And this man (Elkanah) went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. 1 Samuel 1:3
In the days of the judges in ancient Israel, before the temple was built in Jerusalem, devout Israelites made an annual trek to the tabernacle in Shiloh, according to God’s instructions. Our text informs us that Elkanah was one such devout Israelite. He was a good man. Our text also refers to two of the priests of the Lord who served in the tabernacle: Hophni and Phinehas. These men were also following God’s instructions. But unlike Elkanah, they were not good men at all. Can we learn lessons from these three men?
In addition to his faithful obedience to God’s requirement for yearly sacrifices, Elkanah was a good and loving husband. He cared for Hannah, even though she had failed to provide him with children. He recognized that it was the Lord Who had closed her womb, and he accepted that, and tried to comfort Hannah in her disappointment. Elkanah serves as an example of a godly husband, not allowing unfortunate circumstances to affect his responsibilities. Husbands today should take note of this. Just as they should take note of the consistency of Elkanah in his duties toward God. His annual trip to Shiloh was important to him, and he knew it was important to his family. In this, he serves as an example of the responsibilities of the husband and father in today’s Christian home to lead his family in honouring and serving the Lord. In many ways, Elkanah’s role in Israel’s spiritual life was tiny, just one of many thousands who faithfully worshipped and sacrificed.
In contrast, Hophni and Phinehas had major roles in Israel’s spiritual life. As sons of the high priest, they served in the tabernacle, the very centre of everything in Israel. Everybody knew who they were, and knew of their positions. But unlike Elkanah who was faithful in his small role, these men were unfaithful in their prominent roles. In the next chapter, we read of the evil behaviour of those two wicked priests, who ‘knew not the Lord’. They abused their position by stealing, by distorting the sacrifice procedures for their own purposes, and by lives of gross immorality. They brought shame on the Lord’s house and on His service. They failed in what should have been a position of great privilege and opportunity. And they stand as examples of what not to do when it comes to serving the Lord.
Remember, it’s not the role that God gives you that is important, but how you fulfil that role. Faithfulness in small and ordinary things is better than disobedience and disgrace in great things. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/zM0HeEgCtdI