Introduction
The theme for today is “The Sons of Eli Demoted.” I am only supposed to go through 1 Samuel 2:1-12. There’s so much more that we could dig into, but this small nugget is the focus for today. As I unpacked this, I received the theme that the sons of Eli are demoted, and this is contrasted with Samuel’s promotion. Those who have a heart like Samuel will experience their own promotion. “The Great Switcheroo” is what I heard.
What is the Great Switcheroo?
The term “Switcheroo” means a change, reversal, or exchange, especially a surprising or deceptive one, and often for a humorous purpose. It refers to an exchange or swapping of objects, either intentionally or unintentionally. This concept reflects a change that brings about a shift in power and position.
The Song of Hannah
As we read through the song of Hannah, which was a prophetic song, we begin to see how this Great Switcheroo will manifest. Let’s start with verse 1:
1 Samuel 2:1 KJV – “And Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord. Mine horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, for I rejoice in Thy salvation.’”
At the beginning of 2024, we had a New Year’s party at our house. During that time, we did a prophetic activation of asking each person to seek the LORD for a personal and corporate word—a word that would be meaningful to them personally, but also apply to the body of Christ as a whole. The word I received for 2024 was “jubilant laughter.” I believe that 2024 is a year of jubilant laughter for the group I run with.
Hannah’s heart rejoiced because God had fulfilled His promise to her by giving her Samuel, the child she had longed for. She had been barren for a long time. When she went to the temple, Eli prayed for her, and she conceived. She then brought Samuel back to the temple after he was weaned, praising God for the fulfillment of His promise and fulfilling her vow to give Samuel back to the LORD. The righteous shall see the fulfillment of God’s promises so that they can complete their destinies.
1 Samuel 2:2-3 KJV -“There is none holy as the Lord, for there is none beside Thee, neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceedingly proudly; let not arrogancy come out of thy mouth. For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.”
This verse reminds us that actions are weighed by God. We see a similar phrase used in the story of King Belshazzar, where Daniel interprets the writing on the wall, saying that the king’s actions had been weighed and found wanting. This is a warning to be mindful of our actions.
I had released a warning during COVID-19, “You are being weighed in the scales. Do NOT be found wanting.” Now at the second half of 2024, we are coming up to the time where the time of the weighing is coming upon us.
1 Samuel 2:4-5 KJV – “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired themselves out for bread, and they that were hungry ceased. So that the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.”
Here, we see that those who THOUGHT they were mighty will be broken, while those who stumbled will be strengthened. The ones who were hungry will now be fed, while those who were full will find themselves hungry. This is symbolic of the reversal of fortunes that God will bring about.
This pattern where compromising leaders are publicly killed by God’s hand and triggers revival. happened repeatedly during spiritual era shifts when the Fear of the LORD was making a come-back, Two people, Ananias and Sapphira, died for bringing shame upon the Holy Spirit, which triggered a city-wide revival. Two compromising people died so that an entire city would be spiritually lit on fire with the Fear of the LORD. To remove the rot is mercy, not tyranny.
1 Samuel 2:6-7 KJV – “The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich; He bringeth low and He lifteth up.”
This verse highlights that God has the power to give life and take it away. He can also make the poor rich and the lowly exalted. This reminds us of God’s sovereignty and His ability to transform situations. He is also capable of doing BOTH in the same person, first humbling people SO THAT He may later lift them up. Receive that hope and motivation to press into the humbling seasons instead of wallowing in self-pity and defeatism.
Spiritual Hunger and Restoration
A key point in these verses is that the spiritually hungry will now be nourished. Eli’s sons were corrupt and defiled the offerings, leaving people spiritually hungry despite faithfully going through their ritual religious acts. But now, those who were spiritually hungry will be fed because God will raise up priests who will lead people to Him.
1 Samuel 2:8 KJV – “He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dung hill to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory.”
This speaks to the restoration of the downtrodden. Those who have been in a place of dishonor, like the beggar in the dung hill caused by parents and priests who failed to teach their children the Law of God, will be lifted up in restoration and seated among princes. God is going to raise up the humble, those who have been overlooked or forgotten.
