Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Forsaking: Sons of the Priests
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In the biblical narrative, alliances and associations with the enemies of God are often depicted as acts of disobedience and unfaithfulness. Such alliances are particularly grievous when they involve those who are set apart for God's service, such as the priests and their families. The sons of the priests, who were expected to uphold the sanctity and purity of their office, sometimes fell into the trap of forming alliances with those who opposed God's commandments, leading to spiritual and communal consequences.

Eli's Sons: Hophni and Phinehas

One of the most notable examples of priestly sons forsaking their divine calling is found in the account of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas. These sons of the high priest Eli are described as "worthless men" who "did not know the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:12). Their actions were a direct affront to the holiness required of those serving in the tabernacle. They engaged in corrupt practices, such as taking the best portions of the sacrifices for themselves and engaging in immoral behavior with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting (1 Samuel 2:13-17, 22). Their disregard for God's commands and their alliance with sinful practices led to their downfall and the eventual judgment upon Eli's house (1 Samuel 2:27-36).

The Sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu

Another significant example is the account of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, the first high priest. These sons, though initially consecrated for service, forsook their sacred duties by offering "unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command" (Leviticus 10:1). Their actions demonstrated a lack of reverence for God's holiness and a willingness to deviate from His prescribed worship. As a result, fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, highlighting the severe consequences of forsaking God's commands (Leviticus 10:2).

Ezra's Reforms

During the time of Ezra, the issue of priests and Levites forming alliances with foreign women, who were often associated with pagan practices, became a significant concern. Ezra discovered that "the people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices" (Ezra 9:1). This intermingling threatened the purity of worship and the distinct identity of God's people. Ezra's response was one of deep mourning and prayer, leading to a communal repentance and the dissolution of these alliances (Ezra 9:3-10:17).

Nehemiah's Confrontation

Similarly, Nehemiah faced the challenge of priests forming alliances with the enemies of God. He discovered that Eliashib the priest had provided Tobiah, an Ammonite and an adversary of Israel, with a room in the courts of the house of God (Nehemiah 13:4-5). Nehemiah's response was swift and decisive; he threw out Tobiah's household goods and purified the rooms, restoring them to their intended use (Nehemiah 13:8-9). This incident underscores the importance of maintaining the sanctity of God's house and the dangers of forming alliances with those opposed to God's purposes.

These examples serve as cautionary tales within the biblical narrative, illustrating the spiritual peril and communal disruption that can result from alliances with the enemies of God. The sons of the priests, who were meant to be exemplars of faithfulness, at times succumbed to the temptations of forming such alliances, leading to divine judgment and the need for reform and repentance.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Ezra 10:18,19
And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Nuns of the Primitive Church
... to religious matters; then, through its alliance with the ... to treat each other as
natural, irreconcilable enemies. ... of a religious house to her own society. ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/vi the nuns of the.htm

Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire ...
... Heathenism lingered as a force in society longer in ... toward theurgy and magic, and
an alliance with polytheism ... the statement of Jerome, "Piety for God is not ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period ii the church from.htm

part ii
... the soul or the ship of human society; and pray ... heavenly crowns and eternal life
with God and His ... endure injustice, abuse, etc., and to pray for our enemies. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

Resources
What is the World Evangelical Alliance? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church? | GotQuestions.org

Who was A.W. Tozer? | GotQuestions.org

Alliance: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Alliance

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God are a Proof of Folly

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God are Defiling

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God are Degrading

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God are Enslaved

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God are Ensnaring

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God are Ruinous to Moral Character

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God are Ruinous to Spiritual Interest

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: A Call to Come out From

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Ahaziah

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Blessedness of Avoiding

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Blessedness of Forsaking

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Children Who Enter Into, Bring Shame Upon Their Parents

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Evil Consequences of

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Avoiding: Church of Ephesus

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Avoiding: David

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Avoiding: Jeremiah

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Avoiding: Joseph of Arimathaea

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Avoiding: Man of God

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Avoiding: Nehemiah

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Forsaking: Israelites

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Forsaking: Sons of the Priests

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of the Judgments of God Against: Ahaziah

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of the Judgments of God Against: Judas Iscariot

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of the Judgments of God Against: Korah

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Exhortations to Hate and Avoid

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Exhortations to Shun all Inducements To

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Forbidden

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Have Led to Murder and Human Sacrifice

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Involve Saints in Their Guiltiness

