Staying Pure in the Face of Corruption

At a young age, Samuel witnessed genuine wickedness and corruption. Eli had two sons, named Hophni and Phinehas. Samuel’s account reads: “The sons of Eli were good-for-nothing men; they did not acknowledge Jehovah.” (1 Samuel 2:12) The two thoughts in this verse go hand in hand. Hophni and Phinehas were “good-for-nothing men”​—literally “sons of worthlessness”—​because they had no regard for Jehovah. They thought nothing of his righteous standards and requirements. From that one failing sprang all their other sins.

God’s Law was specific about the priests’ duties and the way they were to offer sacrifices at his tabernacle. For good reason! Those sacrifices represented God’s provisions to forgive sins so that people could be clean in his eyes, eligible for his blessing and guidance. But Hophni and Phinehas led their fellow priests to treat the offerings with great disrespect.c

Imagine young Samuel watching, wide-eyed, as such gross abuses went on uncorrected. How many people did he see​—including poor, humble, downtrodden folk—​approaching that sacred tabernacle in hopes of finding some spiritual comfort and strength, only to leave disappointed, hurt, or humiliated? And how did he feel when he learned that Hophni and Phinehas also disregarded Jehovah’s laws on sexual morality, as they had relations with some of the women who were serving there at the tabernacle? (1 Samuel 2:22) Perhaps he looked hopefully to Eli to do something about it.

Eli was in the best position to address the growing disaster. As high priest, he was responsible for what took place at the tabernacle. As a father, he had an obligation to correct his sons. After all, they were hurting themselves as well as countless others in the land. However, Eli failed on both counts, as father and as high priest. He offered his sons only a bland, weak scolding. (1 Samuel 2:23-25) But his sons needed far stronger discipline. They were committing sins worthy of death!

Matters reached such a point that Jehovah sent “a man of God,” an unnamed prophet, to Eli with a strong message of judgment. Jehovah told Eli: “You keep honoring your sons more than me.” God thus foretold that Eli’s wicked sons would die on the same day and that Eli’s family would suffer greatly, even losing its privileged position in the priestly class. Did this powerful warning bring about a change in that family? The record reveals no such change of heart.​—1 Samuel 2:27–3:1.