God’s Judgment of Sin - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.
1 Samuel 3:13

God's Judgment of Sin
Eli's sons had despised the offerings of the Lord, and had committed immorality at the door of the tabernacle of meeting . They had caused many to stumble and hate the offering of the Lord. Such shameful conduct is not unheard of in many churches today. Even though Eli's sons made light of sin, "the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord" (v. 17). Eli heard the report of their evil doings. It was more than a report; there were many witnesses who confirmed what they were doing. Eli should have acted decisively in disciplining them, but he gave them a mild rebuke instead, which displeased the Lord.

Because Eli did not act for God and His holiness—for "holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever" (Ps. 93:5)—God acted for the maintenance of it. The Lord told Samuel, "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle" (1 Sam. 3:11). The Philistines slew Eli's two sons, and the Ark of God was captured. On hearing—not about the death of his two sons, for he must have expected it—that the Ark of God was taken, Eli fell over backward from his seat and died.

There is a comparison with the assembly in Corinth. They were tolerating sexual immorality in their midst. It was a well-known fact, but they did nothing about it. When Paul heard, he rebuked them for their spiritual pride and lack of mourning over the sin. Only then, did they put away the wicked person. In Paul's second epistle to Corinth, we see how the sinning brother had repented and was restored to fellowship. Are we becoming too soft, or indifferent to sin? God is unrelenting and unbending when it comes to sin. We need only look at the cross of Christ to see that God took decisive action in judging sin in the person of His Son.

Richard A. Barnett