Whose sons treated the offering of the Lord with contempt

Answer Details

According to 1 Samuel 2:12-17, the sons of Eli - Hophni and Phinehas - treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. They were priests who served at the tabernacle in Shiloh, but the Bible describes them as "worthless men" who "did not know the Lord."

Their offences included demanding raw meat from worshippers before the fat had been burned as an offering to God, and threatening to take it by force if refused. The proper practice was to burn the fat first as God's portion, after which the priest could take a share. By seizing meat before the fat was offered, Hophni and Phinehas showed disrespect for God's sacrificial regulations and treated the Lord's offering with contempt.

1 Samuel 2:17 states: "Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt." God judged Eli's household because Eli, though aware of his sons' behaviour, failed to restrain them effectively (1 Samuel 3:13). Both sons later died on the same day in battle against the Philistines, fulfilling God's judgement (1 Samuel 4:11).