Welcome to Fellowship! We're glad you're here! Please fill out our CONNECT CARD.

Celebrate Recovery is a safe place with kind people who are working together to deal with hurts, habits, and hangups. Have questions? Contact our CR Leader - Tim Hughey

Check our website for upcoming events and over lots of past teachings on many different topics.

Help us forward the mission of Fellowship to share Jesus with young and old, with people across the street and people across the ocean. GIVE ONLINE or at the Giving Boxes at each exit.

In the original Hebrew Bible, this writing is a single book, not two. It’s simply called “shemū'ēl” (שְׁמוּאֵל).

The division into 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel came later, when the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (the Septuagint, LXX) about 200 years before the ministry of Jesus. Since Greek required more space due to longer word forms and script style, the book was split into two scrolls for easier handling. This two-part division continued in the Latin Vulgate and was retained in most Christian Bibles today.

This entire writing spans less than 100 years, compared to many of the historical writings the cover hundreds of years and many leaders. This writing highlights the lives of 3 leaders: Samuel, King Saul, & King David.

Catch the Context

Samuel is written on the heels of JUDGES, where the Hebrew people’s relationship with Yahweh was up and down.

Yahweh had not given them a human king because HE was the One in charge. When the people will disobey Him He would bring discipline, the people would repent and call to Him for help, and Yahweh would raise up a judge to guide them back to following Him. They would respond and do right during the life of the judge, but the next generation would go off track and this cycle continued over and over. That is the context of Samuel.

Join us this Father’s Day as we explore how Godly Dads Make the Difference, through the powerful contrast between Eli’s sons and Elkanah’s son, Samuel. This message will challenge and encourage every parent—especially fathers—to lead their families with faith, integrity, and purpose.

Note the 2 men…the 2 FATHERS mentioned in this verse - Elkahnah & Eli. Today we contrast Elkanah’s son & Eli’s sons, as we are challenged to continue in, become, or appreciate godly Dads.

BIG TRUTH: Godly Dads Make The Difference in the lives of the family.

The phrase translated “wicked men” is literally “sons of Beliial” or “worthlessness/good for nothing”. These men didn’t respect YAHWEH nor His commands. God allowed priests to have certain portions of the sacrifices to eat for themselves (see Lev 7:28-35, Deut 18:3), but NOT the portions these men were forcefully taking from the people. These ‘priests’ showed utter disregard for God’s commands and God’s people. 

Here the laypeople were correcting the ‘pastors’ as to what the Scriptures commanded, “the fat must be burned first.” Then the priests were to receive the breast & the thigh (Lev 7:28-34). But Eli’s sons sent their servants to take whatever they wanted, BEFORE the people were able to have their offering sacrificed.

Hence, Eli’s sons were leading others to disobey God’s commands, including their servants. The servants should have obeyed God rather than man, but because they didn’t the servants’ sin was very severe. 

Linen ephod: “a sleeveless, hip-length garment that only members of the tribe of Levi were authorized to wear.” In contrast to Eli’s sons, Samuel wasn’t just TALKING about Yahweh’s Presence, Samuel was WALKING in Yahweh’s Presence - serving Him. 

Mom & Dad (Hannah & Elkanah) were BOTH consistently coming TOGETHER to Shiloh to worship & sacrifice to Yahweh long BEFORE Samuel was born. Samuel’s parents - mother & FATHER, give evidence that they love Yahweh and they love one another. This is a godly family.

Godly Mommas are a HUGE influence over their families, but…

BIG TRUTH: Godly Dads Make The Difference in the lives of the family.

Ideally, both a godly Momma & a godly Dad will have the greatest impact on their children & grandchildren, as they pray TOGETHER & serve TOGETHER, taking children to church gatherings & worshipping Jesus TOGETHER!

MEN - become a Godly Man…and YOU LEAD your family to love God & love people - with your precious bride at your side, developing little disciples of Jesus starting in your own home!

God graciously gave more children to in place of little Samuel, who was growing up in the Presence of Yahweh.

This is the 1st recorded rebuke of Eli to his ungodly sons. We do NOT see Eli rebuke them about their heavy-handed treatment of the people & their sacrifices. But now, after their lengthy abuse of the priestly office, Eli confronts his sons with their sin and tells them to STOP this wickedness. 

• But Eli stops short of removing them from their positions. WHY? We often allow our children to get away with things we would not allow others to get away with. Kudos to Eli for confronting his sons, but he should have removed them.

They are grown men and they would not listen to their father.

• There certainly are times when the children of godly Dads choose to walk away from his example and disobey Yahweh.
• Do we honor our EARTHLY FATHER?
• Do we honor our HEAVENLY FATHER?

Hophni & Phineas didn’t do either, and Yahweh will not allow this disobedience to continue any longer. Yahweh WILL remove them, because He is going to kill them.

