1 Samuel 2:12-36- Break it off
“Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord. And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.”
The heading in my bible is “Eli’s Worthless Sons”. Worthless was the greed that overcame them. These men were so greedy,
Greed: Having a keen desire of any thing; eager to obtain; as greedy of gain.
that they were turning people away from the Lord. These men as the Bible says did not know the Lord. How deep the sin of greed is. It comes in and destroyed all the blessings The Lord has given us in exchanged for a discontentment and robs us of the peace of Christ. We as humans fight against greed of the flesh all the time. The want for more and the newest things are all around. Greed shows the discontentment of our hearts and reveals hidden idols that lie within. We must cleanse ourselves of the flesh and abide by the Spirit. We can not be ruled by the Spirit and by the flesh at the same time.
“But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child,”
Samuel made His love for the Lord the most front and center part of His life. He did what the people around Him in the church needed. He wasn't the "I go to church on Sunday", he was sold out and all in.
Ministering: Affording aid or supplies; administering things needful
I am going to use this time to encourage you to get plugged into a local church. Being plugged into the body of Christ is vital for growth. We are the hands and feet of Christ and what good would a hand be if it was not attached to the rest of the body? Ask the Lord ho you can minister before the Lord and what that would look like in your personal day to day?
The men around Samuel however were crooked men who were not all in for The Lord. They had their own agendas and their own ways in which they were pursing.
Continue reading the rest of 1 Samuel 2
We choose who we serve. Are we going to serve God or man? Our flesh must break and we must serve God to experience the fullness of life.
John 3:5-7
““Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
When we are born of Christ we can now see in the Spiritual world. Our eyes were closed before knowing Christ. When we receive Christ as our Savior our eyes are open. From there we have the choice of who we are going to serve.
“And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.”
1 Samuel 2:35
God wants to use us! Often times we choose our own fleshly desires in substitution for the abundant, fulfilling life with Christ. We choose momentary fulfillment for unwavering fulfillment.
Process question:
Whose agenda are you living for? What master are we serving?