Worthless Men, the Reason for Failure in the Community of God.

1 Samuel 2:12-36

                Eli was the High Priest of Israel. He had the responsibility to teach and serve the people spiritually and yet his sons, also in the priesthood, are described here as “worthless men”. They were cheating the people who were bringing their sacrifices to the Lord and they were sexually taking advantage of the women serving around the Tabernacle. They were using their spiritual, God given authority to only serve themselves. Apparently they weren’t even doing it secretly but right out in the open. No wonder the people of Israel were tuning away to other god’s.

                What’s worse is that their father, their boss, gave them little more than a slap on the wrist. They had committed sins that were punishable by death and they were allowed to continue to “serve” the Lord. An entire nation suffered and fell away from God because of it.

                God doesn’t let this continue forever, thank God. A “man of God” (Where does this guy come from?) shows up and in no uncertain terms lets Eli know that things are going to go bad for him and his sons for what they have done. Eli might not have done anything overtly wrong, but he let evil go on when he had the power and authority to stop it.

                Fortunately, there are some bright spots in this section as well. We see that Hannah, the lowly but faithful women and wife, continues to be blessed by God and has several more children after Samuel. God blesses her for her unusual faithfulness and she flourishes. Samuel also is specifically marked out as growing “in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.” Samuel the boy, who was nobody, was being blessed by God, honoring Him, and growing. Eli and his boys, who had the authority to do good and influence people, were doing the opposite and going in the opposite direction.

Lessons: We have to take responsibility for the injustice we see around us, especially in the church. There are absolutely no excuses for us to put up with sin. Yes we need to be merciful and forgiving, but that is no excuse for not holding people, especially leaders, accountable for their actions. When we let things slip we do God, and the people of God a disservice and the consequences could be devastating.

                By contrast, no matter who we are, we can rely on God and we can make a difference in the world when we do so in God’s strength. Be a force for good wherever youare. Be confident that God will use you and give Him the glory.