Grade 4 & 5

Respecting God’s House (Eli the Priest)

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” (James 1:22)

"'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'

Jesus Clearing the Temple

Eli the PriestThere was a High Priest called Eli One day he was in the temple and saw a woman

who was murmuring. So, thinking she was drunk, he REBUKED her and asked her to get out.

Hannah’s PrayerBut the woman was

not drunk, she was crying and praying to God to give her a child.

So Eli told to go in peace and God will hear her prayer

Few years later she returned to Eli the High Priest with a son called Samuel

Eli the High Priest had two sons, Hophni and Phineas, who were also priests.

However, his sons were bad persons. They were greedy and disrespectful

Sons of Eli the Priest

When the people needed to offer sacrifices in the temple, the priest, Eli, would sanctify himself and follow a certain order for offering them to God

However, Hophni and Phineas were bad men who sinned in the House of the Lord. They used to steal from the offerings dishonoring God

Sons of Eli the Priest

They disrespected the Lord and paid no attention to to the rules or to regulations

Many of the people disrespected the Holy Temple because of them!!

Sons of Eli the Priest

What did Eli the Priest do?

The Lord heard the people’s complaints and saw the evil deeds of the sons of Eli

He immediately ordered Eli to rebuke them

So Eli went to his sons and GENTLY warned them not to do it again

And THAT’S IT …..Remember with Samuel’s mom, He Rebuked her but his sons he did nothing

God ordered Eli the Priest to REBUKE his sons

God spoke to Samuel and told him that he refused Eli for not rebuking his sons and loving them more than God himself

He also refused the two sons for the sins they have committed

Although Eli knew what the judgment of the Lord was going to be, he didn’t do anything to his sons!!!

God refused Eli and his sons

Soon, there was a great war in the land and Hophni and Phineas died in battle

Not only that, but the Israelites were defeated AND the enemies took the Ark of Covenant

When their father, Eli, heard of this, he was so shocked from the news that he fell and died immediately.

God refused Eli and his sons

The Lord’s church is a Holy Place and we should enter it with respect

Obeying the rules of the House of God is not only pleasing to Abouna and the deacons of the church but to God Himself

What can we learn from this?

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers

only.” (James 1:22)

What can we learn from this?When we enter the

Church (the House of the Lord) we must say hi to God before we do anything else

So even if there is no liturgy, instead of rushing to the basement. We have to go to the church kneel and say “Our Father…”