The Accused

I was thinking today about each of our sobering realities. Strange topic, eh? I found myself in 1 Samuel 3. Check it out: "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes."1 Samuel 3:17-18

When the Lord came to Samuel, He gave him a list of His indictments of Eli. He said he would judge him because of the sin that he KNEW about, that his sons had made themselves contemptible, and that he failed to restrain them (vs.13). God then gave the consequence of such negligence: that the guilt of Eli’s house would never be atoned for. Ever.

Could you imagine the courage it would take for Samuel to relay these messages to Eli? But he did it. Probably because of his obvious encounter with and confidence in God, but nevertheless, he was obedient. And Eli’s response: “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” That surprises me. Eli simply received his due judgment. He understood God’s authority. He understood his blame. I’m sure there was more going on behind the scenes, which could outline the extent of his neglect, but we can be assured the consequence was right. And at this point, even the accused agreed.

Romans 14 recalls the words of the Lord, “As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.”

I think Eli realized he had known it was coming and now it was too late. We will all stand in that place one day. It’s a sobering thought, really. Hopefully, it’s one of confidence for those who call Christ, Savior. Whether we now agree with the future consequence of our trespasses… we will all stand accountable, judgment will be had, and we will one day all agree. No matter the ruling. We’ll see His holiness and His greatness. And we’ll then fully understand what it means to say, “He is Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”