By: Mikey PesquedaAs our church has gone through the book of 1 Samuel, we have seen Eli and his “worthless sons.” I think as you see the corruptness of Eli’s son’s Phinehas and Hophni it makes you think. How did they become that way? Did Eli teach them to honor the Lord? Did he show them what they were supposed to do? Did he explain to them the dangers of practically spitting in God’s face? Scripture doesn’t give us a clear description of Eli’s parenting of his sons before we see them as corrupt priests but I believe we can make a couple of assumptions that we can learn from as parents and believers.
1. Eli showed them religion but did he show them God? When we are introduced to Phinehas and Hophni they are already priests. They knew their priestly duties but did they understand what their priestly duties were for? Did they see that God was worth their praise and adoration? We do the same things today. We take our kids to church hoping that church will teach them good morals but not teaching them that Jesus is the ultimate treasure! We teach our kids that Jesus is the ultimate treasure by modeling this in our homes. What a difference it could have made if Eli would have explained the great love of our God from their house. Parents you have a responsibility to show your kids by living it out that Christ comes first. This is where Eli failed as a father and priest. He didn’t teach his children that God must come first. In what areas of your life have you let other things take center stage? 2. Eli conformed to the world. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” As we see through the punishment that comes upon Eli’s household was that Eli became like the world. He treasured things that were fleeting, he valued the creation over the Creator, and he took advantage of what God had given him by feeding his own appetite. Romans 12 reminds us that we are called to be transformed by God and not conform to the world. Do you model this for your children? Is your life evidence that you aren’t letting this world steal your heart from the Lord? 1 Samuel 2 shows us a lot about Eli’s failures as a priest and as a father. Let us not make the same mistakes but rather let us teach our children to love God over everything. Comments are closed.
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