Day 7: 1 Samuel 2:12–26

Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. . . . By contrast, the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men (vv. 12, 26).

Eli was the priest in charge of the tabernacle at Shiloh. At the time of our story, he was an old man. His two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, had followed him as priests in charge. Worshipers came to Shiloh from all the tribes of Israel, bringing with them offerings. We read that “Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord” (v. 12). They abused worshipers, flaunted the sacrificial laws and customs, and even committed adultery with the women who served at the tabernacle.

At first look, the situation with Eli, his sons, and Samuel seems unfathomable. As credentials for effective parenting, Eli’s sons would get him expelled from any waiting list for adoptive parents. Why would God entrust Samuel to a man who had two such sons? One friend of mine observed that Eli demonstrated God’s willingness to recommission us. No matter how badly we’ve messed up in the past, God can still use us. What an expression of His grace to Eli, to give him another chance at fathering!

As we see the unbending character of the man that Samuel became, remember the influences that shaped his life. Possibly he chose to learn from the negative example of Hophni and Phinehas. Most certainly he learned from his mother’s respect for God and her commitment to obedience. From Samuel’s example we can conclude at least the following truths:

• We cannot use even the worst of our leaders’ failures as excuses before God for lives of negligence and compromise. Knowing what we do about Eli’s sons, we are not surprised to learn that “the word of the Lord was rare” in their days (1 Sam. 3:1). They did not hear from God because they did not honor God. God did not speak because they did not listen. Yet despite the example of Eli’s sons, Samuel chose a life of unparalleled faithfulness to God.

• Parents, like Hannah, do a tremendous service to their children when they rear them to worship and adore God and God alone. Hannah could not train Samuel to depend on her because she knew she wouldn’t be there. But as we witness his life, we never see Samuel confuse God and man. His mother’s influence still came through.