DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 7 October 2023: Sin in The Sanctuary
KEY VERSE: “Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” – (1 Samuel 2:22)
TEXT: 1 Samuel 2:12-36 (KJV)
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.
13 And the priest’s custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
18 But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home.
21 And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.
25 If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.
26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.
27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
In February, 2019 Pope Francis acknowledged a longstanding dirty secret in the Roman Catholic Church – the sexual abuse of nuns by priests. It is an issue that had long been kept under wraps, but in this era, such abuse is more widely discussed. Lucetta Scaraffia, a history professor, mother and feminist, blamed abuse of women and minors on the clerical culture of the all-powerful priesthood. However, it is not only the Catholic church that is guilty. Some priests and pastors in many churches (both Evangelical and Pentecostal) engage in immoral acts with the members they were ordained to lead.
The incident of sin in the sanctuary of God as narrated in our text is both worrisome and unbecoming of the office of the priesthood. The sons of Eli (Hophni and Phinehas) were a disgrace to the holy calling. They practised various acts of irreverence to God and the offerings in the sanctuary, and slept with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Eli, the high priest was too permissive and indulgent. Instead of removing his sons immediately from the priesthood, he gave them a mild rebuke and allowed them to continue in office. God responded by pronouncing judgment on Eli and his priestly family: Hophni and Phinehas will both die in one day and the priesthood will shift to another branch of the family of Aaron.
The subject of immoral practices of priests and pastors is so topical these days that it comes up frequently in the news. Some vicars of the Lord’s sanctuary fail to recognise the full weight of the terrible sins of sexual immorality in the church. They make themselves lords over the heritage of God but the church is not anybody’s property. The church is the Bride of Christ for whom He died and redeemed. The Lord’s judgment will begin from His sanctuary (1 Peter 4:17; Ezekiel 9:6).
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Flee sexual immorality within or outside the sanctuary.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 5-8
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Sin in The Sanctuary – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
Don’t forget to Follow Elanhub on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Manna 7 October 2023
Comments 1