At the Temple in Shiloh, Hannah relinquished her newly weaned son as a faithful completion of her vow to God. Verse 11 says that Elakanah returned home, which means that he confirmed his wife's choice and relinquished to Eli the fatherly authority to raise Samuel as a servant in the Temple. This transference of guardianship ends our time with Samuel's family.
The Scriptures now have us peering into the current state of the worship in Israel. Eli, the High Priest, had two sons who were very rebellious. They used their position as priests to greedily demand and steal portions of food from worshippers, to eat the fat of the sacrifices (belonging to God alone), to deal harshly with the people, and to have sex with women serving there. The fear of God was not in them.
Serving the Lord as a priest was a sacred position. It was reserved alone for the tribe of Levi. The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy expound upon the role of the priests, who were lifelong servants before God. According to these books, the Levites blessed the other 11 tribes of Israel by standing between them and the presence of God. Holiness befits His house, and the Levites were to fear the holiness of God in the way they dressed, ate, and ministered. Their lives were a constant reminder to the people that God is not to be approached irreverently.
The corruption in Eli's sons is a heavy thought to weigh. It is repulsive in comparison to the holy standard of God. Through them, I am reminded that my own sin should be repulsive to me as I consider the holiness of God. I am loved and have a life purpose in God's will, but I still must daily choose between sin and obedience. Having a relationship with God did not, and does not, remedy the nature of my flesh. I, as Eli's sons were, am still tempted by my own evil desires. I am daily tempted in my sin to lower the standard on what is sacred.
With gladness, God gives me hope. Samuel, even as a youth, stood as a stark contrast to the rebellion of Eli's sons. You and I are to be that contrast to the world in our present time. As sinners, we blend in with the world around us. But as the saved, we stand apart because of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Day by day, God is working to grow us before Himself as He did with Samuel. Temptations abound, but we have the blessing of a responsive relationship with God to lead us in repentance and being made new in Christ.
As you seek to honor the Sacred One, be wise in recognizing, confessing, and repenting from sin and fleeing the temptations to lower His standard. Consider these wise words by Charles Swindoll in his sermon "It's the Work and It's Sacred":
The work of God is Sacred.
It is not our place to lower His standard.
It is not our place to lower His standard.
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