Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, knew all about having a neglectful parent. Their father, Eli, devoted more time and energy to another boy, Samuel, than he ever poured into his own flesh. As Scripture records, Eli calls “Samuel, my son.”
Eli expertly restrained Israel’s sin before a righteous and holy God, yet failed to curb the sin within his home. We can speculate whether Hophni and Phinehas’s sin was more a defect of nature or a neglect of fatherly duty. Yet Scripture illuminates the disrespect these two boys showed toward their earthly father and toward Almighty God. Not only did they snatch the boiling meat destined for Sacrifice and consume parts of the offering in utter defiance, but we also learn the sad truth about their souls, so far from the God who created them. As 1 Samuel 2:12 says, “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.” (KJV)
The High Priest, Eli, knew all about neglecting his sons and failing to enforce the proper training needed to raise young men of character. Unlike Diamond’s father, who worked to keep food on the table for his family during hard times, Eli, the high priest, made a different choice. In 1 Samuel 2:29, God admonishes Eli for honoring his sons over the Lord. As a weak father, Eli didn’t stand up to his wicked children, and over time, the seed of disobedience took root.
Not all children who suffer neglect turn out the same. In MacDonald’s At the Back of the North Wind, Diamond respected his father, the coachman. The boy wanted to emulate his earthly father, who prioritized others’ needs, such as putting food on the table for his family and pleasing his employer, over his own. Diamond loved his father and was “grateful for notice of any sort.”
We have the same opportunity today as Diamond and Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas. If we do not have an involved father or anyone to lean on, learn from, and model, we have a Good Father who loves us unconditionally. In His Word, God gives us clear guidance and instruction. He shows us how to please Him with our hearts, minds, offerings, prayers, praise, songs, and worship. We can choose to live a life of gratitude, seek our heavenly Father, and become, like Diamond, “God’s baby.”
