3/4/13. 1 Samuel 2:12-36. GOD HELPS HIS PEOPLE TO GROW – my devotional

Key Verse: 2:26                                                                                           Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.”

Dear Lord, thank you for helping me to get back on task and getting rested and caught up. Thank you for giving me something challenging and gratifying to wrap my mind and heart around Jesus Christ and the word of God in the Bible. How empty my heart would be without your word. Please help me at this time to gain some new understanding through this passage. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1:  Eli and his wicked sons (2:12-17; 22-36)

Verses 12-18, “Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. …”  For the remainder of the text  please refer to the end of this devotional.

Eli’s sons were priests but they had no regard for the Lord. They were corrupt, abusing their priestly offices. How could they have become like this? Eli worried more about what people would think than doing the right thing. He honored his sons more than God. (29) When he did rebuke his sons, his words had no effect. Eli’s compromised influence would affect generations of his descendants.

I can see how my life can influence my kids and my grandkids and beyond. I need to set a good spiritual example for it is more than just about me…it is about those who follow behind me. That means that I need to know that my life is not my own. It belongs to God and it affects those coming behind. I pray that I may set a great example, both spiritually and humanly.

I pray that the parents of this land may take more responsibility that they may have on their children. Their lives matter a lot. May the parents of this land step up and set a great spiritual example.

I amazed that the sons of Eli were so corrupt. How can someone stand in a religious office and abuse that office so much as these sons of Eli did? It is despicable to do so. I pray that I may not abuse my office as man of God. May I stand as a good influence to others.
Part 2: Samuel and Hannah Were Blessed (2:18-36)

Verses 18-21, “¹⁸ But Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. ²⁰ Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave tothe Lord.” Then they would go home. ²¹ And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.”

Despite the bad atmosphere, Samuel and Hannah were blessed. In accordance with his mother’s prayer, Samuel ministered before the Lord. He grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people. The Lord granted Hannah five more children and filled her heart with joy.

We wonder how this could happen with such bad mentors. God protects, nurtures and grows those whose hearts are committed to him, despite the environment. We need to trust the Lord that he will grow his people in spiritual stature and in favor with the Lord and with people according to his sovereign plan and will.

I need to accept this fact. God is in control of my kids. Because of the recent events that have occurred in my household, the “shake up” that we desperately needed to have as we grow as a family of faith, I have pretty much stopped directly discipling my kids. I adopted a “hands off and pray” approach, trusting God to work a miracle in their lives and guide them. I trusted that Julie and I have laid a great spiritual foundation and instead of pushing and fighting over little things, I trust God. This may sound like a cop out to some. But to me it was absolutely necessary to keep our family loving one another. But it is not me who is raising my kids. It is Jesus Christ.

Think of it. My extended family (that is, my mom and dad) was a great family humanly, but there was very little spiritual input. In fact, beyond going to church once every 2 -3 weeks, there was no other spiritual input. I was totally immersed in the non Christian world. I was a hedonistic partier. But Jesus came to me. In the midst of my darkness, Jesus came to me and made me into his child and his servant. Jesus pulled me out of the darkness and placed me into his wonderful light. Jesus did the same for Hannah and Little Samuel. He can do this for anyone.

This means that I should not “freak out” about people whom God sent me to mentor. I teach them the Bible but it Jesus who guides them. It is Jesus who will lead them along the path that he wants. I can not just push them to fit the mold that I want them to fit. It is all up to God. He is more than able to direct their lives.

I can see how blessed Hannah when she dedicated her child to the Lord. Parents are so worried about how their kids are going to grow up and how they are going to turn out. I guess that is part of being a parent. But we need to know that it is in God’s hands. We can try our best, and we should, but ultimately Jesus is the greatest parent. He will bless our kids despite our weaknesses as parents. And also when I trust in the Lord and take rest in him, Julie and I can be blessed by God, just as Hannah was with new joy. I can see how God is leading my daughter Jennifer over the last few years. She is growing to a very spiritual young lady in Montreal. This is not my doing. It is the Lord’s hand, guiding her. I pray for all parents in America to dedicate their children to God and let him raise them as he sees fit.

Prayer: “Lord, so often I worry about the faith of those I love. But I know that you protect and nurture those who are yours.”

One Word: God is in control

Verses 2:12-17; 22-36, “¹² Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. ¹³ Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled ¹⁴ and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ¹⁵ But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.” ¹⁶ If the person said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.” ¹⁷ This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they^[a] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt….. ²² Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³ So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴ No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵ If one person sins against another, God^[c] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death. ²⁶ And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people. ²⁷ Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. ²⁹ Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ ³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. ³¹ The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, ³² and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. ³³ Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. ³⁴ “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. ³⁵ I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. ³⁶ Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.”’