Phineas, who as Secondary Prieſts did the ſervice of the Sanctuary under their Father; but theſe were very wicked men, Sons of Belial, that had no lively knowledg nor apprehenſion of God, nor did fear and honour him as God. For though they did profeſs to worſhip God, yet in their works they denied him, being abominable and diſobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. The ſins and provocations of theſe Sons of Eli are ſet forth in ſeveral particulars; they were not content with the breaſt and ſhoulder, and the checks *See Deut. 18.3.with the tongue (which only were the Prieſts portion of the Peace-offerings, Levit. 7.31, 32, &c.) but they uſed to challenge of that which was ſeething for the Sacrifices, (as their juſt fees), all that their fleſh-hook could take out, (having no Law of God for it), and this they did not only now and then, but conſtantly practiſed it unto all the Iſraelites that came to Shiloh to worſhip, v. 14. And ſometimes they would have this their overplus-portion before the fleſh was put into the pot or kettle that they might roaſt it, yea before the fat was taken off and burnt, and ſo before the Lord had his due, directly againſt the Law, Levit. 7.31. which may be the reaſon why v. 29. they are ſaid to have made themſelves fat with the chiefeſt of the offerings; and if any denied to give them what they required, they threatned to take it by force and violence, God was very angry at theſe miſcarriages of theſe young men, whereby they cauſed the people to neglect the Worſhip and ſervice of God, and even to abhor his Sacrifices, when they ſaw them profaned by ſuch abominable courſes. Eli was very old, and heard of theſe great miſcarriages of his Sons, and of ſome other abominations that they were guilty of, viz. that they lay with the women that came to the door of the Tabernacle to offer Sacrifices, and to perform other duties of worſhip and ſervice unto God; which wickedneſs was the more abominable, becauſe they had wives of their own, as we may ſee, Ch. 4.19. Old Eli did indeed reprove his Sons for theſe their ſcandalous miſcarriages, but he did it too mildly and gently, ſaying to them, Nay my Sons it is no good report I hear of you, ye make the Lords people to tranſgreſs by your wicked example, and to forbear bringing their Sacrifices to the Lord, being ſo highly ſcandalized at your ill managing of ſacred things. But Eli being not only a Father, but alſo a chief Magiſtrate and Judg, ſhould not only have reproved them ſharply, but ſhould have puniſhed them ſeverely by caſting them out of the Prieſts Office which they had ſo ſhamefully profaned, yea ſhould have put them to death for their adultery according to the Law, Levit. 20.10. but he only mildly reproved them for ſuch great enormities. He told them that if one man ſin againſt another, the Judg ſhall judg him; that is, an umpire may come and take up the controverſie, and the offending party may be adjudged to make ſatisfaction, and ſo there will be an end of that quarrel; but if a man ſin againſt the Lord who ſhall entreat for him? that is, no mediation or ſatisfaction of man can here make his peace with God; no reconciliation can here be hoped for, but upon his repentance and turning to God, and reſting on the alſufficient merits and interceſſion of the Meſſias. But let Eli ſay what he would they hearkened not to the voice of their father, which plainly ſhewed that the Lord determined to deſtroy them; for being grievouſly provoked by their ſins, he reſolved as a righteous Judg to leave them to themſelves, and to the wickedneſs of their own hearts, and therefore no wonder they minded not the reproofs and counſel of their aged Father; whereupon there came a man of God (ſome Prophet extraordinarily raiſed up) to Eli, and ſaid unto him, thus ſaith the Lord, Did not I eminently appear unto the houſe of thy father, viz. Aaron, (of whom thou art deſcended by Ithamar) joining him with Moſes for the deliverance of the Iſraelites when they were in bondage to Pharaoh in Egypt (b)Tota Aegyptus Pharaonis domus appellatur, quod ejus poſſeſſio erat. Mendoza.? Did not I chuſe him out of all the Tribes of Iſrael to be my Prieſt to offer Sacrifices upon mine Altar, to burn incenſe, and to wear an Ephod before me? Did not I give unto the Houſe of thy father ſome part of all the offerings (c)Partem ex victimis omnibus quas pertinere volui ad ſacerdotes. Ex omnibus ſacrificiis aliquid; nam etiam ex holocauſtis pellis cedebat ſacerdoti. Levit. 7.8. Menoch.made by fire, and offered by the children of Iſrael unto me? And are all my ſpecial favours to thy Fathers family come to this? Thy Sons kick at my Sacrifices, and at my offerings which I have commanded to be offered to me in my holy habitation; they as it were deſpiſe and contemn them, and make a ſcorn of them before the people, as though I had afforded them too little, and therefore they will take from the Sacrifices for their own uſe what they pleaſe themſelves. And though thou didſt not do thus thy ſelf, but thy Sons only, yet becauſe thou didſt not reſtrain them from theſe evil practiſes, and puniſh them for theſe their great tranſgreſſions, thou art guilty as well as they. Nay thou ſheweſt by thy over great indulgence to them, that thou honoureſt thy Sons above me, and chuſeſt to pleaſe them rather than me, not daring to provoke them by ſharply reproving them, much leſs by puniſhing them as thou oughteſt to have done, though thou knoweſt they have ſacrilegiouſly incroached upon the fat of the offerings that belonged unto me, and upon other parts alſo of the Peace-offerings that belonged unto the people, and all this to pamper their own greedy bellies. Wherefore thus ſaith the Lord, I ſaid (d)When God made his promiſe to Eli is uncertain, the Scripture being ſilent therein.indeed that thy houſe and the houſe of thy father ſhould walk before me for ever; that is, ſhould be perpetually eſtabliſhed in the office of the Prieſthood; but this promiſe was only conditional, namely if you carried your ſelves well in that high calling; but this condition being not performed by you, the promiſe which I made unto you ſhall be reverſed: For thoſe that honour me I will honour, but thoſe that deſpiſe me ſhall be lightly eſteemed. Further thus ſaith the Lord, Behold the days come that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy fathers houſe; that is, deprive thee of thy ſtrength, and make both thee and thy family weak and ignoble.
