Question: What was wrong with the desire of the sons of Eli for roast flesh Instead of boiled flesh?

Question

What was wrong with the desire of the sons of Eli for roast flesh Instead of boiled flesh? What is the present-day application?

Answer

The sin of Eli’s sons seems to be that they did not discriminate between the Lord’s portion and the priest’s. Whatever the fleshhook brought up that they took. Further, they were anxious not to have boiled flesh but to have raw, presumably in order to roast it. Moreover, the fat which should have been wholly burnt, it being the Lord’s portion, was taken by Eli’s sons. I presume the root of all this was a desire merely to have what they regarded as being more tasty.

I suggest that the teaching is that they constitute a warning against their sins which had such disastrous results for them, (a) They put themselves first and disregarded divine claims. (b) The lust of the flesh predominated, (c) The word of the Lord was not regarded by them as binding, (d) They failed to realize that no one lives to himself: their influence adversely affected others. (e) In a most solemn way they took the name of the Lord in vain and their guiltiness became manifest. (f) A mere carnal satisfaction was preferred by them to obedience.

All these constitute a danger for the people of God today and Eli’s sons stand as a solemn warning.