One Leak Will Sink A Ship, So Don’t Be Lenient Toward SinSample

What Was The Leak In Eli’s Life? 

Eli’s life is proof that he overlooked disobedience in the lives of his children.

Eli accused a pious woman (Hannah) of drunken behavior because she prayed silently in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 1:12-14). But he was seemingly oblivious to his own sons who were abusing their priestly office by fornicating (1 Samuel 2:22) and stealing sacrifices (1 Samuel 2:12-17) right under his nose!

Hophni and Phinehas were guilty of a double sin. Firstly, they robbed the people: not content with the share assigned them, they sent a servant to interrupt the preparation of the sacrificial meal and seize a further portion. Secondly, they insulted Jehovah by demanding their share before the parts consecrated to God had been duly burned upon the altar (1 Samuel 2:15). The Bible makes it clear that these sins were not occasional lapses of otherwise godly men – they were habitual (notice the use of the word ‘custom’ in 2.13; the tense of the verbs also emphasizes the regularity of their crimes).

Their disobedience would not have started with the big things, like taking the people's offerings and sleeping with the temple women.  It probably started off small, and when those small things were ignored or not addressed properly, it grew to bigger things. 

There is a slippery slope that exists in our own small undisciplined actions that leads us away from that God-honoring life we seek. Small actions can potentially lead down a path we don't want to go. It is as important to discipline ourselves as it is to discipline our children, not to mention that the example we set before our children influences them in so many ways. 

Eli’s passive attitude toward their sin revealed a lack of passion for his God. And God sent a prophet to confront Eli about his sin: “Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of my people Israel?” (1 Samuel 2:29).

Eli was aware of what his sons were doing (verse 22). He was aware they were taking more than their share of the people's offerings, that they were showing contempt for the Lord and that they were seducing the women who assisted at the Tabernacle. That means he wasn't aware of only this one act; he was aware of  multiple things these young men had been up to.

Ignoring disobedient behaviors can take us or our children down destructive paths like the ones Eli's sons took. Don't ignore poor behavior. 

Quote: "One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Prayer: Lord, help me to recognize the importance of obedience and not to ignore disobedience. Amen