Joel and Abijah

“Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.” — 1 Samuel 8:1-3 Samuel judged over Israel in the area of Ramah, while his two sons were in Beersheba, in the southern areas of Judah. Because of their location, Joel and Abijah served far from their father’s eye. Due to the character and integrity of Samuel, Joel and Abijah knew that their father (Samuel) would disapprove of their actions. It was because of loose supervision that their “judging” led their corrupt natures to become very obvious. The corruption of Joel and Abijah consisted of three major problems:

1. They turned aside after dishonest gain
2. They took bribes
3. They perverted justice



Joel and Abijah did not have the heart of service and dedication like their father. Ultimately these two sons were hirelings. They quickly became more concerned about their own personal lifestyle. They needed to discover ways to create financial gain. Though we know very little about Joel and Abijah, we can understand that they began to view ministry as more of a job, and not as a higher calling to serve the people of God. From a seat of authority, their judgments were soon based on self-interest and not the word of the Lord. They showed themselves to be corrupt and more concerned with supporting their way of life rather than serving God’s people. They evidently had a very selfish love that was driven by profiting from service of who they should have been. This did not go hidden from the eyes of the Lord. They were judged by God and their corruption led to the fulfillment of Israel's desire for a king rather than a Judge.

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