Standing Tall & Falling Hard: Part 1

Posted On May 1, 2023

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:6 NLT

“Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord
or for their duties as priests.”

1 Samuel 2:12-13 NLT

“With great power comes great responsibility.” No, this proverb is not from the Bible. It’s actually from Spider-Man. But that’s what comes to mind when I think about Eli’s sons. As priests in the temple at Shiloh, they had a duty to serve the Lord faithfully and to lead the Israelites by example. They were called to be holy representatives of God and His ways. But they failed miserably.

Entrusted with great power, they became full of selfish pride, and they took advantage of those they were meant to serve. Unfortunately, they refused to humble themselves and receive correction from their father. And their lives became a tragic example of the consequences of hubris.

Actually, there’s one more proverb that comes to mind when I think about the sons of Eli. This one is from the Bible, and it’s a warning we should all take very seriously:

“Pride leads to destruction . . . .”

Proverbs 18:12 CEV

Our plan for 2023 is to journey through The NeverEnding Story of the Bible and discover how we fit into it along the way. Our plan for this year is loosely based on The Story, an abridged chronological version of the Bible, and the accompanying study guide The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee.

Here is where we are in The Story:

MOVEMENT TWO: The Story of Israel (Genesis 12-Malachi)

Chapter 10 – Standing Tall, Falling Hard

This chapter in The Story includes 1 Samuel 1-4, 8-13, 15. These verses introduce us to the prophet Samuel, and tell the story of Saul, the first king of Israel. We will discuss Saul in “Standing Tall & Falling Hard: Part 2.” For now, we continue with the story of Samuel. As we learned last week, Samuel was dedicated to the Lord’s service as a young boy. He was presented to the priest Eli by his mother Hannah at Shiloh. And it was there Samuel first heard God’s call:

“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’
Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.'”

1 Samuel 3:10 NIV

Here is what God told him:

“Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.'”

1 Samuel 3:11-14 NLT

Samuel, who was still a child, was given troubling news about Eli and Eli’s wicked sons, and he was understandably nervous about telling Eli. But after Eli demanded to be told everything God had said, Samuel summoned his courage and shared this grave message with his master.

Eli, to his credit, accepted God’s decision without argument. A dedicated high priest, Eli had served the Lord faithfully for many years. But he apparently had a habit of turning a blind eye to his sons’ sinful behavior, which included stealing, embezzlement, and sexual immorality (see 1 Samuel 2:12-25). Rather than following their father’s example, Eli’s corrupt sons regularly abused their positions of power as priests. And Eli allowed it.

So, God made it clear that their time was up. He announced His plans to judge them for their sins, but He didn’t speak directly to Eli. Instead, He chose to speak through Samuel. I see this as a powerful object lesson: The high priest and his powerful sons were brought down through the words of a humble child.

“This sin of the sons of Eli was extremely serious in the Lord’s sight, because they treated the offerings to the Lord with such disrespect.
In the meantime the boy Samuel continued to serve the Lord . . . .”

1 Samuel 2:17-18 GNT

“Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.”

Charles F. Stanley

Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. And I think that was the point God was trying to make to Eli and his sons . . . and to us as well. The theme of pride versus humility runs throughout the stories told in 1 Samuel. And in them, God makes it clear that He values faith and obedience over skill and self-reliance. Unfortunately, as we’ll see next week, King Saul will have to learn that lesson the hard way. But long before Saul was anointed king — while Eli and his sons were still priests at Shiloh — Israel, too, was given a painful opportunity to learn the same lesson.

Israel was involved in a losing battle with the mighty Philistines. But rather than crying out to God for help, they decided to take matters into their own hands and bring out the Ark of the Covenant:

“After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, ‘Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?’ Then they said, ‘Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.’ So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God.”

1 Samuel 3-4 NLT

When God was with them, Israel could not lose. So, they were understandably confused at their defeat. Why was God not fighting for them? A good question. One that should have been taken to God for an answer. But instead, the elders decided they could solve the problem themselves — they just needed to go get their magic God-box. It would save them! By leaving God out of their plan and treating the Ark of the Covenant as nothing more than a good-luck charm, the Israelites completely missed the point: God was the One who fought for them. Without Him, they would fail.

