Day 10 – 1 Samuel 2:12, 22-25

¹² Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord.  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; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the Lord’s people. ²⁵ If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death. ^[1]

The Bible is filled with examples of poor parenting. It starts in the first book of the Bible when Cain repeats the sin of his father Adam by not taking responsibility for his sin after he has killed his brother Abel. Early in my ministry I counseled a woman who was distraught over her promiscuous teenage daughters. She could not figure out how they could have become that way. But then I pointed out the numbers of men she, as a single mother, would bring into her home and the example she set for these girls their entire lives. The sad truth is that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children down to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:7).

The poor example in our text today is that of Eli, the priest of the Lord, whose sons were so wicked “they had no regard for the Lord.” They slept with women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting (these would have been Nazirites volunteering or cultic prostitutes). They ate the choice meat barbequing it rather than eating it boiled. Eli attempts to rebuke them but they refuse to listen because they were wicked (when you know the right to do but refuse to do it). How did these two men get this way? Their lack of discipline did not happen overnight, but had to have begun as children. Their wickedness, then, is an indictment of Eli himself who failed in his parental responsibilities. Certainly our children have a free will to do as they choose, but often “the apple does not fall very far from the tree.” Am I being too hard on Eli? Read the entire chapter and see how God not only killed the two sons but also exacted harsh judgment upon the house of Eli forever, and then goes and calls Samuel. What kind of example do we as parents set for our children and what impact will it have on generations yet to be born?

Lord, it is a difficult task raising and taking responsibility for children. There are times when it seems to be an insurmountable task. We want to be good parents who leave a lasting legacy for good, but we need Your help. Enable us to be parents after Your own heart and example. Teach us how to overcome the poor examples we have had and break the cycle of judgment over our families, in Jesus’ name. Amen.