Repent For Your Sake and the Sake of Your Children

# 44 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:33 'But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 'Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die, both of them.” This judgment against the house of Eli would come to complete fruition during the reign of Solomon. We read about it in 1Ki 2:27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, that he might fulfill the word of the LORD which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh. None of Eli's descendants would experience ripe old age, and to prove it to Eli, these two sons of his who were abusing their God-given office of priest would both be taken from him in one day. Two sons in one day! Eli will be experiencing much emotional pain due to his own compromise and his refusal to discipline his sons. “His eyes would be consumed in tears” and his heart will be greatly grieved. This is a stunning piece of Scripture. It serves as a reminder to all about the consequences of laxity in following Jesus. When we let our guard down and allow compromise into our faith, and when we refuse to take the biblical steps necessary for discipline, we impact the generations that follow! God IS merciful, but our own refusal to repent, can lead to serious consequences for our posterity. Ex 34:7 "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." May this prophecy concerning Eli and his posterity bring us to fresh repentance for our sake and the sake of our children. For the Lord says in Eze 33:11, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

God Is Also Just

Please note: I will be out of my office until June 29th and will resume my Du-votionals at that time. # 43 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:31 'Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 'And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 'But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. The prophet of God continues his prophecy concerning Eli and his posterity. His family had been given the office of the priesthood in Israel by birthright. (By grace) But because they had despised their office and God's grace, these calamities would come upon him and his family. Eli and his sons who once held positions of great power in God's kingdom would become powerless. Not only that, but none of his descendants would live to see old age, and Eli would live to see the horrific day in which the ark of God was captured by the Philistines. He would see the glory depart from Israel, and he would know that it was his refusal to discipline his sons, and his own compromises that allowed all of this to happen. Not exactly a great way to live out your days. This passage serves as a reminder that God is not just a God of “love” He is also a just God, and when you think about it clearly, you realize that a God of love MUST also be just. God is abundantly patient, but there comes a time when He will carry out His “justice.” Let this be a warning to all. God will serve His justice on any and all who trample upon His grace. We like Eli's sons were born into the priesthood of believers through God's grace. Salvation is a gift of God, but if we despise it, God will execute justice on us too. Those who trample on His grace and reject His gift of Jesus will never enter heaven, they will fall short and spend eternity, powerless, and tormented in hell.

What Does It Mean To Be Ashamed of Jesus

# 42a – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:30 "Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.' But now the LORD says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. Whenever you see the word “therefore” in Scripture, you should go back a couple of verses and see what the “therefore” is “there for.” In this instance the therefore is there because of what Eli and his sons have done to that which is sacred. They had used their God-appointed office to gain sexual and material favor. It was their gross abuses that merely demonstrated their true lack of love and honor for God. Therefore God tells Eli: “I know I promised that you and your family would hold the office of priest forever, however, you have abused that office, you have not kept up your part of the bargain, and YOU, not I have voided the agreement. This should serve as a wake up call for all! Listen again to what God said to Eli, “But now the LORD says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor (speak well of) Me I will honor, (speak well of) and those who despise (regard as vile) Me shall be lightly esteemed.” (regarded as vile) This is God's prerogative. No, it is more than that. It is His mode of operation. This verse from Samuel is the New Testament equivalent of what Jesus said in Lu 9:26 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. Being ashamed of Jesus and His words means you regard Him and His words as vile. And if something is vile, you do not want anything to do with it. So, what is YOUR attitude toward Jesus and His Word? Do you treasure ALL of it, or just the parts you find convenient for your lifestyle? This is more important than you might think for Jesus has said “the Word that I have spoken will judge him (you) on the Last Day. (Jn 12:48)

