In the End, Who Is Left Begging?

# 45 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 2:35 'Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever. 36 'And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, "Please, put me in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread."'" The prophet continues to speak God's judgment against Eli and his descendants. The fact that God says He will raise up a “faithful” priest indicates that Eli and his house were NOT faithful. This new priest would be faithful in following the instructions for the offerings and sacrifices as he and his family would “walk before God's anointed forever.” God's anointed is Jesus Christ, and this new priest would carry out his duties in a fashion that would keep pointing to the unblemished Messiah that would one day come and redeem God's people. This prophecy was fulfilled when Solomon became king and removed Abiathar from the priesthood and installed Zadok: (1Ch 29:22) Eli's descendants were left out in the cold and relegated to begging for a morsel of bread. Eli and his sons had abused the office of priest by using it to satisfy their own fleshly lusts, and now their posterity would be left with nothing. Do you understand the implications of this? You and I are priests in the house of God. Re 1:5b,6a says, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father,” To spend the blessings of this office on ourselves is to be like Eli and his sons or the foolish rich man who passed by the beggar Lazarus who was outside his gate every day. In the end, who was left begging? It's not about satisfying our fleshly lusts. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.