“Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Samuel 2:30 Mean?
God speaks to the priest Eli with devastating words: I said indeed that thy house should walk before me for ever — but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me. The promise was real. The revocation is also real.
"Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed" establishes a principle that transcends Eli's situation. God's favor follows honor. His esteem follows how you treat him.
Eli's sons were corrupt — taking the best of the sacrifices, sleeping with women at the tabernacle door — and Eli did nothing to stop them. His failure was not personal corruption but passive tolerance of corruption in his house.
The verse reveals something sobering about God's promises: they can be conditional. Eli's family had a perpetual promise of priestly service. But their behavior so dishonored God that he revoked it. Promises given in good faith can be forfeited by sustained dishonor.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does Eli's passive tolerance of corruption apply to your own areas of responsibility?
- 2.What does 'them that honour me I will honour' look like in practical daily life?
- 3.Can God's promises be forfeited through sustained dishonor? How does that affect your sense of security?
- 4.Where might you be keeping the peace at the cost of keeping faith?
Devotional
I said indeed that thy house should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me. A promise made. A promise revoked. Not because God changed his mind, but because Eli's household changed their behavior.
Them that honour me I will honour. That is the principle — simple, direct, reciprocal. Honor God and he honors you. Despise him and the esteem evaporates.
Eli's failure was not dramatic personal sin. It was passive tolerance. He knew his sons were corrupt. He did not stop them. He valued family peace over God's honor. And the cost was everything.
This verse challenges anyone in a position of responsibility — parent, leader, pastor — who tolerates what should be confronted. Keeping the peace is not always keeping faith. Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is speak the uncomfortable truth to the people you love most.
Them that honour me I will honour. Where are you honoring God — and where are you honoring comfort, peace, or family loyalty instead?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Behold, the days come,.... Or, are coming (g); and will quickly come, in a very little time the things, after…
Be it far from me - The phrase so rendered is a favorite one in the Books of Samuel, where it occurs ten or eleven…
Should walk before me for ever - See Exo 29:9; Exo 40:15; Num 25:10-13, where it is positively promised that the…
Eli reproved his sons too gently, and did not threaten them as he should, and therefore God sent a prophet to him to…
saith The Heb. word is one rarely used except of a solemn divine utterance, as in Gen 22:16, and very commonly in the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture