1 Samuel 2:12-17 English Standard Version

¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. ¹³ The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, ¹⁴ and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. ¹⁵ Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” ¹⁶ And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” ¹⁷ Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

Read these passages with the intent to learn object lessons. Read them again if necessary.

What is the first object lesson?

They did not know the Lord and were therefore seen as worthless. That first thought was entered even before comments were made of their behavior. We should not expect those who do not know the Lord to have respect for our traditions. They have not learned the fear of the Lord, yet.

Why were these two men singled out?

They were serving as priests in Shiloh. Men without knowledge of God were allowed to perform priestly duties. Eli was warned twice about his sons and did nothing about it.

What happens to men who have contempt for the Lord’s offering?

Deuteronomy 2:1-3 English Standard Version

2 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. ² Then the Lord said to me, ³ ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward

The first lesson to be learned here is to follow the last command of the Lord until directed otherwise.

The second is to know that God knows when traveling in circles has accomplished in us all that God deems necessary. We might not understand the purpose for this seemingly repetitive cycle of living but God knowns what is required even if we do not.

Thirdly and most importantly, be faithful in what God has asked of us and new marching orders will come.

When our unit first came to Vietnam we were ordered to walk through muddy rice paddies with no goal except to continue to keep walking. We did not understand why until after we no longer needed to repeat the exercise. It was to condition our bodies to endure the conditions and become stronger. As time passed troops died and were replaced. Those that came from the states did not gain the benefit of that training and they suffered because of it.

What God asks of us in obedience of faith is meant for our good, even if at the time we do not understand it. I remember the lessons of Vietnam and found one example which I could use over the years. “Stop complaining and keep going.”

Whining about out circumstances requires us to stop forward progress. Faithfulness understands that and keeps moving until given further orders.