He Died For Us That We Might Live For Him

# 42 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 28 'Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 'Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?' (1 Sam 2:27-29) The prophet states God's case against Eli and his sons. Note the phrase, “Did I not clearly reveal Myself.” God's appointment of Aaron and his house to the priesthood, the duties of the priesthood, and the benefits of the priesthood were made perfectly clear. There were no gray areas. So the prophet in effect is telling Eli, “why did you allow the rules to be changed? In so doing you kick at My sacrifice and My offering. “ Remember these Old Testament offerings and sacrifices were all a type of the sacrifice and offering that Jesus would one day make on Calvary for the sins of the world. Therefore, Eli and his sons were in effect despising Jesus. They were kicking Him, trodding Him underfoot. They were more interested in what they could get out of the offering, than what the offering actually accomplished for them. Friend, never forget the sacrifice of Jesus and why He had to die. Heb 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Jesus didn't die to make you and I fat on prosperity, or to live as we please. He shed His blood because it was the only way to pay for our sins. He died for us, that we might live for Him.

Where Are the Warnings About Hell?

# 40 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? We are not told who this “man of God” is, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that we understand how much God desires for His people to heed His Word, and there are consequences for those who don't. God's rules for behavior of priests were clearly laid out in Scripture and He had given Eli and His sons ample time to repent of their wayward ways and correct the problem, but they refused and now God was going to use this unknown prophet to spell out the judgment against the house of Eli. God does not execute judgment without warning! Where are God's warning prophets today? Are there any in the pulpits of the land speaking about the eternal fires of hell? Why are so many of the messages given in the pulpit centered on moralism, and prosperity? Is there no fear of hell? It seems we are in the age of ticklish ears and smooth things. 2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; Isa 30:10 Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. The Jesus that is preached today is a moralistic and ever blessing Jesus, but the real Jesus had a lot more to say about hell than He did about prosperity! We would all do well to hear His prophetic warnings in these end times. It was Jesus who said. Mt 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus On Every Page

# 39 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:26 And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men. (1 Sam 2:26) Where have we heard such a statement elsewhere in Scripture? We read a similar statement about Jesus as a young man in Lu 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” I bring this up because it is good to look for Jesus on all the pages of your Bible, and here we see that Samuel serves as a type of Christ. This passage should get us thinking about the similarities between Jesus and Samuel. (1) For instance, the birth of both of them was announced in advance. (2) Samuel was a Nazarite from birth, Jesus was a Nazarene. (3) Both were in the house of the Lord at an early age. Samuel serving under Eli and Jesus was teaching in the temple at the age of 12. (4) Samuel and Jesus were prophets, speaking the words of the Lord. (5) Both were men of prayer (6) Both trained others in the Lord's Service (7) Both are described as “judges” Furthermore, Samuel and Jesus both arrived on the scene during a time of transition. Samuel served as a connection between the period of the judges and the beginning of the monarchy in Israel. Jesus arrived at the time of transition between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus would usher in the era of the priesthood of all believers, and bring the culmination of salvation by grace through faith. He would put skin on the Old Testament faith of Abraham, which is the faith for all time, namely “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to Him for righteousness.” As Samuel anointed the first two kings of Israel, Jesus would be anointed as the Messiah, and will one day return as the King of Kings and Lord of lords! I hope that as you see these similarities, it will strengthen your faith and trust in the Word of God. It is THE Book that points to Jesus as the way, truth, and life.

Don't Think You Can Turn Repentance On Like A Water Faucet

# 38 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:25 "If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them. (1 Sam 2:25) Simply stated this verse presents this truth: All sins are forgiveable except the sin of unbelief. Eli's sons have trampled on the sacrifice of the Lord. Their actions in stealing the meat and engaging in sexual sin in the name of the Lord, profaned the sacrifice which typified the sacrifice of Christ. The writer of Hebrews addresses this matter in Heb 10:26-30, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." This was the sin of Eli's sons, and because they refused to turn from their wicked ways, it was God's will to execute judgment on them. Vengeance is His and He will repay. They had crossed a line and God's patience with them had come to an end. Is this a line that you want to mess with? Do you really think that you can turn on personal repentance like a water faucet? Learn from Eli's sons and stop trampling on the grace of God. I know many people read about this sin (which in reality is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit) and wonder if they have committed it. The quick rule of thumb is, “if you are worried about it...you haven't committed it.” Nonetheless, be wary of it! Lukewarm and indifferent attitudes toward God's grace are an invitation to His judgment.

