Eli, Samuel and Child-Rearing Through the Ages

In our Sunday school class this week, we talked about Eli, the priest mentioned in the early chapters of 1 Samuel. His own sons were awful--corrupt and greedy. Eli was aware of their sinfulness and in 1 Samuel 2:23-25 he rather weakly fusses at them. Young Samuel, the little boy who was dedicated to God by his mother, was also raised under the care of Eli, but he turned out really well.

I love the way the biblical text raises profound questions and leaves it up to readers to think through the answers. What was different between Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, and Samuel? Was it "genetic"? Was Eli a better "father" to Samuel because he'd learned from his mistakes with his own sons? Do we dare think that God had more of a hand with raising Samuel than with Hophni and Phinehas? We don't know anything about a mother for Hophni and Phinehas; was it the same woman, and was she part of the influence? Maybe Hannah, Samuel's mother, prayed for him every day. The text just doesn't say much, so we are left to wonder and speculate.

Fascinating as that speculation is, I think it has a real-life benefit. When we start wondering about the difference between the wayward children and the "good" children, it doesn't take long till we start thinking about families we know. And just as we don't know all we'd like to know about Eli's household, we never know very much about our friends and acquaintances. Still, by thinking through what might have worked or not worked for Eli, we can draw some conclusions about the way WE should raise our own children.

I certainly haven't broken the code on raising children, and I am convinced that every child and every family is unique. Nevertheless, I tend to think the Eli stories suggest that parents should have high standards for their children, communicate them clearly, and enforce them as best they can.

(Yes, yes, I know: my kids got away with lots of stuff I didn't approve of, and we probably didn't discipline them as well as we should have. I'm not sayin' I'm that great a parent; just that the Bible leads us to certain conclusions about how to behave!)

These Eli stories have been told and retold for thousands of years. It's fun to think about families and individuals through the ages that may have struggled with the same questions about Eli's child-rearing that we do today.

Before I sign off -- and since I'm still in Deuteronomy in my RTTB process, here's a passage that caught my attention:

"You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth." Deuteronomy 8:17-18.

Oh, we all would profess this; but how often do we consciously give credit to God for our skills, abilities, talents and circumstances that allow us to make a living?

Take a moment to join me in giving all credit, praise, and gratitude to the Father.