Unsurprisingly, Eli’s corrupt sons were completely on board with this foolhardy plan. But it would be the last time they would be able to lead God’s people astray. As Israel went into battle again, this time taking the Ark of the Lord with them, Eli waited anxiously for a report. That same day, a messenger from the battlefield arrived in Shiloh to deliver the catastrophic news:

“‘Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,’ the messenger replied. ‘The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.’ When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died . . . .”

1 Samuel 4:17-18 NLT

Tragically, God’s judgment on Eli and his family is fulfilled in a brutal way, and the Ark of the Covenant is captured by the pagan Philistines. For Israel, all seems lost. But what happens next shows without a doubt that God is in charge . . .

“After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord! So they took Dagon and put him in his place again. But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact.”

1 Samuel 5:1-4 NLT

As a symbol of their victory over the Israelites, and of the supposed superior power of their god, the Philistines placed the Ark at the feet of their Dagon statue. But they obviously didn’t know Who they were dealing with! In an impressive, even humorous, display of power, God toppled their pagan idol into a posture of deference and worship. The Philistines walked in the next morning to see their god bowing to the one true God. What a sight it must have been! Probably assuming it was just some sort of strange accident, they put the statue back in its place, only to find it lying on the floor again the next morning, this time in pieces.

In case they still hadn’t gotten the message, God also brought devastation to the city. And the Philistine rulers quickly had the Ark moved. But devastation came upon each Philistine city that possessed the Ark, and they finally realized they had to return it to Israel. They did so, but even Israel wasn’t immune to the consequences of careless treatment of the Ark (see 1 Samuel 6). Again, God drove home the lesson to His chosen people that with great power comes great responsibility.

“So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them.”

1 Samuel 7:1-2 NLT

Years later, as Israel faced yet another battle with the Philistines, it appears that they have finally learned what God has been trying to teach them:

“Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, ‘If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.'”

1 Samuel 7:3 NLT

This time, under Samuel’s leadership, the Israelites humble themselves and pray. They turn from their sinful ways and trust God to deliver them, which He does in a spectacular way!

“Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them.” 

1 Samuel 7:10 NLT

God’s power is on display throughout this book. And it’s on display in our lives as well. We are all capable of the sin of pride. And, while we may not actually bow down to religious statues, we are all capable of idolatry. Anytime we put our trust in anything other than God, we are headed for trouble. If we disregard Him and try to fight our battles in our own strength, we will lose. But as we humble ourselves, confess our foolish mistakes, and turn back to the Lord, we can trust Him to deliver us!

“Your combat strategy must begin and end with getting on your knees and realizing that God is in control of your situation. He will handle everything for you if you will humble yourself and obey Him. . . . Whenever you surrender yourself completely to God and trust Him with your struggles, you’ll find that He is faithful to lead you to victory.”

Charles F. Stanley

This week’s Scripture passages remind us to humble ourselves before our mighty God and to come to Him with childlike faith. As we see in the stories of the Bible, and in our own lives as well, pride leads to destruction. If we insist on honoring ourselves instead of our Lord, He will humble us. But if we come to Him in humility, He will lift us up!

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

James 4:10 NIV

References:

• Frazee, Randy.  The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
• The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.

Images:

• Dagon vs. the Ark featured image taken from “Children’s Bible Story -The Ark & Dagon, Apr 17 #2FishTalks.” YouTube, uploaded by 2 Fish Talks- Daily Bible Stories Kids Devotions, 18 April 2017, https://youtu.be/Uqm9cr6s78k.
• Sons of Eli image taken from “Eli’s Sons Take the Best Meat.” YouTube, uploaded by Superbook, 13 November 2015, https://youtu.be/9b-LzU-X5sw.
• Samuel Listening to God image taken from “Superbook – Samuel and the Call of God – Season 3 Episode 6 – Full Episode (Official HD Version).” YouTube, uploaded by Superbook, 10 April 2023, https://youtu.be/dMoekXiJw_A.
• Ark Being Stolen and Dagon vs. the Ark images taken from “Children’s Bible Story -The Ark & Dagon, Apr 17 #2FishTalks.” YouTube, uploaded by 2 Fish Talks- Daily Bible Stories Kids Devotions, 18 April 2017, https://youtu.be/Uqm9cr6s78k.
• Burnt Offering and Israel Is Rescued images taken from “Samuel Leads Israel to Victory.” YouTube, uploaded by Superbook, 13 November 2015, https://youtu.be/jW17XVtMNQc.