The Divine Whisper Daily Devotional- 13

1 SAMUEL 3:11-17 | ¹¹ Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” ¹⁵ Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. ¹⁶ But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷ Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.”

We learn our roles within the kingdom by practice and experimentation. Samuel became a great prophet, but started with one awkward message for his mentor, Eli. Eli taught him the priority of God’s word, even when it is challenging or offensive. Truth matters even when it is inconvenient. False prophets carry favor and prophesy to please, real ones pull no punches and don’t tailor their messages to curry favor.

Eli is a little lesson in human frailty. We meet him at a fairly advanced age, gradually going blind. His kindness and support for Samuel, whom he fosters and believes in are admiral. But Chapter 2 shows his faults and weaknesses as a parent with his older natural sons. He sees their unjust treatment of worshippers and blasphemous way with the Lord’s sacrifices, but does not punish them. He is passive in the face of their evil despite repeated warnings, both public and divine pressure. Just as prophets are not called as people-pleasers, neither are parents!

The truth hurts in order to heal. Do you agree?

Tags: truth, hurts, heal