The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-08-27
WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON )
Eli: Responsibility For Others
By HIGHT {. MOORE

Scriptures. Samuel 3:l1-l4f
4 :l2-18. :! BSErsgEffXSi'
Golden text: Train una child IN
the way he should go,-Proverb}si
1916. '',:,i
About the middle of the twelfth
century before Christ lived Eli,
the honored high priest and Judge
in Israel and the careful instruc-
tor of Samuel from infancy to
youth. However, his own sons,
though priests also, were sons Of
Belial," as wicked as they were
worthless. being guilty of graft
and fraud, of gross sacrilege, and
of fragrant immortality. From an
unnamed man Of God and through
the child Samuel came to Eli the
word of doom which within a few
wears was fulfilled in the death
of both sons during the battle Of
Aphek and of their father when
the courier came home with the
news.
FORECAST BY SAMUEL
Il Samuel 3:ll-l4)
RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAM
lily was implied in the forecast
by Samuel. A boy Of perhaps
twelve years. he was in training
and on duty as pupil and attend
ant of the high priest in the sane
tuary at Shiloh. Reused again
from slumbcr by his third call, the
lad was listening to God and at
tent to his word What he heard
brought to him and to US a five
fold message. CD Here is mes
sage to Israel, Il people who re-
spected family responsibility. The
fifth commandment was funda-
mental in family life. The duty
of parents to teach and train Their
children to love God and neigh
Dor was emphatic and vital. The
law (Deut. 2l:1S-2D dealt stern
lv with stubborn and rebelllouS
son for his disobedience, drunken
ness. and gluttony. (2) Here is a
message against Eli who neglect
ed family responsibility. He was
a high priest, devoted to God ana
his high office. and forty years
4 Judge with no personal stain up
on his record. He misunderstood
Hannah at first but quickly be-
slowed his blessing upon her and
treated her tenderly in the after
wears. His care of the child Sam
uel shows him at his best in reIl-
zion, education, industry, govern
ment. But his own children never
caught his spirit or followed his
example. His sons did not know
the Lord but they did know Be
lial. they were greedy and lech-
erous: and they brought shame
upon him and them and the sane
tuarv and the nation. He saw
their sin. heard the people COM
ulain about them, weakly remon-
strated with them, sincerely la
mented their evil dOings. Yet ne
never restrained them, but actual
w placed or permitted them IN
high public and prieStly positions
and continued them in office over
the protests Of the people. (Read
Sam. 2:22-25.) For this lapse OF
the good priest there can be no
word of defense. CD Here is a
message about Els house which
defied family responsibility. Is not
such a household on the steep to-
boggan? Can such sons as Els
ever succeed? Think of what al
ready had been forecast l Sam;
2:27-36) for them all, father and
sons going down into the same
deep. They must lose the right
arm of their place and power,
civic and religious. Longevity
must be cut off the family tree
for "there shall not be an OLD
: man in thy house" A faithful
priest must arise out of some 9TH
er household to which Ellis pos
terity will be subservient. The
tabernacle will be desecrated ano
the country devastated by an enc,
nv. Finally, the two sons of I'll
shall meet violent deaths on the
same day. (4) Here is a message
about the iniquity which under
mined family responsibility. The
unregenerate sons of Eli, elevated
to priestly office, might have per
formed their duties perfunctorily
serving merely for hire. But they
were not Journalists; they were
such hypocrites and grafters that
thew made the sanctuary a cess
pool and the sacrifices a stencf
| in the nostrils of tn epeople. They
deliberately and fraudulently dis
obeved the laws of sacrificial OF
ferings. (Read / Sam. 2:12-l7.)
They managed to get more thar
their share of the offered AM
mails, which was disgusting to the
offerers; they got what they
wanted before they were entitled
to it, which was sacrilege to God
and they demanded their portion
raw so they could roast rather
than boil it, which was contrary
to Mosaic instruction. Moreover
Ellis sons sank so low that they
introduced at Shiloh basely i'm
CALVARY BAPTIST
Grove street between Sixth
and Seventh avenues east.
Coo,n, Dannan nnStpT