the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 2 of 5
1 Samuel 2:27-36
In the eyes of the people, the misconduct of the sons of Eli was disgraceful. But especially in God’s eyes, what dishonour it brought to His name! Hophni and Phinehas (the latter even bears the same name as a faithful high priest: Numbers 25:11) had been brought up near the sanctuary, in close contact with divine truths. Their responsibility was indeed great compared to that of the rest of the people; ours is also great if we have had the same privileges in our upbringing.
Eli, himself a godly man, did not know how to restrain his children. Certainly he made some attempt to remonstrate with them (v. 23), but he lacked firmness with them. Some children find their parents too strict at times. They should consider the consequences for the sons of Eli when they had an upbringing that was not strict enough. For Eli himself these consequences were most serious: his household put out of the priestly office and his sons struck down dead. A prophet is entrusted with bringing him this sad message. The New Testament bears out that if the children of a servant of God are not submissive and disciplined, they can take away all the power from their father’s ministry (1 Timothy 3:4-5). This warning may perhaps strike home to one or another of our young readers.
