1 Samuel 2:22-26

Eli's Sons Would Not Listen

Read the passage

22Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

23“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.

24No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.

25If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.

26And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Eli is very old when he hears what his sons are doing to all Israel and that they are sleeping with the women who serve at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Their sin is public, and Eli finally confronts them: “Why are you doing these things?” He tells them that the report he hears from the people of the LORD is not good.

Eli asks who will intercede when they sin against the LORD Himself. They are treating the God they serve as though He cannot call them to account. The narrator gives a sobering reason for their refusal to listen: the LORD intends to put them to death. Their continued rebellion stands under His judgment.

The contrast with Samuel is quiet but sharp. Samuel is growing in stature and in favor with the LORD and with the people. God is sustaining his growth in the place these priests have profaned.

The reading does not ask a household to admire confrontation for its own sake. Eli's rebuke is necessary, but it arrives after the damage is already known and does not produce repentance. A leader's responsibility includes confronting harm, protecting people, and accepting what must be changed when a warning is ignored.

Samuel’s growth offers hope amid this judgment. God can raise faithful service where established leaders refuse to listen. And Scripture later directs sinners to Jesus, who lives to intercede for those who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25). We must not use that mercy as an excuse to ignore His warnings.

Questions

1 What did Eli hear about his sons?

AnswerHe heard of their wicked treatment of Israel and their sexual relations with the women serving at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Their priestly position did not excuse their behavior.

2 What question did Eli ask his sons?

AnswerHe asked, “Why are you doing these things?” and told them that the report he heard from the LORD's people was not good.

3 Why did Eli say their sin was especially serious?

AnswerHe asks who will intercede for them when the one they offend is the LORD Himself. It is a warning about their rebellion, not a denial of the saving intercession Jesus provides.

4 How did Eli's sons respond to his rebuke?

AnswerThey would not listen to their father's rebuke, while Samuel continued to grow in stature and favor with the LORD and with the people.

What This Means for Us

Eli's sons use a holy position to harm people, and their refusal to listen shows why authority cannot be protected at the expense of the vulnerable. Eli's late rebuke is better than silence, but the passage leaves us asking what protection and accountability should have looked like before the damage spread.

Talk about how your household responds when someone reports harm. Listen carefully, protect the person with less power, and do not make forgiveness or family reputation a substitute for truth. If you are corrected, practice receiving the warning before your defensiveness turns it into another injury.

Prayer

God of truth, make us willing to hear reports of harm and humble enough to receive correction. Protect people who are vulnerable to misuse of power. Give leaders courage to act early, and keep our household from defending reputation when justice and safety are at stake. Amen.

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