1 Samuel 3:18 (HCSB)
So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, "He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks is good."
Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas were evil men. They defiled God’s sanctuary. They exploited their office. They took advantage of the people they were called to serve. Eli knew about these things but did not stop them. Apparently he was one of those passive dads who do not like confrontation. He gave his sons a little lecture, but it was too little too late. By this time they were out way of control.
God held Eli accountable for his lack of action. Judgment was pronounced on his entire family. God revealed to the boy Samuel what He was going to do. Eli made Samuel tell him everything. His response to this catastrophic news was: “He is the LORD. He will do what He thinks best.”
Raising boys is a little different than raising girls. Both need lots of love and affirmation. But boys will push the limits. Boys will take risks. It’s one thing to take a risk with your own life and limb, but it’s another thing altogether when we take risks with our purity, our integrity, our reputation, and with other people. Eli should have confronted those boys. If the stories he heard were confirmed he should have disciplined them severely. Problem is that he had already taught them through his actions that they could get away with anything. The punishment should fit the crime. But children must be taught that there are consequences for their actions.
Better to whip them with a belt now than bail them out of jail later. You can’t bail them out of hell!
It's my DAUGHTER, not my son, who takes risks and pushes the limits. But the solution is the same. "Do not hold back discipline from the child. Although you strike him with the rod he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol." Proverbs 23:13,14
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this so much. Postponing consequences allows the root sin to grow or multiply like bacteria in a petri dish. This is the passage we share with our kids when we go about disciplining them - Heb 12:10-11 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
ReplyDelete