Today's readings are 1 Samuel 1.21-2.17 and Galatians 6.1-18.
Toward the close of our Old Testament reading today we see a very sad sight. We see the adult sons of Eli, priests themselves, despising the word of God and misusing the sacrifices people have brought. They prefer their own comfort and their luxuries to the means of worship which the Lord gave to Israel. They prefer their own comfort and their luxuries to the provision the Lord prescribed for them as priests. This ought not to have been tolerated. In fact, as we read on in the upcoming days we will see that it is not tolerated. The Lord does not approve of such folly. On the contrary, he has appointed appropriate means for worship and duties for priests. He will require that his servants conform to his commands.
Situations like these point us to our own need for Jesus. We realize that we would prefer to do things our own way. We would like to make up our own rules. Or we consider that rules are made to be broken. Yet the Lord has declared his Law. The soul who sins must die. If we try to make our own laws, if we try to be a law to ourselves, we are among those who must die. Ont he contrary, we see that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, gave himself to be sin for us. Through the death of Christ on our behalf we are no longer subject to death. By belief that Jesus is who he says he is and did what he said he did, we become partakers of his life, for we have given up on our own hopes and preferences.
So where do we stand? Are we going to trust in ourselves like the sons of Eli? Are we going to trust in God, like Hannah and Samuel? May the Lord bless us to rejoice in the work of His hands, not in our own ideas.
Toward the close of our Old Testament reading today we see a very sad sight. We see the adult sons of Eli, priests themselves, despising the word of God and misusing the sacrifices people have brought. They prefer their own comfort and their luxuries to the means of worship which the Lord gave to Israel. They prefer their own comfort and their luxuries to the provision the Lord prescribed for them as priests. This ought not to have been tolerated. In fact, as we read on in the upcoming days we will see that it is not tolerated. The Lord does not approve of such folly. On the contrary, he has appointed appropriate means for worship and duties for priests. He will require that his servants conform to his commands.
Situations like these point us to our own need for Jesus. We realize that we would prefer to do things our own way. We would like to make up our own rules. Or we consider that rules are made to be broken. Yet the Lord has declared his Law. The soul who sins must die. If we try to make our own laws, if we try to be a law to ourselves, we are among those who must die. Ont he contrary, we see that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, gave himself to be sin for us. Through the death of Christ on our behalf we are no longer subject to death. By belief that Jesus is who he says he is and did what he said he did, we become partakers of his life, for we have given up on our own hopes and preferences.
So where do we stand? Are we going to trust in ourselves like the sons of Eli? Are we going to trust in God, like Hannah and Samuel? May the Lord bless us to rejoice in the work of His hands, not in our own ideas.
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogger.com
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