read through 1 Samuel 1-5

Eli’s introduction in the Bible is brief and abrupt, but, as we see in numerous cases throughout the Bible, some men, Jabez, for instance, can be used by God in momentous ways, even though the space devoted to them in the text may be cursory. And those men can hold personal implications for us as we think about what it means to be men of God, as outlined in Ephesians 5:21-23.

Although Eli, as was written in 1 Samuel 1-5, was a judge for Israel across a time span of four decades, we really only have five chapters by which to learn about him. Despite this, his impact was far-reaching, and we can credit him with training and being a mentor to Samuel, one of the great Old Testament leaders.

At the beginning of 1 Samuel, we find Hannah weeping because she is barren. Eli, sitting on a chair at the Lord’s temple, noticed her crying and thought she was drunk. Upon talking with her, however, he learned of her sorrow and granted his blessing to her that she would conceive of a son. That son was Samuel and he was conceived, we can infer from the text, on the next day. Hannah promised to God that if she could have a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord. She did, and largely left Samuel’s care and instruction with Eli, who brought him up in the ways of God. Since Hannah had given her only son into God’s service, Eli later prayed with her and Elkanah again that they would have more children. This became a reality as well.

Samuel, who the Bible says, “ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest,” went on to be a leader for the Israel nation, helping appoint Saul, and later, David, as kings of the nation.

Eli, however, was not without flaws. His two sons, whom the Bible describes as “wicked” did not follow the ways of God and even were charged with “treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.” The Lord then charged Eli with failing to rebuke his sons because of their actions. What followed was Israel’s defeat by Palestine, first on the battlefield, and then an even more fatal defeat in Israel’s own camp, which resulted in the loss of the ark of the covenant. It was later returned by the Palestinians after many in the Palestinian camp were stricken with tumors because they possessed Israel’s ark.

The lesson of Eli, then, is that first, human parents are flawed. Though we as Christians seek to lead godly lives and rear our children in that direction, our very nature will cause us to fail at times, as Eli did. But alternately, we are to be mentors and godly examples for our children. In this  passage, we learn that Eli acted as a father figure for Samuel, teaching him and ministering to him as Samuel matures in God. So too, as witnessed by our actions, being committed to praying  daily for and with our children, reading the Bible daily and loving our wives as Christ loved the church, we can show our children that we are examples in Christ by which to follow. And the Bible says that if we teach them in the way they should go, they will never stray from it.