I am deeply disturbed by Eli's response to God's words, "He is the Lord, let him do what is good in his eyes." In the message, there was the solution for dealing with God's judgment. God said the reason for judgment was Eli's lack of action, not his son's sins. When God says that sacrifice or offering won't make it right isn't saying that there is no way to stop this. The answer we can see is found in Psalm 51:16-17, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." The solution for Eli was to repent (to stop and go in a new direction). It was for Eli to do something out of a repentant heart, but Eli instead says God's going to do what He wants. It is like a person whose doctor has prescribed a medication with the warning that if you don't take it, you will die, saying, "I guess I'm going to die." The difference is that Eli seems to be blaming God for what is coming.
Repentance often means we have to do something or stop doing something. Even if you do church work, God expects you to be faithful to him above all else, including family.
Photo by Julia Zolotova on Unsplash
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