Dr Paul Allen

Painting of Samuel learning from Eli (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) One of the most poignant episodes of the judgment of God occurred in the Old Testament case of Eli . Eli was a judge and priest over Israel . He was, for the most part, a godly man. But his sons were wicked and profaned the house of God. Eli rebuked them but did not fully restrain them. God revealed to Samuel that He would judge the house of Eli: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 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 Sam. 3:11-13) When Eli persisted in asking Samuel what God had said, Samuel finally told him. When Eli heard the words, he said: "It is the Lord . Let Him do what seems good to Him" (v. 18). ...

Painting of Samuel learning from Eli (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The twelve apostles included “James the son of Zebedee ” ( Matt. 10:2). Zeal without sensitivity can destroy your life and ministry. There’s the story of a Norwegian pastor whose motto was “All or nothing!” His life and preaching were stern, strong, powerful, uncompromising, and utterly insensitive. Reportedly the people in his church didn’t care much for him because he didn’t care much for them. In his zeal and ambition to advance the Kingdom and uphold God ’s standard, he neglected everything else—including his own family. One day his little daughter became so ill, the doctor warned him that if he didn’t move her out of the cold Norwegian air to a warmer climate she would die. He refused, telling the doctor, “All or nothing!” Soon his little girl died. His wife was so grief-stricken she would sit for hours holding her daughter’s garments close to her heart, trying somehow to ease her pain. When the pastor saw ...

Image via Wikipedia One of the most poignant episodes of the judgment of God occurred in the Old Testament case of Eli. Eli was a judge and priest over Israel . He was, for the most part, a godly man. But his sons were wicked and profaned the house of God. Eli rebuked them but did not fully restrain them. God revealed to Samuel that He would judge the house of Eli: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 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 Sam. 3:11-13) When Eli persisted in asking Samuel what God had said, Samuel finally told him. When Eli heard the words, he said: "It is the Lord . Let Him do what seems good to Him" (v. 18). What seemed good to God was to punish the house o...

Image via Wikipedia Like a scratched record on which the stylus becomes stuck in a single groove, playing the same music over and over again, one refrain sounds repeatedly in the book of Judges : “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD.” Judges covers a crucial period of Old Testament history. It is sandwiched between the books of Joshua and 1 Samuel (with the little book of Ruth squeezed in as well). Joshua records the history of the conquest of Canaan , the move of the Israelites from the wilderness into the Promised Land. Once the conquest was accomplished, Israel settled into the era of the judges, or what Biblical scholars call the period of the amphictyony. Historians date this period as being roughly between 1200 and 1050 B.C. The Egyptian Empire was waning and Assyria had been weakened. The newest  Image via Wikipedia threat to the Israelites was the Philistines , who controlled the seacoast of Canaan and had a monopoly on the manufacture ...

Image via Wikipedia Eli ’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord…they were treating the Lord ’s offering with contempt.  But Samuel   was ministering before the Lord.  1 Samuel 2:18 A difficult situation for any Christian is when they find themselves working under  ungodly leadership . Or in an ungodly environment. This can be true in your business. Unfortunately, sometimes even in your church. The hard thing is knowing what you should do. Should you leave?  Should you put forth your best effort ? Is it even possible to serve God faithfully in this kind of situation? Samuel found himself in this kind of dilemma. Eli’s sons were abusing their priestly duties. And Eli was doing nothing about it. It wasn’t the ideal situation to serve God in. But it was the situation Samuel found himself in. What’s interesting is that when Samuel enters the story, there’s no comment about his attitude towards his leaders. No hint that he wrest...