THOUGHTS ON 1SAMUEL CHAPTER 2
This chapter can be summarised under the heading, “The Arrival of Samuel as a Priest and the Exit of Eli as a Priest in Israel.”
1.God answered Hannah’s prayer and that answer brought about a solution to a major problem in the House of God! Can we see here that every need in the life of a child of God is connected to the need in the House of God? Hannah has been praying for the fruit of the womb for many years. It was not a hard thing for God to answer her prayer the first day she noticed a delay but God was waiting for her to pray according to His will by promising to use her answered prayer to meet the need in His House. Making a vow in the place of prayer helps to bring the answer speedily! What is that long outstanding need in our lives? Today, let’s tie its answer to meeting the most pressing need in the House of God and see if it will not drop in our palms immediately!
ELI’S TWO SONS AS SONS OF BELIAL.
Definition: Belial means the devil personified.
2. I believe Eli would have settled the matter of his children’s misbehaviour in the house of God if he had taken some drastic measures against their corruption in the house of God. It is not that Eli did not caution his children against their corrupt attitude in handling the priest’s office. He did ! But his children did not listen to him. Verses 23-25.
In Verse 27, God sent a man of God to warn Eli of the judgement that He was about to bring upon Eli and his family because of the iniquities of his two sons but Eli did not say anything about it.If Eli had apologized and taken a disciplinary measure against his sons, I believe God would have changed His mind.
2. I think Eli was not very hard on them because God said it in the next chapter verse 13 that Eli did not do anything about the matter of his children’s misconduct in His house that is why the priesthood will be taken away from his lineage forever.
Still on the issue of Eli children’s iniquity; from
Eli’s response to Samuel’s statement to Eli as revealed by God in chapter 3 verse 18, ” It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.”It shows that it is either that Eli was fed up with his children’s misbehaviour or that he handled the things of God with levity.
Let every child of God becareful the way we do the work of God because God sees our heart and He knows our motives!
LESSONS LEARNT
1. Let us always pray according to the will of God.
2.Let us learn to make a vow like Hannah did if we notice any delay in answer to our prayer.
3. Parents should not condone their children’s misbehaviour!
4. We should not handle the matter of the Kingdom with slack hands!
PRAYER
1. Father,help us to always pray according to Your will.
2. Father, help us to overcome any lackadaisical attitude towards the service of Your Kingdom in Jesus Christ’s Mighty Name!
Father, let none of our children be termed, “Sons nor daughters of Belial” in Jesus Christ’s Mighty Name! Amen!
Thank You Father for answering our prayers!