Samuel is growing physically (stature), but he is also growing relationally - with Yahweh & with people. While there might not be any direct quotes by the New Testament authors from the writing we call “Samuel”, there is a VERY clear use of Samuel when speaking of the Lord Jesus growing up.

• Can the same be said about US? Are we GROWING in wisdom & GROWING in favor with God and with people?

 Notice WHO all this is initiated by and meant to glorify!

• The priests were to offer sacrifices on My altar, the way the people’s sins would be atoned for - forgiven.
• They were to burn incense - a fragrant smoke representing of prayers ascending to Yahweh.
• The priests wear linen ephods - clothing that set them apart from others & reminded them of their special calling. The high priest was to wear a special ephod, an elaborate garment with 2 onyx stones attached to the shoulder straps, on which the names of the 12 tribes of Israel were engraved. The breastplate was decorated with
• 12 precious stones symbolizing the 12 tribes. In this way, the high priest represented all of Israel before Yahweh.

Further, God had provided for Eli’s family through all the Israelite food offerings. 

This is the issue. Eli has honored his sons more than he honored Yahweh. They had been stealing from God and getting fat with the best part of all of the offerings. They were mistreating the people & dishonoring Yahweh.

In contrast, rather than honoring their son more than Yahweh, Elkanah & Hannah had years before GIVEN their son to Yahweh, honoring Yahweh above all. And they had never turned back on that promise.

For those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disgraced.

What if we lived by THAT STANDARD? 

• Does YOUR life honor Yahweh, OR…does your life despise Yahweh’s commands?

What a JUDGEMENT! Yahweh will yank the priesthood away from Eli’s family. 

The Hebrew text is literally, “I will cut off your arm” - a phrase referring to taking away one’s strength - hence the translation.

God is first referring to Samuel, the young man who has been growing physically & spiritually and serving Yahweh. There was a day coming when Eli’s priestly family would look to Samuel for help. In fact, everyone in Israel would look to Samuel for help as the prophet, priest, & judge of Israel. 

Samuel would also walk before God’s anointed one - God’s messiah - God’s king - David. 

Yet, Samuel never serves as high priest and neither does anyone in his family line. Some commentators also think this prophecy is therefore pointing to the later high priestly line of Zadok who took over during the reign of David & Solomon and continued until about 200 years before the ministry of Jesus (during reign of Epiphanes IV).

Ultimately, all ordained priests & anointed kings pointed to One who would fulfill BOTH roles, as priest & King, the Lord Jesus.

Read the Scriptures in your home.

•  Take your family through one of the gospels and bask in the greatness of the Lord Jesus! 

Pray together in your home.

•  You don’t have to use big words - just talk to your heavenly Father! 

Talk about God’s goodness, in your home.

•  Show your family HOW & WHY to be thankful! 

Protect your children’s eyes & ears, in your home.

• What your kids SEE & HEAR in your home should be good, pure, and a place of refuge.

Love & Discipline in your home.

• Lead them the way you want them to lead your grandchildren! 

 These open-ended questions are designed to help you LIVE what you LEARN with your Family, Friends, or Small Group.

🗣️ OPENING QUESTIONS (Icebreaker – 5 min)

1. What’s a trait you admire in a godly parent you’ve known personally? (e.g. loving, forgiving, godly living, truthful, disciplined, consistent training of children)

🔍 Understanding the Text

1. What specific behaviors made Eli’s sons “worthless men,” and how did their actions show contempt for the Lord’s offering? (See 1 Samuel 2:12–17; connect to Leviticus 7:28–35.)
2. Eli’s sons were in religious roles but were far from God. What warning does this give about the difference between religious activity and genuine devotion?
3. In what ways does Samuel’s faithful service as a young boy contrast with the sin of Hophni and Phinehas? (Reflect on 1 Samuel 2:18–21, 26.)

🧠 Reflecting on Leadership and Legacy

1. Why do you think Eli failed to remove his sons from leadership even after rebuking them? What can this teach us about the dangers of misplaced loyalty—even in parenting? (Consider 1 Samuel 2:22–25, 29.)
2. The “man of God” rebukes Eli for honoring his sons above Yahweh (v.29). How might parents today unintentionally do the same thing? (Discuss honoring God first in family priorities.)

💡 Pointing to Christ

1. Luke 2:52 mirrors the growth of Samuel. What does this connection reveal about how Jesus developed as a young man, and what does it model for our children today?
2. How does the promise of a “faithful priest” (1 Samuel 2:35) ultimately point to Jesus as both our High Priest and King? (Tie in Hebrews 7:24–25 and Revelation 19:16.)

🦶 Feet2Faith Application

1. Look back through the FEET2FAITH Challenges and talk about what this could look like in your home this week.