1 Samuel 1:24-25 (NKJV): 'Now when Hannah had weaned Samuel, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli (the priest).'
Samuel's ministry began with a sacrifice. It's a ministry full of the cross. The slaughtered bull is a 'picture' of Jesus being sacrificed on the cross, while the flour (to make bread) and the wine are 'pictures' of Jesus' body broken and blood shed on the cross. So, his ministry then was a 'picture' of the New Covenant that was to come!
If you read 1 Samuel chapters 1, 2 & 3, you'll see 'pictures' of how the New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant. Samuel represents the 'new' while Eli's sons (Hophni and Phinehas) represent the 'old'.
Let's look at the difference between Samuel and Eli's sons first. 'Samuel' means 'heard of God' in Hebrew, and he was born of Hannah, which means 'find grace/favor'. Today, as a believer in the New Covenant, you have also 'found grace/favor' because you are in Christ. And while Samuel continued to grow in stature, and in favor of God and men (1 Samuel 2:26), and while he continued ministering before the Lord (1 Samuel 2:18), Eli's sons continued to live in their corrupted ways (1 Samuel 2:12). By the way, 'Hophni' (Chophniy) comes from the word ‘fist’ in Hebrew, while 'Phinehas' comes from two Hebrew words, i.e. ‘peh’ meaning ‘mouth’; and ‘nachash’ meaning ‘serpent'. So, ‘Phinehas’ means ‘mouth of serpent' or 'mouth of judgment'. Theirs was a ministry of condemnation and punishment. But the good news is in the New Covenant (which is also called covenant of grace), Jesus has already carried all your judgment (or condemnation) on the cross, and there's therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1).
1 Samuel 2:34-35 then says, 'Now this shall be a sign to you (Eli) that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas, in one day they shall die, both of them. Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and He shall walk before My anointed (Messiah) forever.' People of God, the 'new' has replaced the 'old', and the Bible says this 'new' has made the 'old' obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).
Let's now look at the contrast between the nature of these two ministries. An Old Covenant ministry is a ministry that 'hits', 'whacks', 'judges', and 'condemns' the 'sheep', whereas a New Covenant ministry is a ministry that keeps feeding and unveiling Jesus in all His loveliness and perfection of His work on the cross. In fact, when Jesus restored Simon Peter back to ministry, He said to him, "Feed My sheep." (see John 21:17) He never said, "Hit My sheep." In short, a New Covenant ministry is a ministry full of the revelation of Jesus at the cross. Never get yourself 'mixed up' between the two.
This change of covenant has already happened on the cross some 2,000 years ago. The cross has indeed made all the difference! So friends, it's important to know & understand which covenant (or ministry) you are in as a believer today.