The Lack Of Proper Church Discipline

# 37 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:24 "No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD'S people transgress. (1 Sam 2:24) “You make the Lord's people transgress.” What a charge to levy against a religious leader! Eli's sons were engaged in illicit sexual activity with women who served in the temple. Shocking as this may seem to us, we must remember that the Israelites were surrounded by the Canaanite culture which accepted temple prostitution as a form of worship. This is still another classic example of the world having undo influence in the church. This behavior of Eli's sons gave the green light to God's people to do the same. Their blatant disregard for the Lord's will concerning sexual purity and proper worship led others down the same path of sin and destruction that they were following. Listen modern day shepherd's of God's flock. This is no small matter to lead God's people astray with words and actions that ignore sin. Jer 23:1 says, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the LORD. And in Isa 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Oh we may not engage in temple prostitution anymore, but the silence from the pulpit and the lack of proper church discipline in matters of sexual sin is deafening. Our silence and lack of corrective action is giving the green light to the Lord's people to go down the same path of destruction that Eli's sons went down. It is not enough to say, “No my sons,” Corrective action must follow! It's the reason Jesus gave us a procedure to follow for church discipline in Mt 18. it seems that many churches lack the courage to take these steps of proper church discipline. Maybe that would change if we would remember the end of Eli's sons. It wasn't very pretty, it never is for those who fail to come to repentance.

The Billy Graham Rule

# 36 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:22-24 “Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 23 So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24 "No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD'S people transgress." (1 Sam 2:22-24) You can't read this and not pick up on the seriousness of this sexual sin committed in the name of the Lord. It is a serious abuse of the grace of God by someone in a position of God-given authority. It's nothing new, and is still with us today. Scandalous reports of sexual misconduct in the church surface on a regular basis. As we mentioned last time, the best way to deal with it, is to take precautions beforehand. Billy Graham is a name that is greatly respected around the world, not just in the church, but by everyone. He was often away from his wife and family as he brought the gospel message to the masses. He was well aware of the sexual temptations he would face and the damage sexual sin could do to himself and the church. So he gave his ministry colleagues explicit instructions: “never leave me alone in a room with a woman who is not my wife.” If Billy Graham felt that he needed to take such precautions, wouldn't other church leaders be wise to do the same? In this day and age, I would even go further and recommend that same rule for women, men, and children. Remember, no one is above these kinds of temptation. Therefore never leave your pastor or other spiritual leaders alone in a room with ANYONE! If one on one counseling is required make sure it is in an office with windows, where a third party can observe the entire process. Make it a rule to avoid any physical touch. There may be a time for holy hugs, but not in the counseling room. These precautions are still no guarantee, but if followed they are common sense measures that can help prevent these kinds of scandals in the church today.

Foxes Shouldn't Guard Chicken Coops

# 35 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 23 So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. Eli is getting on in years. It won't be long and his sons will inherit his duties as high priest. This is not a good scenario and he knows it. Word had gotten back to him from the people that his sons were openly engaging in sexual misconduct with women who were serving in the temple. Are you kidding me? What an abuse of power! What a blatant disregard for the holiness of God! This is all so sad, it makes you want to weep. First of all, are you telling me that Eli didn't suspect this misbehavior of his sons? Was he so blind that he didn't know of the hanky panky taking place in the name of the Lord? What was it that finally spurred him to issue a mild reprimand to his sons? Was he concerned about God's reputation or his own? Sad to say, but illicit sexual activity among church leaders has always been a problem and continues to be a problem even today. We in the church need to face up to that fact and be prepared to handle it, if and when it occurs. The best way to handle it is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. This can be done by careful screening of those in leadership positions in the church. This is not a guarantee, but it's a good start. A backround check on Eli's sons would shown some major character flaws (Remember how they ripped people off concerning their offerings?) This alone would've disqualified them from office, and prevented any further smearing of the Lord's name. Don't overlook this valuable tool given to the modern church to screen ministry candidates. Do not be in such a hurry to find workers that you gloss over patterns of bad behavior. Foxes, don't serve well as guardians of chicken coops.

