The man of yours, [whom] I shall not cut off from my altar, [shall be] to consume your eyes, and to grieve your heart; and all the increase of your house shall die in the flower of their age.
This section reveals the importance and power of parental influence, though this is not the primary lesson. Eli had placed more importance on his sons’ personal preferences than he had on God’s preferences; he had honored them more than Him (1 Samuel 2:29). Consequently they became worthless men (1 Samuel 2:12) whom God finally killed prematurely. Hannah, on the other hand, encouraged her son, Samuel, to value the service of God. Consequently he developed into a godly man whom God and other people honored and respected (1 Samuel 2:26). Eli’s sons despised God and abused other people (1 Samuel 2:17; 1 Samuel 2:22). Samuel feared God and became a great blessing to other people.