Returning Back to God
Read 1 Samuel 2:12-17
“Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord. Thus, the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men despised the offering of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:12, 17)
Introduction
From the faith of an ordinary woman, Hannah, we now turn to the other extreme—the worthless conduct of the priests. The priesthood was ordained by God to represent Him to the people of Israel. Priests were meant to know and fear God, yet this passage describes the conduct of Eli’s sons as worthless. They did not even know the customs of the priests (v. 13), and they despised the offering of the Lord (v. 17).
How Did the Priests Despise the Offering of the Lord?
Leviticus 3:12-16 outlines the duties of priests regarding offerings brought before the Lord:
Administering the Sacrifice: Instead of administering sacrifices, Eli’s sons disrupted them, preventing the full performance of these sacred rituals.
Preserving the Integrity of the Sacrificial Custom: Instead of honouring their sacred duties, they used their position to rob the people and the Lord. They desecrated the offering through force and greed. Burning the Offering with Fire: The fat of the sacrifice was to be set aside for the Lord, while the rest could be consumed by the priests. However, Eli’s sons prevented the offering from being burned as a sweet aroma to the Lord and took what was meant for Him as their own.
The Next Generation Forgot About God (Judges 2:10)
"When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel." (Judges 2:10)
The progression of Israel’s generations illustrates a sobering pattern:
The first generation, led by Moses, left Egypt as pioneers seeking the Promised Land.
The second and third generations, led by Joshua and Caleb, fought to conquer and claim God’s promises.
The fourth generation settled into the land and built a prosperous society.
The fifth generation became distracted by worldly attractions, seeking intellectual satisfaction and worshiping other gods. This fifth generation forgot about the God of Israel and indulged in idolatry, abandoning their faith.
Personal Reflection: What Does It Mean for Singapore?
Singapore has just sworn in its 4th generation of leaders. If biblical patterns hold true, Christianity may become dormant in 20 years, when the 5th generation of leaders takes the stage.
This generation of fathers must return to the stage of pioneering faith in their homes:
Teach children the Word of God.
Remind them to trust in God.
Instil a biblical view of marriage, emphasizing that it is a covenant between a man and a woman. Divorce is a spiritual defect that the Church must address, for God hates divorce!
Show them that the Word of God is the foundation for living a life free from sin (Psalm 119:9-11).
Unfortunately, some churches missed the mark over 20 years ago by misinterpreting the "Joshua Generation." They failed to recognize that the Joshua generation—except for Joshua and Caleb—was a "cursed" generation, as they did not enter the Promised Land. These misstating sidelined fathers, allowing their children to rise in prominence but without a firm spiritual foundation.
Our call to fathers is to anoint our children with the leadership of Joshua and the Spirit that is in Caleb. They hold the responsibility of becoming either a curse or a blessing to future generations by the decisions they make today. As heads of households and priests of their families, fathers must ask themselves:
Are we administering godly teachings and practices at home, or are we disrupting them?
How do we treat the Word and work of God?
Do our children see consistency between what we preach and how we live?
A Call to Fathers
Fathers, we are in the final stage, and we must make a choice:
Revert to pioneering godly practices and reaffirming them in our homes.
Continue with intellectual discussions without action (“No Action, Talk Only”) and risk losing our children to the world.
The choice is yours. Will you echo like Joshua; “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Reflection
This passage is a clarion call to fathers and leaders in every generation. It reminds us that neglecting our spiritual responsibilities has grave consequences for future generations. Eli’s sons despised their sacred duties, and their actions led to God’s judgment on their family and nation. Similarly, when a generation forgets the Lord, society becomes vulnerable to moral decay and idolatry.
Psalm 119:9-11 teaches us that the Word of God is the foundation for living a holy life, and Joshua 24:15 challenges us to declare boldly, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
As fathers and leaders, we must choose to:
Teach our children to know and love the Lord.
Live with integrity, ensuring our actions align with our faith.
Model the principles of godly living at home, leading by example.
By taking these steps, we can pass down a legacy of faith that endures, ensuring future generations will know, love, and serve the Lord.
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.