Day 84.
And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. (1 Samuel 3:13 ESV)
This declaration is about Eli who was the priest at Shiloh, where the Ark was. Eli was old and his two sons, Hophni and Phineas, slept around with the women who served at the temple and took what they wanted from the Lord’s offerings. Eli, on the other hand, is faithful as a priest. As a father, however, not so much. He is being judged for failing to restrain his sons. This shows the first the kind of relationship a father has with his sons. He bears responsibility for them. Second, it shows that he just be involved in the shaping of his sons and firm in his discipline. This is a good lesson for fathers in our day, who would rather take a laid back and involved approach to parenting.
Lord, give us the will and the heart to invest in our kids with intentionality and faithfulness.
