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.