And this was done firſt by cutting off him and his two Sons, Chapt. 4.17. 2ly, By cutting off his poſterity in the flower of their age, which was partly accompliſhed in the death of Hophni and Phineas ſlain in the field, and partly by that bloody execution that was done upon Ahimelech and eighty-five of the Prieſts of his family, Ch. 22.16, &c. And 3ly, by removing the dignity of the High-Prieſthood from Eli's family unto Zadok (the faithful Prieſt ſpoken of, v. 35. of the ſtock of Eleazar) which was done at leaſt eighty years after this in the days of Solomon, 1 King. 2.27. And thou ſhalt ſee (e)'Tis uſual in Scripture to ſpeak that of the Father which ſhall be accompliſhed in his poſterity long after. See Gen. 27.29., viz. in thy poſterity an enemy in my habitation; that is Zadok, executing the High-Prieſts office in the Temple, whom thy poſterity ſhall envy and malign, becauſe placed in the High-Prieſthood, and that in all the wealth which God ſhall give Iſrael; that is, in thoſe days when Iſrael ſhall flouriſh moſt in wealth and glory, and when conſequently the High-Prieſthood ſhall be moſt deſirable, to wit, in the days of Solomon. And there ſhall not be an old man, or a man of dignity (f)v. 31: Ut non ſit ſenex in domo tua, i. e. vir dignitate praeditus, vide v. 36.in thy family(g)v. 32. Haec ſevera comminatio non eſt extendenda ad omnes Ithamaraeos ſed tantum ad domum Eli. Alii ſenem hic ut prius accipiunt de dignitate ſacerdotali, qua in perpetuum abdicata eſt familia Eli. At in ea familia ſenes aetate ſemper deſeciſſe non eſt credibile. Mendoz.. And the men of thy poſterity whom I ſhall not quite cut off from ſerving at mine Altar, ſhall live ſo miſerably, (pining away with grief, and vexation to ſee the adverſary family enjoy their honour) that if thou ſhouldſt live to ſee the miſery they ſhall be in, it would make thee almoſt weep out thine eyes to behold it, and it would grieve thee to the very heart. And moſt of thy family ſhall die in the flower of their age. And that which I now foretell ſhall come upon thy two Sons Hophni and Phineas may be a ſign to thee, that all my other threatnings ſhall in due time come to paſs, viz. I do foretell thee that they ſhall both die in one day. And I will raiſe me up a faithful Prieſt that ſhall do according to that which is in my heart, to wit, Zadock (h)He did faithfully cleave to Solomon whom the Lord had appointed to ſucceed Dovid in the Throne, when Abiathar who was of the poſterity of Eli, conſpir'd with Adonijah againſt David, and againſt Solomon, 1 King. 1.7, 8., of the family of Eleazar, and I will build him a ſure houſe, and he ſhall walk before mine anointed for ever; that is, I will multiply his family, and make it proſperous, and eſtabliſh his off-ſpring in the Prieſthood.
And accordingly we find that the High-Prieſthood was continued in the line and poſterity of Zadock unto the time of the Babylonian Captivity, ſee Ezek. 44.15. And ſo Zadock being of the poſterity of Phineas the Son of Eleazar, that promiſe was made good which the Lord made to Phineas, Numb. 25.13. He ſhall have it and his ſeed after him, even the Covenant of an everlaſting Prieſthood. And he ſhall walk before mine anointed for ever; that is, Zadock and his poſterity ſhall perform ſuch ſervices as belong to the High-Prieſt; for Solomon and his Succeſſors, viz. they ſhall inquire of the Lord for them, they ſhall offer Sacrifices for them, and ſhall be ready to aſſiſt them with their counſel and advice upon all emergent occaſions. And thoſe of thy poſterity that ſhall not be cut off ſhall come and crouch to Zadock and his ſucceſſors to beg ſome relief of them, and ſhall ſue to them that they may be imployed, though it were but in ſome of the meaneſt ſervices of the Temple, only that they may eat bread, ſee Ezek. 44.13, 14.
1 Sam. 2. from 12. to 18. and from 22. to the end.