May 5, 2024 – 1 Samuel 2:27-36

May 5, 2024 – 1 Samuel 2:27-36

 

27  And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh?  28  Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel.  29  Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’  30  Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.  31  Behold, the days are coming when I will cut

off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.  32  Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.  33  The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by

the sword of men ]   34  And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day.  35  And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.  36  And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece

of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”

 

In these verses we read that God sends an unknown man to share with Eli that his family will be cut off from the office of high priest.  Further, Eli’s family’s strength and power ends, both his sons die on the same day, and their end of life would result in pain sometimes even resulting to begging. This is such a difference to what God had intended for Eli’s family.  It appears that Eli honored his sons more than God.  Do you find yourself placing family, job, and earthly matters above God?  How can you discern where your heart truly is?  What can you do to fall in love with God more each day and allow God to become your first love?

 

 Heavenly Father, how many of us will never know Your good intentions for our lives because we never live with You in mind?  Help me to live my life so I can live out Your intentions for me.  I want my life to represent You and all the good things You have for me, my family and for me to share with others.  How sad it makes me when I can’t give my children or grandchildren something because they didn’t act in a way that made me able to bless them with something special.  I know You must feel so sad at times at how we act.  I know there are blessings You intended for me that You couldn’t give me because I couldn’t handle the extra blessings.  Help me live in a way that makes You proud.  Help me live in a way that shows Your love to others.  Help me live so that others want what I have, even if they don’t understand what it is.  It isn’t money, power, gifts, or anything else that people think is of value.  What I have that others need…is You.  Help me share that with everyone You bring in my path.  Help me to speak boldly about You so others can come to know You as well.

 

In Jesus’ name.

Amen!