Chapter 5.—Of Those Things Which
a Man of God Spake by the Spirit to Eli the Priest, Signifying that
the Priesthood Which Had Been Appointed According to Aaron Was to
Be Taken Away.
But this is said more plainly by a
man of God sent to Eli the priest himself, whose name indeed is not
mentioned, but whose office and ministry show him to have been
indubitably a prophet. For it is thus written: “And there
came a man of God unto Eli, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I
plainly revealed myself unto thy father’s house, when they were
in the land of Egypt slaves in Pharaoh’s house; and I chose thy
father’s house out of all the sceptres of Israel to fill the
office of priest for me, to go up to my altar, to burn incense and
wear the ephod; and I gave thy father’s house for food all the
offerings made by fire of the children of Israel. Wherefore then
hast thou looked at mine incense and at mine offerings with an
impudent eye, and hast glorified thy sons above me, to bless the
first-fruits of every sacrifice in Israel before me? Therefore
thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I said thy house and thy
father’s house should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord
saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me will I honor, and
he that despiseth me shall be despised. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thy seed, and the seed of thy father’s house, and thou shalt never have an old man in my house. And I will cut off the man of thine from mine altar, so that his eyes shall be consumed, and his heart shall melt away; and every one of thy house that is left shall fall by the sword of men. And this shall be a sign unto thee that shall come upon these thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to all that is in mine heart and in my soul; and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before my Christ for ever. And it shall come to pass that he who is left in thine house shall come to worship him with a piece of money, saying, Put me into one part of thy priesthood, that I may eat bread.”
We cannot say that this prophecy, in which the change of the ancient priesthood is foretold with so great plainness, was fulfilled in Samuel; for although Samuel was not of another tribe than that which had been appointed by God to serve at the altar, yet he was not of the sons of Aaron, whose offspring