“And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the
LORD before Eli the priest.”
Verses in our chapter track young Samuel’s path to excellence, as Abravanel explains. Challenges,
however, had not been lacking. In a milieu plagued by corruption and depravity, the lad not only
emerged unscathed; he thrived. Wholeheartedly, he focused on holy service in Shiloh’s Tabernacle,
managing to grow religiously despite bad influences there. “Now the sons of Eli were base men; they
knew not the LORD.”
For Abravanel, “and the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest” establishes the youthful
Samuel’s start point or baseline on his journey. That is, Samuel’s earliest education began “before Eli the
priest.” The high priest mentored Samuel, who basically shadowed Eli. Of things pertaining to God, at
this initial stage, the child understood little.
Gradually, Samuel’s trajectory took off, defying gravity. “But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being
a child, girded with a linen ephod.” At this second juncture, Abravanel notes, Samuel moved beyond his
apprenticeship under Eli and “ministered before the LORD.” Religiously speaking, he was coming into his
own, evident by his wardrobe. The young Levite had been “girded with a linen ephod.”
Just how awful was the situation in the Tabernacle? Abravanel advances that the sons of Eli faltered
insofar as their Torah knowledge sagged, dragging down their conduct to unmitigated lows. Despite
both sons’ illustrious father’s righteousness, greatness did not get passed on. “Base men” – these rotten
apples could have been mistaken for having been raised amidst society’s dregs. Ignorance in Torah’s
laws and ways brought Eli’s sons to disgrace.
Worse followed. Eli’s sons had thoroughly abandoned Torah, replacing it with their own moral code.
“And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's
servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand.” God
seethed. “And the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for the men dealt
contemptuously with the offering of the LORD.” Tabernacle rules and etiquette had been rewritten by
Eli’s wayward sons and his sons’ stooges, partners in crime.
How grave had the situation become? Based on our text, Abravanel lists five types of wrongs committed
by Eli’s sons and their abettors.
- Confiscation of property. The Torah provides priests to partake in Hebrews’ sacrifices (meat
from an animal’s legs and breast). These miscreants appropriated sacrificial meat not belonging
to them – grabbing “all that the flesh-hook brought up.” - Free-for-all. Without rhyme or reason, gluttonous and plump priests pawed whatever they
pleased – “with a flesh-hook of three teeth.” - Gangsterism. Seemingly, Eli’s sons ran Shiloh as a mafia operation, forcibly intimidating victims.
And if people attempted to resist the thugs, mafiosos doubled downed – “but you shall give it
me now; and if not, I will take it by force.” - Skullduggery. Eli’s sons pretended they were not party to the sins, for they delegated to their
lackeys – “the priest';s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed: Give flesh to roast for
the priest.” - Ill-timing. Proper protocol calls for sacrificial animal fats to first be offered on the Tabernacle’s
altar before recipients can eat their permissible portion. Not a problem for Eli’s impetuous sons.
They came first – “And if the man said unto him: Let the fat be made to smoke first of all, and
then take as much as your soul desires; then he would say: Nay, but you shall give it me now.”
Rogue priests’ ill-timing was simply criminal.
Abravanel’s detailed assessment of Eli’s sons’ scurrilous conduct contrasts sharply with that of Samuel.
“But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.” As a rule, kids copy
peers. In our context we refer to Eli’s sons’ young assistants. Not so Samuel, who “ministered before the
LORD.” At this stage, Samuel was developing his own relationship with God, no longer working
exclusively for Eli.