Church Discipline

# 151 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:1,2a, “Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 2 "And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. (1 Sam 12:1,2a) Farewell addresses would be a great topical Bible Study. Moses gave one, Joshua gave one, Jesus gave one, and I'm sure there are others. What makes them powerful is God uses them to highlight matters of importance. He usually reminds us where we have been and if necessary tells us of important things to come. Did you ever take a walk on a state park trail and see the map that says, “You are here?” That's how Samuel begins his farewell address. He says, “you've got the king you asked for, and I am getting ready to leave this earth, and consequently my office as judge and priest. Then he mentions the fact that his sons are with the people. We've talked about this before but let's cover it again. Samuel's sons were stinkers just like his predecessor Eli's sons. We read in 1 Sam 81-3 that Samuel had appointed his sons as judges in Israel, but “his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.” The mention of his sons here as being among the people tells us that unlike Eli, Samuel dealt with his sons and removed them from their position of authority. Corrective action was taken by Samuel. This kind of corrective action is necessary and falls in the realm of what we would call church discipline today. The goal always being restoration of the sinner. This discipline was important enough to be included in Samuel's farewell address and we would do well to make note of it in the church today. Sin in the camp is to be dealt with, as the Apostle Paul moved by the Holy Spirit wrote in 1Co 5:6b,7a, Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.” The proper procedures for church discipline have been laid out in Mt 7, and 18. We would do well to follow them.