The reason why God judged Eli is not because he didn’t rebuke his sons but because he allowed them to continue in their service in the house of God.

As a High Priest in the House of God , he had the full privilege to appoint and also demote. If his sons were doing wrong, the right thing he could have done is to put them on the bench to learn like any other .

The same honor you give to God is what He will give you, the same respect you give Him is what He will give you, if you fail to honor the altar of God , because of pity or because the person is your relative or your wife but you know very well they are doing things not pleasing to God, the Lord will judge you.

It reaches a time as a servant and even as a Pastor in the congregation, you are called not only to defend but to protect the Altar of God at all cost.

If there are members in the praise and worship but they insist on serving God with their short miniskirts and tight trousers among men and women , put them on the bench , so that they may learn. It doesn’t matter how gifted they are , the Lord will raise Samuel’s to take their place .

The Lord will raise Samuel’s who have no idea of power and leadership, the Lord will raise Samuel’s who their future seems deem and have no hope to church leadership. They are just there tendering the Lamp in the house of God
. All they do is to tender the lamb and keep the presence of God in the church. They don’t pay attention to the corruption among the sons of Eli, they don’t pay attention to the defilement in the house of God, they don’t pay attention to gossip circulating in the church.
They spend their time in humility, probably putting one garment the whole year because that is what they can afford but in their hearts, they reverence God and keep his Fire burning .

It doesn’t matter if that person is the only keyboard player in the church, if he/she fails to reverence God, put them on the bench that they may find repentance , keeping them in service will exult their hearts in pride and bring shame to the name of the Living God.

1 Samuel 2:30-32 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.

Pastor Lenny Were
RTD Church International