Friday, February 20

“Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” ‭‭—1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭30‬ ‭

Eli ("to ascend") was God's man. He was to seek the honor of God above all else.

His sons, Hophni ("a fist or handful") and Phinehas ("mouth of a serpent"), were raised in the house of God. They, however, did not know the God of the house.

While Hannah honored God with her son Samuel (“asked of God), Eli dishonored God with his sons. As Samuel was being raised up by God, Hophni and Phinehas were being taken down by Him. There is no doubt that their paths crossed as the trajectories of their lives became evident.

In Samuel's dawn, we see the rays of prayer and faith. In Hophni and Phinehas dusk, we see the fading glow of a father's life that had become a lie. How different might the outcome of Eli's family have been had he rebuked his guilty sons as sharply as he rebuked innocent Hannah?

“Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.” ‭‭—1 Samuel‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭

It is easy to have blind spots when we are honoring ourselves and our children above God. Ask God to show you if what you think you are seeing in someone else is really something He is seeing in you. Ask Him if you are truly honoring Him in your family or not.

The unraveling loss of Eli honoring his sons above God was generational for that family.

May God have mercy on us and help us. You are loved and prayed for.

Sincerely,