January 13, 2022

Passage Read: 1 Samuel 1-4
Meditation Verse: 3:18

Thought

Eli was resigned to God's decision. He had done all he was willing to do in order to save his sons, but they didn't listen. Now God had declared His judgment, and Eli resigned himself to it. What could he do? His sons wouldn't listen. So they would die and Eli accepted that. But he could have driven them away from the priesthood. They weren't worthy anyway. He could have saved them by driving them out. Or he could have killed them himself out of love for God. Rebellious sons were supposed to be taken to the gates of the city, judged and killed. But Eli chose to feel powerless, and let God kill his sons. He doesn't seem to have really loved his sons or the Lord.

Application

If my sons should sin and refuse to repent, I need to deal strongly, perhaps even harshly with them, in order to shake them up and bring them to repentance. To do nothing is lazy and unloving. To rebuke without punishment for ignoring the rebuke is uncaring. There is always more that can be done and should be done, if I really care about them. The same is true for members of God's household. They need to be rebuked, and if they won't repent, they need to be disciplined.