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“Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. And the priests’ custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.”[1]

This text occurs at the time—believe it or not—of the life of Samson. God had instituted judges for Israel soon after the children of Israel possessed the Promised Land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You may know the story of Samson, the strong man who had great strength and did wonderful feats of strength on behalf of the children of Israel. He sinned, and God permitted the Philistines to take him captive. They put out his eyes and made him a galley slave, grinding out the corn of the Philistines. Samson judged Israel at the end of Eli’s tenure as High Priest.

Eli served as high priest over Israel. He had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who served with him as priests in the temple. This record gives an account of these two derelict sons. It will help us in the discovery and discernment of false prophets. Their lives, ministry, and deportment give indications of their true nature. This account of Eli and his two sons plus a few other complimentary references provide five different criteria by which we can discern failure in the spiritual leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ.

First, verse 12 describes a dearth of the knowledge of God. This word “knew” has two ways you can interpret it. One way expresses factual knowledge, e.g., book knowledge, understanding, or some kind of insight into a subject. In this way, you can recite certain information about different matters so that you have acquired some degree of mental acuity, some level of intelligence about a subject. This knowledge comes by observation and reflection, an intellectual knowledge. Then, you can say, “I know it.” 

That is one kind of knowledge. However, that does not define the kind of knowledge meant here by this word “knew.” The word used here to describe the two sons of Eli, when it says they “Knew not God,” depicts an intimate, personal relationship, an intimacy of knowledge by experience, a fellowship together with someone else. It is described as knowing them. 

The two sons of Eli did not know God in that fashion. They had no intimate, experiential knowledge of Him. They had no personal relationship with him. It did not exist. They did not know God. They may have known some facts about Him. Maybe they could recount the story of when God came down on the mount and spoke to Moses to whom He gave the law, or when He brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. Perhaps they could even tell some things about God, but they did not know him. They did not experience a personal, intimate knowledge of Him. They did not truly worship or obey God. They did not know Him.

This illustrates a concern of those men and women in positions of authority and leadership, recognized and touted as leaders in the Christian Church. They do not know God. Oh, they know about Him. They can describe facts about him. They can tell stories from the Bible. They have some level of knowledge about him. Sadly, they do not know Him.

The priorities and practices of their lives reveal it. They have no time to spend in prayer and intimate fellowship with God. These spiritual leaders, on average, spend five minutes a day in prayer, seeking God's face. Further, the content of their preaching and teaching as well as the absence of the unction of the Holy Spirit upon it confirms their lack of knowledge of God. They do not know Him.

No one can convey what (s)he has not experienced. Neither can leaders guide others to a spiritual level they have not attained. Further, people who follow such leaders reflect them. No wonder the Church today experiences spiritual decline. As in the days of the sons of Eli so our day as well exhibits a dearth of the knowledge of God, an intimate fellowship relationship with the God Whom they say they serve.

Second, Eli’s sons displayed disobedience to God's word in the manner of their sacrifices. These verses describe how they offered the sacrifices and treated those who brought them. They completely violated the manner prescribed for them as given to Moses by God. God stipulated the acceptable offerings, the sequence of the offering, as well as the portion of the offering reserved for the priest after the completion of the sacrifice.

In violation of God's decree, Hophni and Phinehas demanded their portion prior to the sacrifice. Furthermore, after the completion of the sacrifice, they stole additional parts of the offering for themselves, in disobedience to God's law. They had utter disregard for the law of God as well as those who came with their offerings. They dishonored the sacrifices and failed in their responsibilities before God. They failed to view and value the sacrifices as God did. Eli’s sons viewed them as an opportunity to satisfy their fleshly desires with gratification of luxury.

Sadly, a similar attitude of entitlement exists among many church leaders today. They claim they deserve special treatment because of their positions. They demand lives of luxury. They require high incomes and spend church funds on all manner of expensive, exotic vehicles and homes of thousands of square feet in size. They dress opulently beyond necessity. To justify their largess, they claim a special authority and anointing for them to indulge their fleshly desires.

Frequently, these purchases come from funds made available from those who simply wanted to give an offering to the Lord. Like the sons of Eli, the false prophets, teachers, and preachers of our day take these offerings for themselves, beyond actual need. As a result, people have come to abhor offerings and view them with disdain, just as they did in the time of Hophni and Phinehas. (See verse 17.)

These practices do not describe the worst actions of these despots. In verse number 22 it says,

“Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”[2]

Third, this section describes the debauchery and sexual immorality of Eli’s sons. In that day, not unlike our day, women would come and help in the temple, cleaning, sorting, aligning, organizing, and just helping any way they could. Others came to pray and worship. We read about Anna the prophetess who was in the Temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to complete the law of circumcision and to present Him to the Lord according to the Law. Anna had come to the temple to serve, honor, and worship God.

