Basic HTML Version
Eli and His Wicked Sons
369
and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.” But
now the Lord says, “Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I
will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. ... I
will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to
what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house,
and he shall walk before My anointed forever.”’”
Those whose blind affection for their children leads them to
pamper them in their selfish desires, not rebuking sin and correcting
evil, make it clear that they honor their wicked children more than
they honor God. Eli should have first attempted to restrain evil by
mild actions; but if these did not work he should have subdued the
wrong even if by the severest methods. We are just as responsible
for evils that we might have stopped in others by parental or pastoral
authority, as if the acts had been our own.
Eli overlooked the faults and sins of his sons in their childhood,
fooling himself that after a time they would outgrow their evil ten-
dencies. Many today make a similar mistake. They encourage wrong
tendencies in their children, offering the excuse, “They are too young
to be punished. Wait until they become older and we can reason
[292]
with them.” Thus the children grow up with traits of character that
are a lifelong curse to them.
There is no greater curse on a home than to allow youth to have
their own way. The children soon lose all respect for their parents,
all regard for authority, and become captive to the will of Satan. The
influence of an undisciplined family is disastrous to society. It builds
a tide of evil that affects families, communities, and governments.
Thousands of homes throughout Israel followed Eli’s family life.
Actions speak louder than the most positive claim of godliness. The
evils of parental unfaithfulness are great under any circumstances,
but they are ten times greater in the families of those who teach the
people.
Effective Agents of Satan
When people use their sacred calling as a cover for selfish or
sensual gratification, they make themselves effective agents of Satan.
Like Hophni and Phinehas, they cause others to “abhor the offering
of the Lord.” They may do their evil deeds in secret for a time,