Parental Courage

Eli served as a priest in Shiloh. He had two sons who followed in his footsteps as priests. Hophni and Phinehas. God had a definite opinion about these two sons. Read it for yourself.

1 Samuel 2:12 (ESV)
12  Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD.

The word worthless in that passage means they were corrupt. They were bonafide hypocrites. They despised the offerings of the Lord. When someone brought a sacrifice they took what they wanted for themselves before it was offered to God. They also committed fornication repeatedly with the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Their sin was public knowledge to the nation. Eli was told repeatedly but Eli acted a coward.

1 Samuel 2:22 (ESV)
22  Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Eli heard about all his sons were doing. Not just once. He kept hearing these reports. What did he do? He talked to them but did not go further. He did not remove them from public office. The law was not observed in response to their immoral and corrupt ways. Compromise abounded. Concessions were made. It ended up costing all three of them dearly.

God had enough and sent a prophet to pronounce judgement on the house of Eli. Not just for his two sons. The seer prophesied both sons would die on the same day. He also pronounced the house of Eli would be cut off. God had a priest in training to take Eli's place as well as his sons.

I understand a parent's love, but I do not understand turning a blind eye to sin. Over the years I've had to confront my sons about sins. It has not been easy. I did not confront because I did not love them. I did it because I did and do love them. I want them to walk uprightly before God.

Some parents act like they are scared of their children. Afraid their kids will not be their friends. God did not call parents to be kids' friends. He called us to love, train, nurture and reprove them. He called us to teach them to submit to God's authority. To ignore this is to do your children a great disservice.

I understand full well as children grow up, you cannot force them to serve God. They have to own their relationship with God. That does not mean we turn a blind eye to openly rebellious and sinful behavior. Sin has consequences. It did in the Garden of Eden and does in our homes today.

Dr. James Dobson wrote that parenting is not for cowards. It takes courage to look your children in the eye and stand your ground when the majority of other church member parents cave in to societal peer pressure. To knowingly ignore sin in a child's life is to sanction such sin.

With confrontation there can be grace when the child is repentant. What if Eli had removed his sons from office and prayerfully confronted them instead of just telling them the rumors he heard about them. What if those sons were brought to repentance when they were removed from office. If Eli had parented with courage and conviction instead of cowardice and concession maybe his boys' lives could have been spared and Eli's house would always had someone serving in the priestly office.

Sadly such was not the case. Both sons died on the same day. Eli broke his neck shortly thereafter. It is the sad tale of corrupt sons and a cowardly father. May we learn our lessons from this story before it it too late. Parent with courage.