Eli’s sons used their positions to take advantage of these women and to abuse them sexually. Sadly, this practice did not end with them. I have read of the sexual practices of some men and women in leadership in the professing Church who have illicit sexual relationships with women in their congregations as well as with other family members. When implicated, they lie about their immorality and justify it as a means for their victims to come closer to God. In addition, sexual trysts occur between staff members who travel together to meetings to “glorify and honor God.” Just like Hophni and Phinehas before them, they are false prophets, teachers, and pastors.

After Eli heard some of these stories and the reports that came back to him of his sons’ behavior, he said unto them:

“Why do you do such things, for I hear of your evil dealings by all the people? Nay, my sons, it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people to transgress. If one man sin against another the judge shall judge him, but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father.[3]

When Eli questioned his sons, their response identifies a fourth characteristic of false prophets, a disdain for discipline. They did not care for their father’s warnings. They rejected his attempts to correct them. In so doing, they disregarded God's Law and His rule over them. They became a law unto themselves, living as they chose without regard for God's law and those whom God would use to correct them.

Sadly, many in our day have elevated themselves to positions beyond correction. They, too, follow an “I am different” attitude. They misuse the Church as God designed it. They set themselves above Biblical Church structure. They reject correction given to them. They refuse to follow direction and guidance from other Godly servants.  They deceive others in financial matters and violate the tax laws of our land. When admonished for their practices, they refuse to repent from their sins of disobedience to God and their violation of the trust of others. Like Hophni and Phinehas, they claim special anointing of God and disregard the corrections of others.

For the final characteristic of false prophets, look at 1 Samuel 3.1. This section begins to mention Samuel, which began in verses 17-22 of chapter two. It says, “And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.”[4]

When it says that the Word was precious in those days it literally means scarcity. Scarcity of something helps to determine its value. For example, people all over the world view gold as a precious commodity. They do so because of its scarcity and high quality. This describes other kinds of things that we declare as precious and of value because their scarcity.

Because of the sinful behavior of Eli and his sons, the Children of Israel experienced the deprivation of God's word to them. The Word of God had become scarce. Further, they did not have any open vision. In that day as in ours, the vision for God's people came from the spiritual leaders to whom God has given a vision of His plans and purposes. No one stood up and said. “Thus saith the Lord. Go this way.” This dire circumstance followed the failed leadership of Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas. 

A friend of mine who now dances around the throne of glory used to counsel me, “Tom, water never flows above its source. A spiritual leader can never take people above his level of spirituality. They will reflect the leader. If you maintain a low spiritual quality, so will the people that you lead. They will reflect your spiritual level. They will not rise above you. If you are not a man of God, then your people will not be people of God. They will reflect you.”

The depreciation of God's word in Israel came as a direct result of the spiritual failures of Eli and his sons. The people reflected their attitudes towards God and His word. The spiritual decline of the Church of Jesus Christ today results from the same failures of church leadership today. In the third chapter of his epistle, James warns believers of the responsibilities of leadership. Those who lead in the church have great liability for their actions. Leaders face greater condemnation for their failures, because the spiritual condition of those who follow them will reflect the leaders’ condition.

In addition, the dearth of preachers and preaching compounds the problem. Pastors and teachers today concentrate upon psychology, emotional disturbances, and “How To…” messages on money and health. These emphases have replaced sermons on foundational Biblical doctrines and personal holiness. Preachers and teachers today have abandoned the declaration of God's word for talks and discussions with no clear statement of God's truths. As a result, the Church Of Jesus Christ floats and careens as a rudderless ship, without direction or standards. No wonder the professing Church has declined into spiritual decay. Our leaders have brought us this way.

The examples of Eli and his sons provide a vivid picture of the spiritual condition of the Church today. Therefore, we must examine those who lead us to escape the same destiny of those who followed them. The identification of their traits gives us guidance on how to discern false prophets and teachers. May God by His Holy Spirit open our eyes to distinguish between truth and error and escape the wolves in sheep’s clothing that threaten to destroy us.

Thank you, heavenly Father, that you have provided for us ways in which we can observe and heed your warning to us through the Lord Jesus to beware of false prophets, ways in which we can examine them and come to some kind of evaluation and understanding of whether these men and women truly are men of God and women of God. Help us to reject the false and to pursue after the truth. I pray that you will open their eyes by your Holy Spirit to see the truth, to understand it, and to grasp it. Grant us by the power of the Holy Spirit to conform our lives to the truth, to come to know You intimately, and to fellowship with You intimately. We will give you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, honor, glory, and praise for what You accomplish with the truth in our lives. Amen.