When Will We Believe That Children Are A Blessing

# 34 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD." Then they would go to their own home. 21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD. (1 Sam 2:20,21) Year after year Elkanah and Hannah would bring their offerings and a new coat for Samuel, and year after year Eli would pronounce this blessing on them. Listen carefully to the blessing. “The Lord give you descendants,” in other words the Lord grant you children! Children are a blessing from the Lord. Hannah and Elkanah knew this and believed it! ….........................Would that we would believe it as well. We don't find Hannah and Elkanah saying to Eli, “Alright, we already have two other kids, so stop with the blessing already.” No! They welcomed these children for what they were, gifts and blessings from the Lord. Ps 127:3 says, Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Do we really believe this or do we look upon it as something for the unsophisticated people of the Old Testament? The word heritage means “something inherited”. In other words children are an inheritance from God. They are bequeathed to us. Imagine being present at the reading of a will and finding out you are going to inherit a million dollars. Would you stop the reading and say, “no thanks, I already have 300 dollars.” How silly. Or imagine rejecting any other reward from God. “No thanks God, I'm good” Well maybe you think you are, but letting God choose the size of your reward would be immeasurably better. We would do well to trust God rather than man for the size of our families.

The First Altar Boy

# 33 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ( 1 Sam 2:18,19) “But Samuel.” While Eli's two sons were ripping off the people and despising the Lord, little Samuel was doing just the opposite. He ministered before the Lord. The idea of the word minister here is to serve in menial tasks. In today's terminology we might call him an altar boy or an acolyte. Much of the duties that were required of priests in Old Testament times dealt with symbolism. Just about everything done in the temple pointed to the coming Messiah. So Samuel did any and all menial tasks necessary to keep that message clear and ever before the worshipers. You can be sure that he learned from Eli all the symbols and their meaning and value in worship. Of course these symbols are no longer necessary since the Messiah has come, nonetheless many churches still use symbols to point to Christ and His finished redeeming work. These symbols can serve as a very rich worship experience when they are not abused, and they can be very instructive in the training of young people. One thing for certain, whether a young person grows up in a church tradition of acolytes, or altar boys, it is important to train them up in the basics of the faith. Family devotions, Sunday School, Christian day schools, and youth groups are excellent ways to provide this training, but it is also very important that we find areas of meaningful service for our young people in the Body of Christ. Sometimes I think we are guilty of dumbing down our kids in the area of service and in the end....we lose a valuable resource to the church. Samuel's menial service, complete with the symbolic ephod prepared him for service to God. What kind of opportunities can we give our children to do the same?

Giving Our Best To God

# 32 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:15 Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw." 16 And if the man said to him, "They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires," he would then answer him, "No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force." 17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. Eli's sons were out of control! Why should they have to eat stew meat when they can have a char-broiled steak! Not only that, but these fat cats even refuse to do this dirty work and send their servants to make the ungodly demands of the worshipers. In Lev 3:3-5 we read that the fat of the offering was to be burned on the altar “by fire to the LORD.” and this offering was “a sweet aroma to the LORD.” The sons of Eli were depriving God of the sweet smell of a worshiper displaying thanks to God by giving up that which was precious. This is not a small thing. After the flood, Noah offered up a burnt offering and note God's response: Ge 8:21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. It was the soothing aroma that caused God to make His promise to never again destroy every living thing. But in denying this offering to the Lord and taking it for themselves, they were in effect saying, “we don't need Your promises God.” And so they “abhorred” God. They regarded He and His promises with disdain. It is the sin of idolatry, plain and simple. Putting themselves and their fleshly desires before God. May we ever be thankful for God's promises, may we give our best to Him.

