Formative Years

Formative Years
Words of Faith 8-5-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 2
[11] Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest. [12] Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD. [13] Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. [14] He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. [15] But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw." [16] If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force." [17] This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt.

For any individual, the growing-up years are formative in many ways. We don't know who actually wrote the books of Samuel, but it is often surmised that it must have been Samuel himself. So, this is autobiographical to a large extent. Samuel was placed in the care of the Temple priests to serve before the Lord under Eli, the chief priest. But he was among wicked men.
The sons of Eli are a great example of why the children of ministry leaders are not always the best ones to take on ministry. Whatever closeness with the Lord Eli had, it was not carried over to his sons. They abused their position of trust, committed sexual sin with those serving at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and stole from the offerings brought to the Lord.
The description is very direct: This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt. Samuel observed this environment as he served faithfully before the Lord.
There are actually many parallels between Samuel and Jesus. Jesus quietly observed synagogue and Temple life as he grew up. Jesus attended the feasts and saw the corruption of the religious leaders who cheated people-- the money changers and those selling high-priced animals for required offerings. Verse 26 states that the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men... almost precisely the phrase used to describe Jesus's childhood (Luke 2:52).
We might think this was a terrible environment for young Samuel to grow up in, but it was exactly where God wanted him. God used all these things for His good and according to His plan.
What might we gain from this devotionally?
"Treating the Lord's offering with contempt" is a powerful phrase. It is essential to realize that there are some ways in which our sin is against our fellow human beings, but there are other ways in which sin is against God and offends Him. The priests finding provision correctly within the system of offerings was fine. There was a manner in which this was to be done, but Eli's sons wanted a different outcome. They wanted more. They wanted more choice offerings. They wanted what belonged to God and were not content with the provision He had made for them.
Treating the Lord's offering with contempt was a sin rooted in covetousness. The boys desired to have women who were not their wives. They also desired to have the choice parts of the meat to be given to the Lord. They grasped for more than they were supposed to have. It was a matter of greed.
Of course, there is a lesson here regarding the management of church and ministry. Tithes and offerings belong to the Lord and should be treated as sacred. Money, materials, and gifts-in-kind must be treated as holy and used for the purposes of the Kingdom and spreading the Gospel. Selfish expenditures and wasteful self-indulgence are ways of treating the Lord's offering with contempt.
This is also true in the arena of personal budgeting. We are the priests who are given supervision over our own homes. The Lord's tithe and offering are to be presented to Him without our interference. These portions of God's provision belong to His house. We must take care not to treat the Lord's offering with contempt.

Lord God, help me be a wise steward over the 90% of Your blessing entrusted to my management. Help me to be faithful in returning the tithe which belongs to You so that there may be provision in Your house and for Your ministries. May the blessing of the Gospel be accomplished through all that is presented for your Kingdom. In Jesus' Name, 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.