ELI, HOPHNI AND PHINEASHophni

Time with Jesus - 03 August 2013

Hi all,

The ages of responsibility and accountability are something we are aware of. Defining when it starts and ends is almost impossible. 

Jamie Bulger

The tragic account of the murder of James Patrick Bulger highlights this. “Jamie” Bulger was a boy from Kirkby, England. He was murdered on 12 February 1993, at the age of two. He was abducted, tortured and murdered by two ten-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. “Jamie” disappeared from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, near Liverpool, while accompanying his mother. His mutilated body was found on a railway line four km away in Walton, two days after his murder. 

CCTV Footage of Jamie
Being Abducted

Thompson and Venables were found guilty on 24 November 1993, making them the youngest convicted murderers in modern English history. (Courtesy Wikipedia) It’s a horrifying story of two “children” murdering another child.

It’s not my intention to demonise the two ten year old boys. What they did was horrible. What I’d like to know is the story behind the murder. They were both 10 year old children.

Did they know what they were doing?

Certainly they were responsible for the murder in the broad context. Were they accountable for what transpired? They were both sentenced to be held in “protective custody” until they were 18.

As I understand things, parents are responsible for their children. They are also accountable for the things done by their children. Only when the youngsters reach an age when “children” could be held responsible for their own actions; that is the time were the parents are no longer accountable for the deeds of their children.

It’s a good concept. It seems to conform to Old Testament Scripture. But the question remains, “What is the age of responsibility?” For God, it is not a problem. He knows the motives behind everything. He knows when the child is not responsible for his actions.

Hophni & Phineas

We are not in that position. We need to “enquire of God” to establish the facts.

In spite of this, God requires parents to “train their children”. Proverbs states: ⁶ Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Pro 22:6 TNIV. 

Today we speak of “role models” and “mentors”. There is not much choice in a single parent society. If the father or mother is “missing”, boys and girls look elsewhere for those whom they will follow. In this regard, boys often become like their fathers and girls like their mothers. 

In “God’s economy”, that’s how it’s supposed to work. More often than not, it does. The boys and girls are “disciplined” in order to be trained in acceptable behaviour. If this is neglected, the children will become ill-disciplined, anti-social beings without boundaries that will do anything they want to do.

You don’t wait until a child is a teenager before you set limits and boundaries for them to follow. By then it’s too late. You must start the way you intend to continue. If you don’t, you will reap the crop of what you have sown.

The Ark of the
Covenant

In the case of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, we see the application of this. Eli made no attempt to restrain and control his sons. Eventually it got to the place where they were uncontrollable. They did what they wanted, when they wanted and to whom they wanted.

Samuel takes God's
Message to Eli

One of our favourite Bible Stories concerns Samuel hearing the voice of God. What we don’t really want to know is the message and final outcome. God’s message to Eli is found in the first  book of Samuel. 

¹¹ And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. ¹² At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end. ¹³ For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'”1 Samuel 3:11-14 TNIV. It’s a terrible judgement. It came about because Eli hadn’t disciplined his sons.

Jesus Takes the
Punishment for
You and Me

I cannot comment on how the two young murderers were brought up at home. It would be easy to say their parents had neglected to discipline them and set boundaries. The fact is, I don’t know. But He knows. The boys and their parents will be correctly dealt with by Him in due course.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 03 August 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	ELI, HOPHNI AND PHINEAS
1981 was a difficult year for me. It started with serious marriage problems which culminated in divorce. It was also the year Phyllida and I met and married. The reason I mention this is because my youngest son was three months younger than Phyllida’s youngest son. There was only three months between them. So we often referred to them as the “step-twins”. They were both in Primary School. In the same grade, but in different classes. For a number of reasons, it was necessary for them both to live with Phyllida and me in 1982. That was a new experience for all of us. They may have been step-brothers or even step-twins. But they were very different. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells a story about a man who had two sons. 28 "Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, 'Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.' 29 "The son answered, 'I don't want to.' Later on he thought better of it and went. 30 "The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, 'Sure, glad to.' But he never went. 31 "Which of the two sons did what the father asked?" They said, "The first." Jesus said, "Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom. Matthew 21:28-31 MSG.  Phyllida and I found this story by Jesus described our sons perfectly. When asked to do something, one said “No” and then went and did it. The other said, “OK!” but didn’t do it. Phyllida and I often spoke about that in 1982. In today’s meditation we look at Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phineas. The first four chapters of 1st Samuel describe all three of them. At that time, Eli was functioning as the “High Priest”. Sadly, he had no influence over his sons. What happened to make them like this isn’t stated. One thing we do know is that from God’s perspective, Eli was responsible for them. He should have disciplined them. He didn’t and they ended up unmanageable. Worse than that. They used their position as the sons of the High Priest to ignore God’s clear instructions and do what they wanted. Ultimately God judged Eli for not controlling his sons and He judged the two sons. All three of them died, just as the Lord had said through His prophet. We all need to bear in mind that God is not permissive. Furthermore, every sin that has been, is now, or ever will be committed will be judged. Nothing is overlooked. Eli died when he learned that the Philistines had captured the ark. His two sons died in the battle with the Philistines. Thus Samuel became the new “High Priest”. Since he was a Levite, he was eligible. God “promoted” him. Jim and Phyllida Strickland			30 Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,' but now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me, for those who honour me I will honour, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30 ESV	The sorry tale of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, Is quite enough for us to read and then to say “alas”. These dreadful sons of Eli were not remaining true. They took advantage of the folk, did what they wanted to. God’s Word says they were scoundrels. They didn’t follow God. They helped themselves to anything and they would feel His rod. Eli tried to stop them. But he was getting old. And they took little notice of that which they were told. Now God had promised Aaron his house would always stand. His sons would be His Holy priests forever in their land. But when God looked upon them, He said, “This cannot be. I will honour everyone who truly honours me.” He also said to Eli that for their dreadful crime, Everyone in Eli’s line, would die before their time. Eli took it bravely, for what else could he do? Every word God spoke to him was what He wanted to. His sons were very wicked; according to God’s eyes; The time had come for Him to truly cut them down to size. Eli’s time as Priest of God was soon to pass away. Samuel was standing by. He’d be God’s Priest one day. That’s more or less what happened. Eli fell down dead. Just about the way the Lord through Samuel had said. His son’s Hophni and Phineas, both died on the same day, Fighting with the Philistines is how they passed away. To help them in the battle, Israel took the ark. The Philistines then captured it. They took it off to park, Alongside their god Dagon. Next morning when they rose, They found Dagon was lying down, as if before God’s toes. The moral of this story, is plain in Jesus sight. Don’t accept behaviour that clearly isn’t right. Better that you honour Him and He will honour you. When He tells you something, immediately do, That which He’s instructed. Prefer Him far above, Your family, your children; the family whom you love. The wife whom you have married; must all take second place. This is the one requirement to know the Master’s grace. Be prepared to suffer. Be faithful unto death. Love Him with your body and with each and every breath. The crown of life He’ll give you, that lasts forevermore; This is what awaits those whom Jesus they adore. Jim Strickland Written 3rd August 2012
			32 "What about someone who says in front of others that he knows me? I will also say in front of my Father who is in heaven that I know him. Matthew 10:32 NIrV
			37 "If you love your father or mother more than you love Me, you are not worthy of being Mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it. Matthew 10:37-39 NLT
			12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 NLT
			10 Don't be afraid of what you are going to suffer. The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. Your suffering will go on for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 GW
			17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT
			7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1 Peter 1:7 NLT