How awful it is when the church is led by people who do not believe. How awful when priests use their position to exploit and abuse those they are meant to serve. Tragically it’s nothing new. In yesterday’s reading from 1 Samuel 2 we read what the priests were up to, and today we find out what God thinks of it.
Eli’s sons were priests, yet they did not know the LORD. It is so sad when people who profess to represent the LORD do not even know him. The priests were stealing from their own people, and such was their contempt for the LORD that they even took what should have been reserved for God alone.
And it gets worse, they even abused the women who were seeking to serve the LORD (1 Samuel 2:22).
Their dad knew all about it, and he did at least tell them that they shouldn’t be doing it (2:23) but he took no action (3:13).
Where is God in all this? In chapters 2&3 we see God is quietly at work behind the scenes raising up a new leader who will minister faithfully and pronounce God’s judgment.
While these powerful men are abusing others, God is raising up a young pastor to shepherd his people. The boy Samuel. God tells Samuel what he will do, and it’s not an easy message for Samuel to hear or to share (3:11-14).
Imagine being young Samuel, and you have to tell Eli the judgment that was coming on him and his sons. Here is a reminder that God sees everything. He cares deeply about what is going on in His church, especially how the leaders are behaving. And the godly leaders have to say the hard things, they have to call sin out. According to one writer, we learn from Eli’s failure to discipline that “God expects the officers of his church to oversee its affairs and ensure reverent worship that is acceptable to him.” (Richard Philips).
It is hard to be a faithful pastor, they need encouragement to remain faithful and to say the hard things, but Jesus is worth it, and here we are reminded that God will honour those who honour him (2:30). We are also told of God’s promise to raise up a faithful priest (2:35), God was talking here about Samuel in the first place, but its ultimate fulfilment is found in the shepherd king of our Lord Jesus. The one who will lead us in paths of righteousness and share his victory meal with us (Psalm 23).
The good shepherd is the one who was abused in our place, and lays down His life for the sheep. He calls men to represent Him. No wonder the pastor Robert Murray McCheyne wrote “my people’s greatest need is my own personal holiness.”
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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