What sign does the man of God give Heli concerning his sons?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He says Ophni and Phinees will both die in one day. The warning also concerns Heli’s house, names the coming faithful priest and describes what the remaining members will ask for.

Chapter breakdown

Anna rejoices in the Lord, says her horn is exalted in God and her mouth enlarged over enemies, and joys in his salvation. Challoner separately explains horn as strength and power, exalted when strength or glory increases. She says none is holy like the Lord, none besides him and none strong like their God. She warns against multiplying lofty boasts and tells old matters to depart from their mouths, because the Lord knows all and thoughts are prepared to him. The mighty bow is overcome and the weak girded with strength; the formerly full hire themselves for bread, the hungry are filled, the barren bears many and the mother of many is weakened. The Lord kills and makes alive, brings down to hell and back, makes poor and rich, humbles and exalts. He raises the needy from dust and poor from the dunghill to sit with princes and hold glory’s throne; the earth’s poles are his and he sets the world upon them. He keeps his saints’ feet; the wicked are silent in darkness and no man prevails by his own strength. His adversaries fear him; he thunders on them from heaven, judges earth’s ends, gives empire to his king and exalts the horn of his Christ.

Elcana returns home to Ramatha while the child ministers before the Lord and Heli the priest. Heli’s sons are children of Belial, knowing neither the Lord nor the priests’ office toward the people. When someone offers a sacrifice, the priest’s servant arrives while flesh boils, carrying a three-toothed fleshhook. He thrusts it into kettle, cauldron, pot or pan, and the priest takes whatever it raises. They do this to all Israel coming to Silo. Even before the fat is burned, the servant demands flesh to boil for the priest, refusing boiled flesh for raw. If the sacrificer asks that the fat first burn according to custom and then allows as much as desired, the servant demands it now or threatens force. The young men’s sin is exceedingly great before the Lord because they withdraw men from his sacrifice.

Samuel ministers before the Lord as a child wearing a linen ephod. Anna makes him a little coat and brings it on the appointed days when she and her husband offer the solemn sacrifice. Heli blesses Elcana and his wife, asking the Lord to give offspring from this woman for the loan lent to him. They go home. The Lord visits Anna, who conceives and bears three sons and two daughters, and Samuel becomes great before the Lord.

Very old Heli hears what his sons do to Israel and that they lie with women waiting at the tabernacle door. He asks why they do the wicked things reported by all the people and tells them to stop: the report is not good, and they make the Lord’s people transgress. He says God may be appeased on behalf of a man sinning against another, but asks who will pray for one who sins against the Lord. They do not heed their father, because the Lord would slay them. Challoner separately explains that abusing sacred things and the sacrifices appointed to appease the Lord deprives them of the ordinary means of reconciliation, sacrifices. As chief priests who intercede for others, they have no other to sacrifice and atone for them. The same note says that because of their many sacrileges the Lord would not soften their hearts with efficacious grace and was determined to destroy them. Samuel advances, grows and pleases both the Lord and men.

A man of God tells Heli the Lord’s words: he plainly appeared to Heli’s father’s house in Egypt in Pharao’s house, chose him from all Israel’s tribes to be priest, go to the altar, burn incense and wear the ephod, and gave his house portions of all Israel’s sacrifices. He asks why they kicked away the commanded temple victims and gifts, and why Heli honored his sons above him to eat the firstfruits of every sacrifice. The Lord God of Israel says he had promised Heli’s and his father’s house perpetual ministry before him, but now rejects that promise: he will glorify whoever glorifies him, while those despising him will be despised.

The warning says days are coming when the Lord will cut off Heli’s arm and his father’s house’s arm, leaving no old man in his house. He will see a rival in the temple amid all Israel’s prosperity, and his house will have no old man forever. Challoner separately identifies the rival as a priest of another race, saying this was partly fulfilled by removal of Abiathar of Heli’s race and substitution of Sadoc of another line, and more fully in the New Testament when Aaron’s priesthood gave way to Christ’s.

The Lord will not altogether take away a man of Heli’s line from the altar, but Heli’s eyes will faint and his soul be spent; a great part of his house will die at man’s estate. The sign is that his sons Ophni and Phinees will both die in one day. The Lord will raise a faithful priest who acts according to his heart and soul, build him a faithful house and have him walk all days before his anointed. Whoever remains of Heli’s house will come to be prayed for, offer a piece of silver and a roll of bread, and ask for some priestly office to eat a morsel of bread.

The story inside

Anna’s canticle gives the Lord’s holiness, knowledge, reversals and strength, ending with king and Christ. Elcana returns while Samuel serves. The sons’ sacrificial taking and threat are described before Samuel’s ministry, Anna’s visits and further children. Heli hears their acts and warns them; their refusal and the Lord’s stated intent are followed by the full separate note and Samuel’s growth. The man of God recalls the priestly choice and sacrifices, indicts honor given the sons and delivers the changed promise. The warning includes no old man, a rival, an exception for men at the altar, both sons’ same-day death, a faithful priest and the survivors’ request. The actual notes distinguish commentary from the canticle, actions and future warning.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The canticle’s contrasts are retained in their range. Bows and weakness, bread and hunger, barrenness and children, life and death, wealth and poverty all precede the ending about king and Christ. The horn explanation remains Challoner’s note.
2
The sacrificial abuse has two recorded forms. The hook takes from boiling vessels, and the later demand insists on raw flesh before burning the fat, backed by force. Keeping both and the stated withdrawal from sacrifice avoids replacing them with a general charge of greed.
3
The warning names both consequences and an exception. It says the house will lack old men but not be wholly removed from the altar, gives the sign concerning both sons and promises a faithful priest. The rival note’s partial and fuller fulfillments are commentary, while the warning itself remains future speech.