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Involve Saints in Their Punishment

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Israel

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Israelites

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Jehoram

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Jehoshaphat

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Judas Iscariot

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Lead to Idolatry

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Means of Preservation From

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Persons in Authority should Denounce

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Pious Parents Prohibit, to Their Children

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Provoke God to Leave Mean to Reap the Fruits of Them

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Provoke the Anger of God

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Punishment of

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Rehoboam

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Saints are Separate From

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Saints Deprecate

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Saints Grieve to Meet With, in Their Intercourse With The

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Saints Grieve to Witness in Their Brethren

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Saints Hate and Avoid

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Saints should be Circumspect when Unintentionally Thrown Into

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Sin of, to be Confessed, Deeply Repented of, and Forsaken

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Solomon

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: The Wicked are Prone To

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: The Wicked Tempt Saints To

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Unbecoming in Those Called Saints

Alliances

Alliances: Abraham and Abimelech

Alliances: Ahaz and Tiglath

Alliances: Asa and Benhadad

Alliances: Between Abraham and Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner

Alliances: Canaanitish Nations Against Israel

Alliances: Isaac and Abimelech

Alliances: Jehoshaphat and Ahab

Alliances: Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah

Alliances: Joshua and the Gibeonites

Alliances: Moabites, Amalekites, and Ammonites

Alliances: Political with Idolaters Forbidden

Alliances: Ratification of by Giving the Hand

Alliances: Ratification of by Oaths

Alliances: Rezin and Pekah

Alliances: Solomon and Hiram

Alliances: Zedekiah and Pharaoh

Related Terms

Benhadad (24 Occurrences)

Lacedaemonians

Jehoshaphat (79 Occurrences)

Ahaziah (34 Occurrences)

Jezebel (20 Occurrences)

Ahab (85 Occurrences)

Macedonia (23 Occurrences)

Tyre (59 Occurrences)

Asmoneans

League (20 Occurrences)

Immanuel (3 Occurrences)

Rhegium (1 Occurrence)

Eglon (13 Occurrences)

Pekah (11 Occurrences)

Battle (282 Occurrences)

Carchemish (3 Occurrences)

Hiram (21 Occurrences)

Hezekiah (124 Occurrences)

Solomon (277 Occurrences)

Bethhoron (12 Occurrences)

Beth-horon (12 Occurrences)

Hittites (39 Occurrences)

Allied (13 Occurrences)

Isaiah (64 Occurrences)

Moabites (26 Occurrences)

Balaam (62 Occurrences)

Pharisees (86 Occurrences)

Maccabees

Moab (162 Occurrences)

Captivity (141 Occurrences)

Hamath (36 Occurrences)

Zidon (25 Occurrences)

Zedekiah (63 Occurrences)

Zobah (15 Occurrences)

Kin (18 Occurrences)

Kir-haraseth (1 Occurrence)

Kirharaseth (1 Occurrence)

Nebuchadnezzar (90 Occurrences)

Jabin (8 Occurrences)

Joab (128 Occurrences)

Josiah (51 Occurrences)

Jehonadab (2 Occurrences)

Greeks (22 Occurrences)

Grecians (4 Occurrences)

With (66342 Occurrences)

Fable

Treaty (25 Occurrences)

Relationship (4 Occurrences)

Related (45 Occurrences)

Ruth (19 Occurrences)

Eumenes

Detect (3 Occurrences)

Media (14 Occurrences)

Merodach-baladan (2 Occurrences)

Merodachbaladan (1 Occurrence)

Mamre (10 Occurrences)

Merab (4 Occurrences)

Prince (160 Occurrences)

Pharaohnecoh

Pharaoh-necoh (3 Occurrences)

Prisoner (87 Occurrences)

Propose (8 Occurrences)

Phicol (3 Occurrences)

Partnership (4 Occurrences)

Pashur (12 Occurrences)

Brotherly (8 Occurrences)

Benjamin (167 Occurrences)

Hebron (71 Occurrences)

Confederate (3 Occurrences)

Cyrene (7 Occurrences)

Connection (72 Occurrences)

Chios (1 Occurrence)

Chephirah (4 Occurrences)

Confederacy (2 Occurrences)

Conspire (18 Occurrences)

Chub (1 Occurrence)

Anathema (6 Occurrences)

Acco (2 Occurrences)

Asa (54 Occurrences)

Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Examples of Forsaking: Israelites
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