ESOCS Devotional 7 April 2024 – Truth and Consequences
MEMORY VERSE: “Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.” 1 Samuel 2:30
TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 2:27-35
Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 28 Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’ 30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die, both of them. 35 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 forever.
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This is one of the judgment passages in Scripture, and it’s a tough one to preach. I’m sure it was a tough message for this man of God to bring to Eli. Sometimes the truth hurts, and we would much rather sugar-coat it or water it down than deliver it straight. But we don’t help one another when we hide or shade the truth from one another. There was sin in Eli’s life that Eli had left unaddressed. So, God addressed the sin for him. He sent a prophet to tell Eli the truth of his actions and the consequences that would follow. And as we listen in on this rebuke to Eli, we can learn some valuable lessons for our own lives as well.
We are accountable for God’s gifts (27-29): The first lesson is simply this. We are accountable for God’s gifts. Has God given you certain gifts in life? Has He given you family, work, position, resources, and abilities? Then, God expects you to use those gifts for His glory. We are accountable to God for how we use the gifts He gives us. Priest Eli and his family were given the privilege to go up to God’s altar to make sacrifices for God’s people. They were also given the privilege of burning incense. Eli was also given the privilege of wearing the ephod in God’s presence. This ephod was not the same as the linen gown that Samuel wore when he ministered in the temple, and Eli and his family were also given the privilege of sharing in the offerings made by fire.
Eli’s sin was two-fold: First, he scorned God’s sacrifice and offering. The word translated “scorn” here literally means “to kick at something.” This goes back to what Eli’s sons were doing with the sacrifices, taking more than their share and even taking God’s share. Eli was not the one taking the meat from the people by force, but he still ate the meat his sons brought back.
In doing so, Eli sinned in a second way. He honoured his sons above God. Eli knew what his sons were doing. He knew about the sacrifices. He knew how they bullied and threatened the people. He knew they were sleeping around with the women who served at the Tent. But he did not stop their actions or remove them from priestly service. He honoured his sons above God, a direct violation of the first commandment. A second lesson we learn from this passage is that we reap what we sow. And in this passage, the law of the harvest is especially applied to our attitude towards God. Your attitude towards God matters (v 30). It’s also important to know that God’s judgment can be severe. In Eli’s case, it extended even to his descendants. First of all, Eli’s descendants would die young. Of course, that would all take place in the future, but the second part of God’s judgment on Eli struck closer to home: Eli’s two sons would die together as a sign.
- It is never good to fall into the hands of God for punishment. Get His blessings, instead.
- Lord, teach me your ways and help me not to depart from them.
Further Reading: Exodus 14:5-end; John. 21:1- 19; 1 Corinthian 4:1-8
ESOCS Devotional 7 April 2024
