Bringing Light into Darkness

Bringing Light into Darkness
Words of Faith 8-9-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 3
[11] And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. [12] At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end. [13] For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. [14] Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'"
[15] Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, [16] but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son."
Samuel answered, "Here I am."
[17] "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." [18] So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes."
[19] The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. [20] And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. [21] The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

The Lord spoke to Samuel even as a young boy. The message was a familiar one. God confirmed the strong word of judgment pronounced upon Eli and his family previously by one described as a man of God. Samuel may have already been aware of these judgments simply because he had overheard them, but now there was a confirmation that had been spoken in his presence.
It could not have been easy for Samuel to consider saying these things to the one who had taken him in and mentored him in the Temple practices. But this was the truth that had to be shared.
It must be said that, with all his faults, Eli did not shy away from the hard truth when it was confirmed. These unpleasant truths upset him as much as anyone. He had attempted to bring his sons around, but they refused to see the error of their contemptible behavior. Eli's sin was not that he approved of these terrible sins but that he failed to restrain his sons from continued rebellion.
The Hebrew word translated as "restrain" means to rebuke, discourage, and "darken." Eli had failed to adequately rebuke and stop this behavior. Even more, he had failed to "darken" these acts-- or reveal their dark nature. As a result, there was a public perception that Eli approved of these sins.
One application of these truths is undoubtedly to be made within the circles of ministry leadership. While we don't have priestly families anymore, we do have families of faith and worship. In recent years, we have seen denomination after denomination slowly approving, endorsing, blessing, and even ordaining behaviors that are contemptible in the sight of God. The failure to restrain, rebuke, discourage, or "darken" the view of such behaviors is a sin very much like Eli's.
At a personal level, we also have to determine how we respond to sin. The point is not to be judgmental toward people in the world. We are to reach them, not judge them. But the point here is about failing to see sin for what it is when it creeps into the house of God.
We are called to love people in the world who are ensnared by sin. But we must not condone sin in the lives of those serving in the service of the temple or the ministry of the church. Sin must not go unrestrained or un-rebuked. We must discourage sin in the circles of the faith and bring light where there is darkness so that the darkness is revealed for what it is.
How about you? Are you loving the sinner while hating the sin? Are you living in such a way that light and darkness are always distinguishable? Or are you tacitly blessing sin? Quietly approving the snare? Gently overlooking the poison in the lives of those in the church?

Father God, give me eyes that can see those contemptible things in Your sight. Give me a heart for the lost and compassion for the hurting. Give me discernment in Your house so that I do not compromise. In Jesus' Name, Amen, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.