1 Samuel 2
I think we can all agree that enablement never leads to anything good. As the fun uncle growing up with lots of nieces and nephews, I could enable the kids to do something, but 99% of the time they took it way too far and either got hurt or got in trouble. We can take it a step further and talk about how not correcting issues leads to enablement, the type that I believe we often think about when it comes to this word.
We see in 1 Samuel 2 that Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were abusing their priestly roles. They were taking the best portions of the sacrifices by force; they had immoral behaviors. The Bible tells us they showed contempt for the offerings that were meant for God. Everyone knew this behavior was wrong, even Eli spoke to them about these things. Eli called their actions out, but the boys did not listen. This right here shows that enablement brings ruin. Eli demonstrates that when we try to correct poor behavior with passive correction, it often becomes enablement, which then turns into ruin over the long haul. We see this play out for Eli and his family as a man of God delivers judgement from God to Eli. We see in this judgement that the family line will lose its role as priest, and Eli’s son would die on the same day. When he allowed bad behaviors to continue, Eli’s enablement of his sons showed that he honored his sons above God. As a parent myself, I encourage us all to remember that sin is sin and we are to call it out in our children. When we ignore sinful and/or destructive behaviors or habits we often allow or teach our kids that it's okay to continue on. I've heard it said that what you tolerate, you participate in and eventually you share in its consequences. That saying, I believe, rings true in the story of Eli and his children. Let us be encouraged that when we call out bad behavior and sins, but do it in love, we are helping our children grow in their walk but most importantly we are bringing honor and glory to our heavenly father.
We see in 1 Samuel 2 that Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were abusing their priestly roles. They were taking the best portions of the sacrifices by force; they had immoral behaviors. The Bible tells us they showed contempt for the offerings that were meant for God. Everyone knew this behavior was wrong, even Eli spoke to them about these things. Eli called their actions out, but the boys did not listen. This right here shows that enablement brings ruin. Eli demonstrates that when we try to correct poor behavior with passive correction, it often becomes enablement, which then turns into ruin over the long haul. We see this play out for Eli and his family as a man of God delivers judgement from God to Eli. We see in this judgement that the family line will lose its role as priest, and Eli’s son would die on the same day. When he allowed bad behaviors to continue, Eli’s enablement of his sons showed that he honored his sons above God. As a parent myself, I encourage us all to remember that sin is sin and we are to call it out in our children. When we ignore sinful and/or destructive behaviors or habits we often allow or teach our kids that it's okay to continue on. I've heard it said that what you tolerate, you participate in and eventually you share in its consequences. That saying, I believe, rings true in the story of Eli and his children. Let us be encouraged that when we call out bad behavior and sins, but do it in love, we are helping our children grow in their walk but most importantly we are bringing honor and glory to our heavenly father.
Posted in Devotional