The Obedience of Samuel

As you know, I teach Kindergarten here at the school. It's a Christian school, so we do have bible lessons through out the week. Our story for this week was Samuel when he was just a boy and lived in the temple. We all know that story of how Samuel, after a long day of work in the temple, laid down on his mat to sleep when he heard a voice. He heard the voice multiple times and thought it was the priest, Eli. Finally, he came to realize that it was God that calling his name. God told Samuel that Eli would one day no longer be priest.

The thing that I never took time to realize was, why Eli would no longer be priest. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Hophni and Phinehas did not obey or did they love God. But Samuel was different, heloved God and he was obedient and that's why God used him......But let's take a look back at Eli.....Why did God no longer want Eli to be priest, he seemed to be obedient and I would assume to be the priest that you would have to love God. Obviously there was something in Eli's life that did not please God.

When God spoke to Samuel about Eli, his reason for not keeping Eli as priest probaly to some seemed unfair.......Eli's son were not obedient, to God, to their father or to the house of God.

Proverbs 23:13-14 says, "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."

Obviously I don't agree with beating a child, but the word of God tell's parents to give correction....Now I'm not a parent yet but for some reason this story almost brought me to tears. I started to see that when I do become a parent and if I don't teach my child to obey, it doesn't only harm the children, but it harms the parents.

Eli lost his place in the house of God because he stopped making his children obey. I believe God made an example out of Eli. We have to teach our children to obey. I don't want my children to be lost and I don't want to lose my place in the house of God.

As I said before, I don't have children yet, yes I know and I am not telling anyone how to raise their children but I do feel like God laid this on my heart for a reason.

Love you all!