“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,

but the rod of correction will drive it far from him.”

Samuel, who was brought up in Eli’s home had been deeply involved in God’s warnings to Eli concerning his weakness and tolerance of his son’s sins, now faces a similar sin with his own sons, although perhaps not to the same gravity as Eli’s sons. Satan used this weakness of poor fatherhood, plus parental favoring, to tempt Israel as a nation to ask for a king. The Theocracy rule had its weaknesses because of the men who administered God’s rule. Now Israel yielded to the temptation to forsake God’s direct kingship and replace God for a human king. It was a direct insult to God’s kingship.

Samuel was displeased. He felt the people’s rejection of him and his family as representing God’s authority over Israel but he should have blamed himself for Israel’s abdication of God’s direct kingship instead of blaming the people.

Samuel warns the people that in order to be like the other nations it would cost them an incredible price, but his warnings were too late. The damage had been done. It behoves every man who is placed in a leadership position to earnestly and righteously govern his own family as an example to all people. One of the most important qualifications of church leadership is “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence, (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:4)

Who would have thought that weak fathering by two godly men could have such devastating consequences! It brought about an entire change in Israel’s God–appointed government.

Looking through the Old Testament we notice that there were far more evil kings than good ones. All these evil kings allowed Satan to corrupt Israel’s morals and frustrate God’s holy call upon Israel to be an example nation of righteousness to the world. We should take note that much of Israel’s backsliding, captivity and judgment was the direct result of choosing a king rulership instead of prophets, priests and judges.

Eli should have dealt severely with his son’s debauched behavior while in the ministry of the Holy One of Israel. He should have immediately stood them down and put them completely out of the ministry. But favoritism towards one’s own flesh has always been a serious weakness with mankind. One cannot help wonder what training, if any, he had given them concerning the fear of God. We should never underestimate how God feels when his servants trample under foot His holiness.