July 27 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 2:11-26

¹¹And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.
¹²Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.
¹³And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
¹⁴And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
¹⁵Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
¹⁶And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
¹⁷Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
¹⁸But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
¹⁹Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
²⁰And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.
²¹And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.
²²Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
²³And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
²⁴Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD's people to transgress.
²⁵If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
²⁶And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.

Devotional

Satan often works in the homes of Christian leaders! What a victory for his side when their children dishonor God. How sad when the very work of the Lord sometimes is the cause, at least in the eyes of the world, of the rebellion of sons! How sad when the father is too much occupied with the work of 'the church' to take time to train his own children in the ways of the Lord!

While Samuel was ministering before the Lord in an honorable way, Eli's own sons were committing sacrilege. We cannot categorically blame parents for the negligence or sin of their sons. The sons themselves are accountable. But in this case God's Word tells us plainly that Eli did not restrain his sons as they were growing up (3:13). His reprimand in 2:23-25 was too late. Isn't this a sin of which our permissive generation is guilty?

The Christian father, particularly if he is engaged specifically in God's work, experiences real tension. How should he apportion his time? On the one hand, there are the needs of the people of God and of a dying world; on the other hand, there are the needs of his own family. The days seem so short. His time and strength are limited. It requires of him real grace and wisdom to set priorities properly and great understanding on the part of his family to accept his decision.

How much do we as God's people pray for the special servant of the Lord and his family? Do we limit our demands upon him when they might cut into his time with his loved ones? Are we courteous enough to include his wife and children in invitations when it is appropriate? And when necessary do we ever so gently point out to him his need to reassess his apportionment of time?