Observations: Eli is the Priest to Yahweh, serving at the amazing Tent of Meeting - which is now hundreds of years old - erected at Shilo. However, Eli doesn't do the work of the priest. As we learn, he has his two sons do all the priestly duties overseeing sacrifices, and they abuse their power. The two sons coerce the finest portion of the offering from those making sacrifices, threaten any who won't obey their orders, and even use the female assistants for sex. Eli knows of all of it and says so. As the actual Priest, Eli has all the authority and could put an end to the behavior immediately, but he does nothing to stop it.
Meanwhile, Eli sees a woman praying. Hannah is from a devout family, the wife of a Levite who makes all the annual pilgrimages and all the sacrifices, who honors the Lord and loves his family. Hannah is distraught, and has been verbally and publicly taunted by her husband's other wife while they have eaten their sacrifice. Now, she prayer fervently from her heart, the words pouring out to the Lord for her heart's desire of a son, and ... Eli berates her for being a drunkard.
Eli is clearly focused on the wrong behaviors in need of correction. He won't discipline his sons who are becoming a scourge to all of Israel and are actively offensive to Yahweh, yet he will correct a woman who is praying because he assumes she is drunk (which isn't necessarily an offense either). Eli knows of, yet ignores, the terrible acts of his sons, however he sits in a chair seeking out tiny improprieties in others - just assuming the worst in everyone as he does - and quickly and publicly pronounces correction upon them.
Here's the real issue. Eli should be the man in all of Israel with the most authority, and whose actions direct all honor to Yahweh. Instead, he is a side-character in the story of a prophet, best known for failing to correct his sons. His failure begins to turn the hearts of the people against the sacrifices to Yahweh, for they detest and even fear going through the ritual due to Eli's family. Serving the Lord becomes traumatic. All the while, Eli nit-picks the "regular" people, but won't take the actions necessary to truly bring honor to God.
Application: I no longer like the idea of 'fighting' about issues, problems, or work. I used to, but no more. However, I see a trap in this mindset, too, and perhaps it is the trap Eli warns of.
The trap I am thinking of is the idea that there are small matters that I can judge and then "fight" because they are easy enough to address without bothering God. Eli knew fighting his sons would be hard and involve major assistance from God, but he believed that judging a muttering woman and giving her two sentences of correction was an easy matter ... no need to discern the will of God there!
I fall into this trap when I pass simple and obvious judgments in my mind on others. When I think someone is stupid because of how they drive, or that someone is mean for ignoring politeness, or someone is inconsiderate because they are loud in a quiet public space. I judge, and furthermore don't need God's wisdom to help me judge the obvious truth.
This is another way to consider how to break my cycle of judgment ... if I never assume that judgments are 'simple' or 'obvious'. If I look at everyone and ask, "Lord, what is this person's issue?" he may reveal to me that they have hardship, challenges, or struggles worthy of kindness and patience.
Prayer: Lord, may I remember Eli's interaction with Hannah when I grow frustrated with people in simple and obvious circumstances. I do not want to be quick to judge. Amen.
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