2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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THE LORD’S MESSAGE IS CONVEYED TO ELI
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10
1 Samuel 3
Psalm 38:1-4
“O, LORD, rebuke me not
in thy wrath: neither chasten me
in thy hot displeasure.”
THE LORD’S MESSAGE IS CONVEYED TO ELI
It was a sad message, but it had to be conveyed. Samuel was afraid to deliver it. He had a respect both for the office of the priest and for Eli. However, Eli urged Samuel to tell him everything that the Lord had told him. Eli, in a repentant spirit, submitted to the will of the Lord. It was a reaction that Samuel did not expect. The ordination of Samuel as a prophet was spread by the people who came to Shiloh to worship. He was confirmed to that office in the whole nation and his main ministry had begun on a high note. Here is Matthew Henry’s commentary:
“What a great deal of guilt and corruption is there in us, concerning which we may say, It is the iniquity which our own heart knoweth; we are conscious to ourselves of it! Those who do not restrain the sins of others, when it is in their power to do it, make themselves partakers of the guilt, and will be charged as joining in it. In his remarkable answer to this awful sentence, Eli acknowledged that the Lord had a right to do as he saw good, being assured that he would do nothing wrong. The meekness, patience, and humility contained in those words, show that he was truly repentant; he accepted the punishment of his sin.”
The prophet Isaiah said that “when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa 59:19). That is the case here. The sons of Eli turned out to be the enemies of the Lord, and Samuel was raised to deliver the nation from that wickedness. The Lord had to take corrective measures to confront their sin. It is always needful to raise a red flag when there is danger. Come out of unbelief, for God is able to provide a way of escape whenever rebellion is rife.
THOUGHT: A child of God must not be immune to sin.
PRAYER: Father, give me an obedient heart and help me to resist temptation.