1 Samuel 2
Leaders Prep Section
Watch this video, read these notes, and send the pre-written email (below) to your group 2-3 days before you meet.
Notes
The impact of scandals involving religious people is real. This guide gives everyone a chance to talk, listen, and think through a situation that just doesn’t seem to go away.
Group Guide Starts Here
Context of scripture
Have someone else read 1 Samuel 2: 1-11 to set the context for this next discussion.
Read 1 Samuel 2: 12-21
There are two, very specific violations here: Priests were entitled to sacrificial meat, but they could not select it. By sticking a fork in a boiling pot, they would not be able to see what they were selecting and would get something by chance. Eli’s sons were selecting specific, choice cuts before they reached the pot.
By law, the fat had to be burned.1 Fat contains the flavor and therefore was an important part of the sacrifice (creating a pleasing aroma to God). Eli’s sons were not only taking choice cuts…they were well-marbled cuts.
Do you recall specific, modern day religious leaders that have done the equivalent?
Read 1 Samuel 2: 22-26
Where all this occurred was called the “tent of meeting.” It was the tabernacle where God and the people met…the most significant religious location for the Jews.
How have you personally seen people be impacted by religious scandals?
For those people who publicly trash the church or religion after these scandals, are their points valid?
Notice that Eli knew what his sons were up to (v.22)…but all he did was talk to them, which obviously didn’t work.
Aside from punishing criminal behavior, how could this kind of thing be prevented?
Read 1 Samuel 2: 27-36
It is not known who this “man of God”/prophet was. However, the author accepts it as a message from God.
Prophecy was not unique to the God of the Bible. Prophetic evidence outside the bible was found in Mari where about 50 texts, dating back to 18 century BC, describe “answerers and diviners” speaking on behalf of multiple gods.2
Note in v.30, God changes course because of their behavior – going from promising Eli’s house a special role among his people, to announcing it’s demise.
Why would God not proactively prevent something that ultimately causes people to doubt him?