1 SAMUEL 2:12 NLT
12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for
the LORD
Eli was a priest of Israel who did not train his sons to obey.
Eli’s failure to properly train his children affected not only
his own family very negatively, but also caused disaster for
the nation of Israel. (see 1 Samuel 4:10-11)If children are not trained to respect the word of their
parents, they won’t properly respect anyone — including God —
without first experiencing the painful consequences of their
actions.How important God considers training children to obey can be
seen from the story of Eli and his sons.
1 SAMUEL 3:13 NKJ
13 “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for
the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves
vile, and he did not restrain them.
1 SAMUEL 2:17,22-25 NLT
17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the LORD’s
sight, for they treated the LORD’s offerings with contempt.
22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were
doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his
sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance
of the Tabernacle.
23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the
people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep
sinning?
24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the LORD’s
people are not good.
25 If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for
the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can
intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for
the LORD was already planning to put them to death.
Eli may have told his sons they were doing wrong, but they
obviously had no respect for the word of their father and
ignored his warning. Because God held Eli accountable for this,
it must have been a result of his failure to train them to obey
when they were children.Training is more than telling. Training is making sure someone
does something correctly until it becomes a habit.
1 SAMUEL 2:29-30 ESV
29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I
commanded, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves
on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’
30 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.
Because Eli did not make his sons do right, God held him
accountable. God said Eli honored his sons more than he honored
God.Many parents make the same mistake. They put their children —
their desires, their happiness — above everything else in
life, including God. In that way they are actually worshiping
their children by putting them above God.
COLOSSIANS 3:20 NLT
20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the
Lord.
Only when we are children are we to OBEY our parents. However,
Scripture instructs us to always HONOR our parents no matter
what our age may be. To honor primarily means to show respect
and treat with special consideration.
EPHESIANS 6:2-3 NLT
2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment
with a promise:
3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for
you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
Training children to obey is not primarily for the benefit of
the parents, but for the benefit of the child. Not training
your children to obey is actually child abuse.It may seem easier at the time for a parent to let their child
do whatever they want — without restraining them or training
them to do right. But that harms the child because it trains
them to do wrong. As a result they are robbed of the peace and
blessing they should enjoy.God places primary responsibility on fathers to make sure their
children are trained according to God’s Word. Mothers are not
exempt from this responsibility, but God does hold fathers
ultimately responsible.
EPHESIANS 6:4 NLT
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you
treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and
instruction that comes from the Lord.
(Note: if you fell short as a parent, don’t despair. God is
merciful and gracious. So pray for your children and God will
work in their lives.)
SAY THIS: Lord, I pray that the parents in our land will train
their children according to the Word of God.
