God sends an unnamed prophet to pronounce judgment on
the house of Eli, namely the tribe of Levi. As the result of Eli’s irresponsible
parenting of his sons and because of their (Hophni and Phinehas’) scandalous
sins, God chooses to remove the line of Eli from the priesthood. He also promises to raise up a lasting
priesthood.
These two sons and their
atrocious evils as so-called priests are summarized in this passage. They are condemned for their “scorn” of God’s
sacrifices and offerings; and by fattening themselves by stealing the best
offerings. Now here we have two
interesting facets of God’s judgment.
A. God was not unaware of
His previous promise. “I promised that your
house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever.” Notice the word “forever”. This is the Hebrew word עלם ̀ [olam].[1] It indeed can mean ‘forever’ or everlasting, evermore, or for a
long duration. The sons of Levi, and in
particular Aaron were granted the priesthood “forever” (see Exodus
27:21; 29:9). Now every Christian
would affirm the inerrant Word of God and in particular the literal and plain
reading of the text. Forever is forever.
“But
now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor,
and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.’”[2]
We all understand the
logic, but it is still mystifying why God would make an eternal promise that is
not eternal. On the surface this is
troubling to the faith of any sincere believer.
If forever doesn’t mean forever, does this impinge on God’s
trustworthiness?
The fact is that the English word “forever” does not
mean that. Note for example:
In the Old Testament the old
covenant of the law is referred to as the "everlasting covenant" (Leviticus
24:8). But the New Testament records that the first covenant was "done
away" and "abolished" 2
Corinthians 3:11,13. As in this
story, the Aaronic priesthood is spoken of as "an everlasting
priesthood" Exodus
40:15. Yet Hebrews7:14-18
declares an end to the Aaronic priesthood and a new priesthood
after the order of Melchizedek.
Israel was to "observe the Sabbath
throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant" (Exodus 31:16). Jonah
was not in the fish’s belly "forever" Jonah
2:6. A bond slave could not possibly serve his master "forever" Exodus
21:6. God did not dwell in Solomon’s temple "forever" 1
Kings 8:13.
A very significant promise in the
Old Testament is this: “And you made your people
Israel to be your people forever, and you, O Lord,
became their God. And now, O Lord,
let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his
house be established forever, and do as you have spoken,” (1 Chronicles
17:22–23, ESV). But we see very clearly
that forever is not forever, for even this promise is grounded conditionally. “Now
therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be
my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;” (Exodus
19:5, ESV).
I think these are sufficient examples to show that in
essence, forever, means the period of time that fulfills God’s plan. God is not hostage to the English language.
B. God
ordains another priest, forever. We read, “And I will raise up for myself a faithful
priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I
will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed
forever.” (1 Samuel 2:35, ESV) This could be speaking of Samuel as the fulfillment of that promise,
but Samuel’s sons did not continue in his faithful ways. Most commentators think it refers to Zadok,
the high priest in the time of David (2
Samuel 8:17). Zadok was a descendant of Aaron and a leader over his family
of Levites (1
Chronicles 27:17). Zadok remained
faithful to Solomon and was rewarded.
However we have already noted that the Aaronic priesthood did come to an
end.
Is it possible that God had another house, another
priest in mind when he made such a promise in 1 Samuel 2:35. I think he did. “Both Samuel and Zadok, according to most
commentators, should be considered only partial fulfillments of the prophecy.
Jesus Christ Himself is the final and ultimate fulfillment of the faithful priest; He is the true and
eternal High Priest.”[3] Although I disagree with
MacArthur regarding the so-called future Millennium, even his dispensationalism admits that “This
refers to the messiah who will defeat God’s enemies and establish His rule.”[4]
The judgment of God on Eli’s house corresponded to their
sin. They had fattened themselves by
stealing the best from the Lord’s offerings, but they are left begging for even
a morsel of bread.
God’s Word is the final authority on all matters of
doctrine and truth. It is complete. It is unified and coherent. If forever doesn’t always mean forever, but
sometimes it does, how do we know the difference? Answer: the Bible tells me so. That which God has not rendered obsolete by
His Word is indeed forever. Israel, the
Aaronic priesthood, etc. have been superseded by a better Priest and a better
Israel. We enjoy the priesthood and the
reign of the inimitable son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ.
[1] (1996). Hebrew Dictionary
(electronic ed., p. 2). Escondido, CA: Ephesians Four Group.
[3] Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.).
(1994). KJV Bible
Commentary (p. 539). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[4] MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study
Bible (electronic ed., p. 381). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
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