To put it in modern language, the children who were raised in lawless religious homes and churches causing iniquity corrupting their DNA are going to be given the opportunity of having the desolation of many generations restored and the breaches in God’s covenant repaired, leading to their prosperity promised in Deuteronomy 28 for those who HEAR and DO His commandments. God is doing a great switcheroo by restoring those children born in the spiritual dunghills.
Malachi 2:1-9 KJV – And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
Deut 28:1-2 KJV – And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
Deut 28:15, 45-47 KJV – 5 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: … 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee. 46 And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 47 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
The Great Switcheroo Continues
This is part of the Great Switcheroo, where God is reversing the fortunes of His people. Those who were once at the bottom, in a state of shame and disgrace, will be exalted and given positions of honor.
1 Samuel 2:9-10 KJV – “He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and He shall give strength unto His King and exalt the horn of His anointed.”
The Lord will keep His faithful ones safe, while the wicked will be silenced. Their absence of the Law that gives light will cause them to be in darkness that makes them stumble and never get back up. God will judge the earth and give strength to His King.
Psalm 119:105 KJV – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Prov 6:23 KJV – For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
Samuel’s Birth and Role
Verse 11 points out that Samuel, despite being raised in a corrupted spiritual environment, ministered unto the Lord before Eli. This is symbolic of how God uses those who are born into difficult situations caused by not obeying His commandments and raises them up to bring His glory into those very situations.
1 Samuel 2:9:11 KJV – And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.
Ramah means “the hill, exalted” indicating the foundation, like the Hill of Zion, underneath you has lifted you up. Similarly, Eli means “ascended, uplifted, or high” but with a connotation of pride that has lifted yourself up. Those who build upon the rock by obeying His commandments will weather the storms but those who built upon shifting sand will discover sandcastles can’t handle the weight of pride, resulting in a great fall as they are swallowed up in their quicksand.
The LORD told me that 5784 was the Year of the Forked Road, and not to confuse the devil’s pitchfork with God’s winnowing fork. We’re going to see the separation of these two groups based on who plumblined to His word, who pressed into His heart in intimacy and who didn’t. Samuel ministered to the LORD and got promoted just like the sons of Zadok in Ezekiel 44 while the Sons of Eli met their death for their contemptible arrogance towards the ark of His presence thinking they could use it for their own selfish purposes. They failed to see themselves as God’s holy servants, but rather treated God like their servant.
The Sons of Eli
In verse 12, it says,
1 Samuel 2:12 KJV – “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.”
The sons of Eli were corrupt and did not know the Lord, meaning they were rebellious against His commandments and therefore operating in witchcraft, iniquity, idolatry, and lying to themselves and others. They were defiling the temple with sexual perversion. Because of their actions, they were being demoted. This demotion happened in part due to their loss of spiritual authority to stand firm on the battlefield, causing their entire family tree to be wiped out. Although they had their religious relics, priestly attire, and titles, God’s presence had departed from them.
1 John 2:3-4 KJV – And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 Samuel 15:23 KJV – For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
The Significance of Foundations
The story of Eli’s sons and Samuel highlights the importance of foundation. The sons of Eli were lifted up in arrogance, while Samuel’s foundation was built on humility and righteousness. What foundation are you standing on today?
Relevant Blog Articles:
The Sons of Eli are Sons of Belial – Dec 18, 2019 – https://myfatherswitness.com/my-blog/the-sons-of-eli-are-the-sons-of-belial
Warning! The Clay Pots Have Smashed – Unpacking the Warning – Nov 10, 2019 – https://myfatherswitness.com/my-blog/warning-the-clay-pots-have-smashed-unpacking-the-warning
Video For This Word:
Reflection Questions:
- 2 Way journaling – Ask the Heavenly Father how can you align your actions with His will for your life, knowing that your actions are being weighed?
- What steps can you take to ensure you are spiritually nourished and not hungry in a place of spiritual barrenness?
- In what areas of your life do you need God’s intervention to lift you from the dung hill and set you among princes?
- How does your foundation—whether firm or shifting—affect the way you face challenges and opportunities in your life?
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