
Prophet and loss
1 Samuel 2:12 – 4:11
Eli’s story is tragic in the full literary sense of the word.
In him we see a man who is in many ways a good and faithful priest, but who has the tragic flaw that he is either unable to see the evil in his sons or unwilling to respond appropriately.
He does, in fact, rebuke them for their wrongdoing, but goes no further than that even when a “man of God” (possibly an unnamed prophet), makes clear to him that God is displeased both with the sons’ actions and with his own inaction. Further evidence of his own righteousness is the courage he shows when he realizes that Samuel has received a word from God: “Do not hide it from me,” he said. Then, upon hearing God’s judgment, he accepts it: “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”
Ironically it is Eli’s weakness in relation to his sons that leads to their death as God’s judgment.
While Eli is not being punished because his sons are evil, he is being punished for his own unwillingness to put a stop to their evil deeds. While he cannot control all that they do, it would presumably have been in his power as the elder priest to force them to do their ritual duties properly or take away those duties. God, in his words to Samuel, makes Eli’s failure clear: “For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God and he failed to restrain them.”
By contrast, the young Samuel is shown to be a faithful man of God. In spite of his fear, he reports the word of God as he has received it.
Verses 3:19-4:1 make it clear that Samuel’s prophetic gift is not a one-time event. “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.”
Further, “And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.”
Tuesday meditation
Proverbs 18:23-24
The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Prayer focus
Lord, grant us the courage to stand up for your truth even when it is unpleasant to do so.
-Rev. Mark Fleming