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ger’s report'. News of the ark gripped him. After his forty years of experi ence as priest, he could hear of the overthrow of the army without tre mendous shock to himself; he could even know of the death of his sons without- overwhelming emotion; but when he realized that the ark ljad been captured, he sustained so fear ful a blow that he collapsed, and fall ing from his seat, suffered a broken neck from which he died. In seeking the cause of this tragic end to the life of one who had occu pied the highest position in the na tion, we can see the beginning of Eli’s failure in his weakness in family dis cipline. Correction was not imposed upon the sons in their early, youth. There are many modern systems of dealing with the waywardness of youth. But there still remain the clear directions given in the Bible which, when followed,, will prove entirely effective. Points and Problems 1. "Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt?" (1 Sam. 2:27). God here seems to express surprise at Himself for havjhg chosen the hohse of Aaron to the priesthood. Eli and his sons had so miserably failed in their holy office that the question concerning the wisdom of His choice arose. There are times when professed servants of the Lord discharge their responsibil ities so unworthily that God would be justified again to ask the ques tion, Did I indeed choose these people for My holy service? 2. "Wherefore kick ye at my sacri fice and at mine offering?" (v. 29). The trouble with Eli and his sons was that they were trampling under 'foot the most significant part of God’s revelation. The sacrificial system is at the very heart of God’s plan of re demption. Earlier verses in this chap ter reveal a shocking irreverence to ward the sacrifices on the part of Eli’s sons. 3 . "I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever" (v. 30). Some see a conflict here between the Word of the Lord and what actually took place. But there is'no conflict. The Lord said of the house of Eli that they "should walk before me for ever." This responsibility of a holy walk was the proviso of blessing. If they had done as they should have done, their priestly ministry would surely have continued. God did not change. Eli and his sons changed. Because God is unchangeable, His attitude must be different toward the sinner than it is toward the righteous. To ward the former there must be judg ment, toward the latter blessing. The
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same sun that melts the wax hard ens the clay. 4. "When he made mention of the ark of God •. . he died” (v. 18). The ark symbolized the presence of God among men. Eli felt there was noth ing to live for if the ark be gone. Matthew Henry remarks, “His heart was broken first, and then his neck.” This incident speaks of the emptiness of life without God. • E. H. Pearce, a former president of Wesleyan College at Winchester, Ky., tells the following incident: “ Just after the close of the Civil War, I was living in Washington, and, being a young man, was trying to decide whether I should énter the Christian ministry or not. I resorted to a friend, well known and wise in counsel, to seek his advice. Shortly after our conference began, General William Tecumseh Sherman came in. “My friend said to him: ‘General, Mr. Pearce here is trying to decide whether to preach or*not.’ •. ■ “In his characteristic way, General Sherman replied, ‘Obey your last marching orders, young man.’ For a moment the great General seemed abstracted, and then he continued: ‘God Almighty only knows what would become of the country if it were not for the Christian mert and women in it.’ Allyn K. Foster in Five Thousand Best Modern Illustra tions, by Hallock. Golden Text Illustration H ebrews 5:1
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Hannah’s Prayer of Praise 1 S amuel 1 ^ nj > 2
MEMORY VERSE: “ I will praise thy name, O Lord; for'it is good (Psa. AIM: To show
that we are happy when we let God have what is dear est to us. A P P R O A C H : Perhaps you have a tiny sister pr brother in y o u r home. You would not take anything
bivision
else in place of that baby. Nothing in all this wide world is so sweet. %
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