We are now moving into a new era in the life of the Israelites. They have had judges ruling over them for a couple of hundred years and now are begging for a king to rule them.
Our story begins with Hannah crying out to God for a son. She makes a vow. (Remember what I said about making vows – you must take them very seriously and be willing to fulfill your part.) In her vow she asks God for a son and promises to dedicate him to the Lord. God grants her request and as difficult as it is for her, she keeps her end of the bargain and takes her son, Samuel to Eli the priest.
Eli takes Samuel under his wing, and teaches him how to love God – sort of a “priest-in-training.” One night Samuel hears God, but doesn’t recognize His voice and thinks it must be Eli calling to him. God’s Word, we are told, had become rare during the time ruled by the Judges. By Eli’s time there were no prophets proclaiming God’s message. You might wonder why this had happened, but look at how many times we heard it said in Judges, “they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Or they “did as they say fit.” Eli’s own sons, who are priests, are horrible. They weren’t looking to God for answers and so He stopped talking to them. I wonder how long we, as Americans, will go before God withdraws His word from us? Are we any different than the Israelites? On a personal level, are we walking faithfully with God? It is hard to hear from someone that you are ignoring. We might long to hear from Him, but fail to be obedient to His commands.
Also in our reading we find out that Eli didn’t do a very good job raising his sons. They did evil and disgusting things before God and rather than punishing them, Eli ignores their behavior. This has lasting consequences on Eli’s family.
As Christian parents, it is our duty to see that our children our raised in homes where Christ is the center, where God’s Name is respected and honored and glorified. We should not be neglecting our responsibilities towards our children and spending too much time on ourselves, our needs, our wants. I say all of that to remind us that our focus must be on God first, others – which include our family, and ourselves last. Not exactly what the world would have us believe.
Do you want to hear from God? Then take your eyes off of yourself and put them on God.
Blessings
Pastor Kathy