Beware the Unholy Hook

# 31 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:13,14 And the priests' custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. 14 Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. (1 Sa 2:13,14) When people came to sacrifice, a certain portion of the meat that they sacrificed was designated for the priests. We read about this practice in Le 7:34, “For the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever.'" There was no provision for the priests to go fishing for more and better cuts of meat. Yet somehow this practice had evolved to the point that they even developed a special tool to increase their chances of pulling out some prime rib! Kinda makes you wonder who the first priest was who came up with the idea and then pulled it off on some unsuspecting annual sacrificer. “Um, Mr Priest, how come you're taking more than the breast and thigh this year?” “Because the Lord has given me a holy hook and told me whatever I pull out of the stew is mine!” Well, it's a man-made unholy hook and we would do well to learn to keep our unholy hooks off of what belongs to God. Remember, in New Testament times, believers are all priests and I think it would be wise for us to rethink what we are pulling out of the pot that should be given to God. Are you tithing to your local congregation? Are you setting aside the firstfruits of your labor for God? Or have you come up with your own holy hook to deprive your local congregation of the funds necessary to operate within God's economy? Perhaps it's time to examine our own custom of giving to the Lord

What Does Your Pastor Believe About the Bible?

# 30 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:11,12 Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD. (1 Sam 2:11,12) Eli's priestly sons are introduced here as corrupt unbelievers. The King James describes them here not just as corrupt, but as sons of Belial! Whoa! Imagine that. Sons of the devil serving as pastors in the house of God! Further, we are told that they did not “know” the Lord. The word “know speaks of intimacy. In other words neither of them had a personal relationship with God. How is such a thing possible? Sadly, it's a problem that has always been with the church. The devil is more than happy to insert false shepherds and prophets wherever and whenever they will be tolerated by the people. Isa 56:11 Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory. Mic 3:11 Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Tit 1:11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. I am amazed, (although, if I read these last verses in 2 Timothy, I shouldn't be surprised,) at the number of churches today who are willingly led away by pastors who don't even believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God! Just because we are sheep, doesn't mean we have to be mindless. What does your pastor believe about the Bible? Is it just a collection of stories to him or her, or is it “Thus saith the Lord!” Follow truth not fable.

When the Pastor's Kids Rebel

# 29 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:11,12 Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD. (1 Sam 2:11,12) So the time has come for Samuel to begin his service to the Lord. He would learn under the not so watchful eye of Eli. Please note the very first thing we read about as Samuel begins his tutelage. The priests sons, whom Samuel would likely be bending elbows with, were corrupt. Eli had not done a very good job of keeping his sons under control. I think it's interesting to note that under New Testament guidelines, this character flaw in Eli would disqualify him from his position in the church. In Titus 1:6, and 1 Tim 3:4, we read of the qualifications of a man desiring the office of bishop: Tit 1:6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. “ And, 1Ti 3:4 “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence” Many a church and pastor have wrestled with these passages when a rebellious PK (pastors kid) resists parental authority and lives a dissipated life ( a life without biblical restraint) What's a body to do in such instances? First of all, don't over-react. Over-reaction would've removed Billy Graham from the pulpit due to the rebellious ways of his son Franklin. Children rebel, whether they are sons of church leaders or not. The key is how is the rebellion handled? As long as the father doesn't look the other way, ( as Eli did) but rather seeks to take steps to correct the situation, he is demonstrating his ability to stay in office. Don't forget the reason why this stipulation for holding a church office is in place. 1Ti 3:5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?) A church leader must demonstrate his ability to discipline his children for the time will come when he will need to discipline his flock. Both are to be handled the same way. Always aiming for restoration.

