Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 2:18-25
18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” 21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? 24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the Lord’s people are not good. 25 If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death.
18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. 19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” 21 And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? 24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the Lord’s people are not good. 25 If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death.
Commentary:
2:18–21 The story returns to another na‘ar (“young man, boy”), Samuel (cf. note on vv. 12–17, “young man”). Before, Samuel was ministering “in the presence of Eli the priest” (v. 11), but now he is ministering simply before the LORD, in the garment of a priest. The linen ephod was probably a simple tunic or apron worn by priests (22:18) or sometimes by others, as by David as he brought the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:14).
2:22–23 The women were not Canaanite cult prostitutes, as is sometimes speculated. Lying with them was considered among the sons’ evil dealings.
2:25 if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? This shows the need for a mediator between man and God. Because of Eli’s sons’ willful rejection of him, it was the will of the LORD to put them to death. When God is determined to destroy, no human intercession is effective. For the writers of the Bible, the fact that divine providence and human character mingle means that destinies are regarded as ultimately the result of the divine will. The most obvious example is Pharaoh in Ex. 7:13, 22, etc. But this does not mean that people are not accountable; Hophni and Phinehas had rejected God, even ignoring their father’s warning.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 495.
2:22–23 The women were not Canaanite cult prostitutes, as is sometimes speculated. Lying with them was considered among the sons’ evil dealings.
2:25 if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? This shows the need for a mediator between man and God. Because of Eli’s sons’ willful rejection of him, it was the will of the LORD to put them to death. When God is determined to destroy, no human intercession is effective. For the writers of the Bible, the fact that divine providence and human character mingle means that destinies are regarded as ultimately the result of the divine will. The most obvious example is Pharaoh in Ex. 7:13, 22, etc. But this does not mean that people are not accountable; Hophni and Phinehas had rejected God, even ignoring their father’s warning.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 495.
Questions:
While Hophni and Phinehas were becoming increasingly corrupt, Samuel was growing in his service before the Lord. They were in the same tabernacle and in the same spiritual environment, but we see two very different trajectories.
Hophni and Phinehas had repeatedly chosen selfishness, and their sin had become so ingrained that even Eli’s warning no longer seemed to reach them. These were men who had access to holy things but had become hardened toward the God those things represented. Verse 25 says they would not listen because the Lord intended to put them to death, showing the terrifying reality of judgment after persistent rebellion.
Spiritual decline usually happens gradually rather than all at once. A small compromise becomes easier to repeat, repeated compromise becomes a pattern, and eventually we can become comfortable with what once would have disturbed us. That is why repentance is a gift of God's grace and should never be postpone.
God does not expose sin to shame us, He exposes sin so that we will turn from it and return to Him.
Hophni and Phinehas had repeatedly chosen selfishness, and their sin had become so ingrained that even Eli’s warning no longer seemed to reach them. These were men who had access to holy things but had become hardened toward the God those things represented. Verse 25 says they would not listen because the Lord intended to put them to death, showing the terrifying reality of judgment after persistent rebellion.
Spiritual decline usually happens gradually rather than all at once. A small compromise becomes easier to repeat, repeated compromise becomes a pattern, and eventually we can become comfortable with what once would have disturbed us. That is why repentance is a gift of God's grace and should never be postpone.
God does not expose sin to shame us, He exposes sin so that we will turn from it and return to Him.
- Has there even been a time when something that seemed small gradually gained more influence over your thoughts, choices, or desires? What made the progression difficult to notice?
- Jesus not only forgives the sins we have already committed, He also gives us a new heart and calls us out of the dominion of darkness into a life of holiness. Where have you been relying on your ability to "manage" temptation instead of depending on the Holy Spirit's power to change you?
- What conviction have you been postponing, minimizing, or explaining away? Who can you confess that to and ask for accountability from?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess any convictions you have been minimizing and ask God to give you an honest view of sin.
- Thank God for the Holy Spirit's conviction, for His patience with you, and for the grace that continually calls you back to Himself.
- Ask God to give you courage to deal with sin while it is still small and to replace sinful patterns with habits that lead you toward holiness.
- Praise God for His mercy and grace in rescuing us from the penalty of sin.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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