May the mumbling commence!
Today’s reading in the chronological Bible that I am following juxtaposes the stories of Eli’s sons from the beginning of 1 Samuel 2 with the story of Samson up to his betrayal (Judges 14:1-16:22). In 1 Samuel 2:12-20, the ministries of the young Samuel and Eli’s sons are shown in sharp contrast to one another. Read this passage –
Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw."
If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force."
This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt.
But Samuel was ministering before the Lord – a boy wearing a linen ephod. 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. 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 to the Lord." Then they would go home.
Eli’s sons had no regard for the Lord. They were treating the Lord’s offerings with contempt. They did not want to accept the meat of the offerings after the fat had been boiled off, and they did not want to leave their portion to chance. They wanted the choicest portions – the portions most holy to the Lord.
Eli must have been pained by his sons’ words and actions. Why did Eli not say anything to them?
Then, we have Samuel’s ministry in contrast to Eli’s sons' ministries, who were living high on the hog. Samuel ministered before the Lord with a simple linen ephod. Eli gave him high praise when he spoke a blessing on his parents. And Elkanah and Hannah had many other children together.
It reminds me of a portion of Hannah’s song of praise. It is not the strong or wealthy that prevails but those who put their trust in the Lord. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth (1 Samuel 2:9b-10).”
Samson, too, had trouble having regard for the Lord. Samson treated the Lord’s offering with contempt. Because Samson was a Nazirite from birth, Samson himself was the offering to the Lord. As a Nazirite, Samson was not to drink or eat anything from the fruit of the vine. Though we know that Samson liked to party, there is no evidence that he broke this Nazirite vow.
However, Nazirites were to stay away from dead bodies. Samson broke this vow in a number of ways. Samson killed many people (one time with the jawbone of a donkey). Samson also killed a lion. From this lion’s carcass, Samson also took some honey and ate it. All of these actions treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.
And Samson was also led astray by women from other cultures. The Lord laid a trap for Samson in the person of Delilah. Through her, Samson finally lost the Spirit of the Lord. Samson became a fallen hero, a fallen messiah.
May we not treat our vows to the Lord with such lackadaisical whim. Let us show regard and respect for the Lord, who alone deserves our worship and our faithfulness.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment