A couple of bad apples

1^st Samuel 2

Eli's sons were priest and they were to be taken care of by the people's tithes (Numbers 18:20-24, Joshua 13:14, 33). Slight problem though, they were corrupt and didn't know the Lord.

They took advantage of their postion to satisfy their craving for power, possessions and control. Their contempt and arrogance threatened the integrity of the whole priesthood.

Sound familiar? Priest tied to sex and money scandal, details at 11:00 (10 for those of you in the CST).

One bad apple, in this case two, can ruin a whole bunch! What about all the priest who took their calling seriously and served in obscurity, except of course before the Lord, did it change the way people viewed them?

When you hear of a scandal, does it change the way you think of your pastor, priest, or shepherd?

Here are a couple of things I thought of as I read this passage;

First, my personal holiness. I must be a man who knows God intimately, learning to love Him more daily, digesting His word and doing what it says. I must love people and use things, not love things, because I will begin to use people. I must take my calling seriously and not view what I do as a vocation. I must not look down on God's people or treat their offerings casually or with contempt, if I do I will be judged harshly by God himself.

Second, there are times when serious problems need to be confronted, even if the process and consequences could be painful. Eli knew about his son's corruption, but he also knew the consequence for their actions was death. Tough call, huh? But, by ignoring their selfish actions he allowed them to ruin their lives and the lives of many. God will not be mocked, you reap what you sow.

Remember this book (1^st Samuel) was written to teach a new generation about obedience, how will you live out what you've read today?