Test your recall

What two practices withdraw people from sacrifice, how does Heli warn his sons, and what sign, exception and future priest does the man of God announce?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 28244–28288
1 Kings Chapter 2 The canticle of Anna. The wickedness of the sons of Heli: for which they are not duly corrected by their father. A prophecy against the house of Heli. 2:1. My heart hath rejoiced in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies: because I have joyed in thy salvation. My horn.... The horn in the scriptures signifies strength, power, the horn is said to be exalted, when a person receives an increase of strength or glory. 2:2. There is none holy as the Lord is: for there is no other beside thee, and there is none strong like our God. 2:3. Do not multiply to speak lofty things, boasting: let old matters depart from your mouth: for the Lord is a God of all knowledge, and to him are thoughts prepared. 2:4. The bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girt with strength. 2:5. They that were full before, have hired out themselves for bread: and the hungry are filled, so that the barren hath borne many: and she that had many children is weakened. 2:6. The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to hell, and bringeth back again. 2:7. The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he humbleth and he exalteth: 2:8. He raiseth up the needy from the dust, and lifteth up the poor from the dunghill: that he may sit with princes, and hold the throne of glory. For the poles of the earth are the Lord’s, and upon them he hath set the world. 2:9. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; because no man shall prevail by his own strength. 2:10. The adversaries of the Lord shall fear him: and upon them shall he thunder in the heavens: The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give empire to his king, and shall exalt the horn of his Christ.
Lines 28290–28314
2:11. And Elcana went to Ramatha, to his house: but the child ministered in the sight of the Lord before the face of Heli the priest. 2:12. Now the sons of Heli were children of Belial, not knowing the Lord, 2:13. Nor the office of the priests to the people: but whosoever had offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest came, while the flesh was in boiling, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand, 2:14. And thrust it into the kettle, or into the cauldron, or into the pot, or into the pan: and all that the fleshhook brought up, the priest took to himself. Thus did they to all Israel that came to Silo. 2:15. Also before they burnt the fat, the servant of the priest came, and said to the man that sacrificed: Give me flesh to boil for the priest: for I will not take of thee sodden flesh, but raw. 2:16. And he that sacrificed said to him: Let the fat first be burnt to day, according to the custom, and then take to thee as much as thy soul desireth. But he answered, and said to him: Not so: but thou shalt give it me now, or else I will take it by force. 2:17. Wherefore the sin of the young men was exceeding great before the Lord: because they withdrew men from the sacrifice of the Lord.
Lines 28316–28329
2:18. But Samuel ministered before the face of the Lord: being a child girded with a linen ephod. 2:19. And his mother made him a little coat, which she brought to him on the appointed days, when she went up with her husband, to offer the solemn sacrifice. 2:20. And Heli blessed Elcana and his wife: and he said to him: The Lord give thee seed of this woman, for the loan thou hast lent to the Lord. And they went to their own home. 2:21. And the Lord visited Anna, and she conceived, and bore three sons, and two daughters: and the child Samuel became great before the Lord.
Lines 28331–28358
2:22. Now Heli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel: and how they lay with the women that waited at the door of the tabernacle: 2:23. And he said to them: Why do ye these kinds of things, which I hear, very wicked things, from all the people? 2:24. Do not so, my sons: for it is no good report that I hear, that you make the people of the Lord to transgress. 2:25. If one man shall sin against another, God may be appeased in his behalf: but if a man shall sin against the Lord, who shall pray for him? And they hearkened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them. Who shall pray for him.... By this word Heli would have his sons understand, that by their wicked abuse of sacred things, and of the very sacrifices which were appointed to appease the Lord, they deprived themselves of the ordinary means of reconciliation with God; which was by sacrifices. The more, because they were the chief priests whose business it was to intercede for all others, they had no other to offer sacrifices and to make atonement for them. Ibid. Because the Lord would slay them.... In consequence of their manifold sacrileges, he would not soften their hearts with his efficacious grace, but was determined to destroy them. 2:26. But the child Samuel advanced, and grew on, and pleased both the Lord and men.
Lines 28360–28378
2:27. And there came a man of God to Heli, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Did I not plainly appear to thy father’s house, when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharao? 2:28. And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, and burn incense to me, and to wear the ephod before me: and I gave to thy father’s house of all the sacrifices of the children of Israel. 2:29. Why have you kicked away my victims, and my gifts which I commanded to be offered in the temple: and thou hast rather honoured thy sons than me, to eat the firstfruits of every sacrifice of my people Israel? 2:30. Wherefore thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should minister in my sight, for ever. But now saith the Lord: Far be this from me: but whosoever shall glorify me, him will I glorify: but they that despise me, shall be despised.
Lines 28380–28390
2:31. Behold the days come: and I will cut off thy arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 2:32. And thou shalt see thy rival in the temple, in all the prosperity of Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. Thy rival.... A priest of another race. This was partly fulfilled, when Abiathar, of the race of Heli, was removed from the priesthood, and Sadoc, who was of another line, was substituted in his place. But it was more fully accomplished in the New Testament, when the priesthood of Aaron gave place to that of Christ.
Lines 28392–28408
2:33. However, I will not altogether take away a man of thee from my altar: but that thy eyes may faint, and thy soul be spent: and a great part of thy house shall die, when they come to man’s estate. 2:34. And this shall be a sign to thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, Ophni and Phinees: in one day they shall both of them die. 2:35. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, who shall do according to my heart, and my soul and I will build him a faithful house, and he shall walk all days before my anointed. 2:36. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall remain in thy house shall come that he may be prayed for, and shall offer a piece of silver, and a roll of bread, and shall say: Put me, I beseech thee, to somewhat of the priestly office, that I may eat a morsel of bread.