1 Samuel 2:1-36

What a contrast the characters in this passage present.  We have Eli who is the priest with two worthless and immoral sons contrasted by Hannah with Samuel who is serving the Lord.  We would normally expect that the priest would be giving the example and setting the standard to which all of the other people would seek to follow.  However, just the opposite is true.  This is a reminder that true leadership is not established by title or positions, rather by character.  Hannah sets an example that all of us would do well to follow.  Eli sets an example that not even his own sons are willing to follow.  We must not depend upon our position or title to influence people, our true influence over the lives of men is made through our character.  Here are a few of the characteristics exemplified in this chapter.

GRATITUDE:  Hannah is extremely grateful for the child the Lord has provided and she dedicates a song of worship to the Lord because of His great provision.  The song expresses the greatness of God and how He is the only true and all powerful God.  We must be faithful to recognize the provisions of God in our lives and then praise and worship Him for who He is and for what He has done.  His actions are a reflection of His character and we must be faithful to recognize both.  Hannah’s gratitude pays off in a big way as she was blessed with five more children after Samuel.  God is amazing in His ability to bless.  We are foolish not to give all that we have to the Lord as He is always so faithful to bless our generosity.  Hannah gave one child to the Lord and God have her five back.  That is not a bad trade.  Certainly we don’t give knowing how God will bless but we do know that He will bless in ways that we may never imagine or ever realize until we reach heaven.  Generosity and gratitude are two character qualities that we would do well to learn from Hannah.

GREED:  Eli’s two sons were at the temple to help their father with the sacrifices.  This was their job and they should have done it with honor as a service to the Lord.  God had made provision for them through the sacrificial system and they should have been able to live very comfortably with what God had provided.  The problem was that they were not satisfied and wanted to have the very best of everything.  They did not want to take the portions left after the sacrifice, they wanted the fat a raw meat and the choice cuts of the meat before the sacrifice was made.  This was an abomination to God and was robbing the people of the sacrifices that the Lord required them to make.  Instead of being a mediator between the men and God they were being a stumbling block.  As if that were not enough, they were also using their position of influence to force the women who came to the temple to have sexual relations with them.   These men were greedy and immoral and using their position to pad their pockets, fill their bellies and satisfy their sexual desires.  Unfortunately many ministers today are following this same path.  They have huge salaries and live like Hollywood stars and use their influence over the women in their congregations to woo them into adulterous relationships.  These things ought not be this way and God will step in one day and take all of this away.

GUILT:  Eli knows what his sons are doing and he tells them not to do so, but his words are weak and fall on deaf ears.  They continue to live this life of guilt and Eli stands by and does not put a stop to it.  He should have thrown them out of the temple and cut them off from the family until they repented.  In reality the Law required that they be put to death.  However, Eli is a weak leader and a poor father and is, very likely, enjoying the prime cuts of meat his boys bring home and he pretends not to see their sexual carousing.  God steps in, declares them all guilty and promises to kill both boys in one day and that the line of Eli will come to an end.  The priesthood will pass to another family and Eli will be a disgrace.  Sin has grave consequences and all who refuse to repent from sin will one day be called to account and God knows how to judge sin.  We must be very careful to keep count of our sin, confess it, repent of it and trust the cross of Christ to cover it.  We do not want to stand before God in our own guilt for He is a righteous, holy and zealous judge.