Trust Jesus Alone For Salvation

# 29 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed." Hannah's Spirit led prayer finishes with a prophetic glimpse of the final victory over the enemies of God through Jesus Christ. Her own battle with Penninah over producing offspring serving as a foreshadowing of the battle to win souls for Christ. At first glance it appears that Penninah is winning, but in the end it is Hannah's offspring that are left standing. Jesus said in Mt 7:14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” The “way” through the narrow gate is faith in Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through Me. (Jn 14:6) He is the King that Hannah mentions in her prayer, He is the “anointed” who is exalted above all others. The victory over Penninah, the victory over the adversary of mankind is only won through the power of God's anointed.....Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Ac 4:12 says, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." This prayer of Hannah's serves as an exhortation, to put our faith in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. Anyone without Christ, in the end will be crushed. Re 2:27 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' Father, thank You for the victory we have in Jesus. Help us to persevere until You call us home or until our conquering King returns.

Praying For Your Children

# 28 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:9, “He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail.” I wonder if this portion of Hannah's prayer is first and foremost for the safety of her precious Samuel. He is so young and she is now turning his care over to Eli. Surely she is aware of the wicked reputation of Eli's sons, and would desire that Samuel would be protected from their influence. And so she prays that God would guard the feet of His child Samuel. Let him not hear the tempting voices of the wicked, let them be silent in darkness, unseen and unheard by Samuel. She acknowledges that this protection can only be offered by God. No man can prevail in his own strength. What a great prayer for our own children as we send them off into the world. Whether it be the world of kindergarten, middle school, high school, or college. “Lord, guard their feet.” The word “guard” means to put a hedge of thorns around something to protect it. That something, is their feet. In other words, “Lord, keep their feet on the right path.” I like to think of it as God holding them in His hand. They have complete freedom to walk in that hand, the thorn barrier that He has set up is His Law. The prayer is that our young people would know that barrier and respect it, lest they be tempted to walk through it and suffer the painful consequences. As long as we remain in His hand we are safe. Ps 121:3 says, “He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.” And Jesus reminded us of that truth in Joh 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. Father, I pray for all parents who are sending their children into the world. Grant them peace. Protect their children from the evil one, let them rest in the knowledge that you love their children even more than they do.

God Makes the Rules

# 27 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He has set the world upon them. I cannot read this without thinking of the beggar Lazarus spoken of in Luke 16:19-31. He sat outside the gate of the rich man begging for morsels of food, and all he got was first aid treatment from the dogs who licked his wounds. But when Lazarus and the rich man died, Lazarus was lifted out of the dirt and taken to eternal comfort, while the rich man had to endure the flames of hell. What a picture in Hannah's prayer for us as well, for we are nothing but beggars in need of God's mercy and grace. We are sinners, desperately in need of forgiveness and cleansing. Isa 64:6 says, “ But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;” There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Jesus has earned it all, for all of mankind, and God in His mercy, stoops down to the dunghill and offers us forgiveness of our sins through faith in His Son Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be lifted out of the manure pile and granted the gift of eternal life. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me. (Jn 14:6) That is God's simple rule for salvation. Trust in His Son. You can complain about it if you want but don't forget “the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He has set the world upon them. He is God. He makes the rules. His rule of salvation is summed up in Mr 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Father, even my faith is a gift from You. Thank You.

Remember Where You Came From

# 26 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:8 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He has set the world upon them. Dust is too kind of a word, the King James says, “raises the poor from the dunghill.” Right or wrong this is how Hannah felt when she was without child. She felt as useless as a pile of dung. In her helpless barren estate, she came to the Lord as a beggar. He heard her prayer and made her feel like a queen! It is His prerogative to do this, and it is in His power to do this, since he is the Creator of all that is in this world. As she stated earlier in her prayer: 1Sa 2:7The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.” Hannah's understanding of who God is, allows her to keep a proper measure of humility before the Lord and we would do well to remember it in our own lives and prayers. Especially in light of the amount of material blessings we have in this land. It's easy to start heading down the road of thankless, god-less, self-sufficiency in the midst of such prosperity. Listen to some verses from Dt 8 that Hannah was likely familiar with, and probably aided her on her journey of humility before the Lord. Dt 8:11 says, “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 "lest-when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 "and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 "when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 "who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 "who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end- 17 "then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' 18 "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 "As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God. This story of deliverance and provision for the Israelites is your story and my story as well. Let us be like Hannah. Let us continually come to God with thankful, humble hearts for all He has given. The consequences of forgetting His benevolence through ANY means are disastrous. Listen to Rom 1:21, “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Then in v24 we read of the consequences of such foolishness, “Therefore God also gave them up.” How tragic, a thankless people become a godless people and God simply turns them over (gives them up) to the ravages of their own sin. Seek to remain thankful and humble, lest He do the same with you.

