“16. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army. And he said, what is there done my son? 17. And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 18. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.”
We live in a day where everyone thinks Christianity means live how you want today and God will forgive you for it. Does God forgive all sin? Absolutely! When you fail, what condition is your heart in? Do you truly feel sorry for the sin you committed, or do you have an attitude that says, “oh well”. God always judges sin! God hates it when his children live in disobedience. In this passage of scripture we can see that God is judging the priest Eli and Israel for the wickedness in their hearts. Galatians 6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” When you get saved you can never lose your eternal salvation, but that doesn’t give you the free card to live how you want and expect forgiveness later. There is always a penalty! God was angry with Eli because his sons, who were also priests, lived in wickedness. Eli knew it, but never did anything about it. I Samuel 4:10 tells us that God also brought judgement into Israel and thirty thousand men were killed in an attack from the Philistines. When you accept Christ as your Saviour there should be a lot that changes in your life. You should no longer have a desire to live in sin, but a desire to please Jesus Christ. Just as God dealt with the house of Eli, He will also deal with your sin if you don’t confess it and start living according to the Bible. Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Don’t allow hunting to destroy your life! There are too many bankruptcies and broken homes because of men who refuse to live for the Lord! Do you really need a new gun or truck? Its a burden on your pastor to see an empty seat during deer season. What happens when you skip out on church? You begin to skip out on many other important things in your life, like reading your Bible, spending time with your family, prayer life, telling others about Jesus Christ. If hunting takes place over everything else in your life, you have a great problem, “…for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Maybe hunting is not your issue, but could you honestly stand before God and feel confident that your living like He would want you to live? Hunting is not sin, but when it effects your walk with the Lord, your marriage, and your children, you may want to give some serious consideration to changing your direction, before its too late. When we look at the life of Eli, it was too late!
Memory Verse Week 12/11/17
Proverbs 28:13
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
