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The Fall of the High Priest Eli Family

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[1 Samuel 4:18]

When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate.

His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy.

He had led Israel forty years.

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There was a man named Eli, the high priest and judge of Israel.

God made Eli the leader of Israel.

He became a person who received the special grace of God.

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Eli the high priest had two sons, named Hophni and Phinehas.

These were also the people who helped the father in the role of the priest.

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These were very bad people and did not even fear God.

When they sacrificed to God, they ignored the regulations and sent their servants

to take away the meat.

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When Eli heard that his sons were doing bad things, he called his sons and said,

“Guys, you should not. Your bad behavior is to cause these people to sin.

And if you sin against the LORD, who can save you?”

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But Hophni and Phinehas did not listen to the father.

God saw that they were guilty of great sins.

And God has decided to punish those who sinned.

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Shortly after the war with the Philistines began. The result of the war was disastrous.

4,000 people have been killed and many others have been killed.

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After defeat in the battle against the Philistines, the elders of Israel said:

“Why did God today let the Philistines defeat us? Let us bring the ark of the covenant

of the LORD from Shiloh to this place. Let the ark of the covenant be among us.

Then God will save us from our enemies.”

They decided that if they brought the ark,

they would be victorious and decided to move to the battlefield.

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They have moved the ark in Shiloh. The Israelites rejoiced with a loud voice,

thinking that the ark would come and that God would make them triumphant.

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The two sons of Eli the high priest, Hophni and Phinehas,

came together on the battlefield to keep the ark.

The Israelites did not know that God had not been with the ark

because of the sins of these two men.

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Israel suffered a great defeat in the second battle against the Philistines.

About 40,000 people were killed. Hophni and Phinehas, who were guarding the ark of God, were also killed.

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After the war was defeated, the ark of God was taken away by Philistines.

A man of the tribe of Benjamin ran to run from there to announce this news.

He ran to Shiloh with Eli the priest.

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Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the side of the road.

Eli the priest was old and his body was very fat.

He could not see the front.

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He told Eli the priest.

“Israel was defeated by the Philistines, and I fled from the camp.

The armies of Israel lost many soldiers, and the two sons of the priests also died.

And the ark of God was taken away by the Philistines.”

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Eli the priest was shocked to hear that the ark of God had been taken away.

Then he fell to the side of the door and broke his throat and died.

Eli the priest ruled Israel for 40 years, but the end was truly miserable.

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Hophni and Phinehas were born with great grace in the house of Eli the High Priest.

But they took lightly the grace they received.

They were not afraid of God, but were proud and wicked,

and died a great punishment from God.

In addition, honor of the father did not keep the injustice.

We should not be like the Hophni and Phinehas, who are not afraid of God,

We must be people who seek the help of the Holy Spirit so that we can appreciate the grace received from God and keep the laws of God.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)