"You Need To Listen".........God

# 25 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:6 "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. (1 Sam 2:6) Hannah continues her prayer as she extols God as the Lord and giver of life, and as the one who also carries out the sentence of death. God is a just God and sin brought death into this world and it is God who determines when that sentence is to be carried out. The Psalmist writes: Ps 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Hannah evidently has been reading her Bible, because in this portion of her prayer she is simply restating De 32:39, 'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.” When we pray back Scripture as Hannah did, we in effect tell God that we are hearing what He says. I drove by a church the other day that had a sign out front that read. “We Need To Talk”.....God. I think it's time to change that sign to “You Need To Listen”......God. This verse that Hannah quoted needs to be prayed back more than ever in our land today, because apparently we don't believe it. Those who profess to follow Christ need to understand that life and death decisions are in God's hands not our own. Job was right on when he said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. (Job 1:21,22) This knowledge should cause us all to pause and consider our attitudes towards birth control, abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. Is He the Lord of life or not? Are we talking at God in our prayer life or are we taking the time to listen to what he has to say?

Arrows Fall Short Without A Bow

# 24 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:4,5 "The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. (1 Sa 2:4,5) Hannah continues her prayerful diatribe against her rival Penninah. At first glance this seems rather mean-spirited to us. But as I read this prayer and the imprecatory psalms where David is praying against his enemies, I like to look at their prayers as a foreshadowing of the reality of the battle between God's children and the devil and his demons. (Again, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood) Here's the reality of those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. “The bows of the mighty men are broken,” (without bows, the arrows of the accusations of the evil one cannot reach to the ears of God.) “And those who stumbled are girded with strength.” The word stumbled here means to totter, to fall, to become weak. This describes our condition as we come to the end of ourselves and turn to Jesus. It is when we rely on Him that we are girded with strength. As it is written in 2Co 12:9a, “My strength is made perfect in weakness." “Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. (The devil and his demons who were having their way with the unbeliever, suddenly find slim pickings, and the one who has turned to Christ, is full and satisfied with the peace of forgiveness and the fruit of the Spirit. (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal 5:22,23) “Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble.” Finally, the believer lives a fruitful life in God's Kingdom, and the devil and his demons will decrease in strength. They become feeble because the believers sins have been washed away and since they live to forever accuse the brethren, they have nothing left to feed on.

Talk No More So Very Proudly

# 23 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:3 "Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. Remember, In this portion of Hannah's prayer, she is making a proclamation against God's enemies. Specifically, she is talking about the way Penninah had rubbed it in that she could provide children for Elkanah but Hannah couldn't. 1Sa 1:6 says, “And her rival (Penninah) also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb.” This is not a personal attack against Penninah, rather it is an attack against the devil and his enemies who were using Penninah to get to Hannah. (Father forgive Penninah, for she knows not what she does”) By the way this prayer of Hannah's is very similar to some of the prayers in what are called the imprecatory psalms of the Bible where David appears to be praying ill will on his enemies. The word imprecatory means to call down evil on someone. Please don't take this as a green light for you to call down evil on your flesh and blood enemies. The Bible tells us in Eph 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Rather these prayers should serve as reminders to us and our “real” enemies that God sees. He knows of all the devil's shenanigans. He knows how the devil uses the pride of men to attack others. He knows and He weighs each attack and payment will one day be made in full when the devils and his demons are forever cast into hell. So forgive those whom the devil uses against you, pray for them, and guard your own heart from the sin of pride, which seems to be the major weapon of choice of the evil one. Remember Hannah's prayer for your own life and “talk no more so very proudly.”