Good believers, even great believers, can fail as parents. Godliness does not guarantee godly children. The Old Testament books of I and II Samuel give sad evidence of this reality.
As I Samuel begins, we meet Eli the priest and his two sons. Eli is best known for receiving the child Samuel as his “apprentice” when Samuel’s mother dedicates him to God. Sadly Eli’s sons serve as priests even though they “had no regard for the Lord.” Instead they exploit their religious position for material gain and sexual favors. Eli fails to deal with their greed and immorality. God rebukes him strongly because he honored his sons more than honoring God.
Years later, we find Samuel’s sons failing in the same way. He appoints them as judges for Israel. But they “did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and “accepted bribes and perverted justice.” Samuel is not rebuked but he must live with the fact that his sons fail God and the people in their roles. The nation of Israel asks Samuel to appoint a king for them and one reason they give is that his sons failured as judges.
Then in II Samuel we have the example of David. He is described as a man after God’s own heart. He is a great model of faith in God and is the author of wonderful psalms. With God’s guidance and help David becomes a very powerful king.
Yet when it comes to dealing with his adult sons Amnon and Absalom who commit rape, murder and rebellion, this powerful leader seems powerless.
I have just finished reading Timothy Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods. I highly recommend it. As he highlights various things that can so easily become idols in our lives, he includes the observation that even children can become idols. We can too easily make our family the number one priority in our lives so that we fail God.
Our allegiance and relationship with God must come first. We must not use our love for our children as an excuse to disobey God or as an excuse not to serve and give to God.
Family life is of crucial importance. Our cultures desperately need to see models of healthy families. You cannot love your children too much. But if not careful, we can fail them by failing to love God more. This will not be good for you or your children.
So God speaks to Eli and His words warn every loving, dedicated parent. “Why do you honor your sons more than me --- ? --- Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.” I Samuel 2:29 - 30
No comments:
Post a Comment